Foreign SS Units

Does anyone have any knowledge of central European SS units? I know the Nazis formed many SS units comprised mainly of anti-communists from its vassal states in Western and Northern Europe, but what about places like Czechoslovakia? Bohemia and Moravia were designated a Protectorate under Reich control and as such were exempt from the draft (the Germans preferred all able bodied Czechs to work in factories for them anyway), but was there a volunteer Czech SS unit like there was in Slovakia? If so, where did they fight? Is anyone aware of any books written on the subject?

Short answer: Czechs were not allowed into army or SS units. Hitler didn't trust them.

Longer answer: only people who officially claimed to be Germans (or Silesians) were drafted (this includes Germans from Sudetenland).

The protectorate has 'goverment army' - some thousand of men, with only light equipment but it was not used actively. Only at the end of war they were moved into northern Italy for guarding service but the unit gradually dissolved - some people switch to partisans, others fled.

No (semi-)military groups were allowed to form from native Czechs. The only people bearing arms were policemen.

It made sense for Germans; the protectorate was highly industrial area, out of reach of bombers for long time and skilled workforce was badly needed here.

There was not very much enthusiasm for Germans or for fight against communism in Czech population. People just tried to survive best way they could. It is doubtful large volunteer force could be assembed.

The epithet 'anti-communist' is not entirely, if at all, accurate. The SS recruited in the main fascist anti-Semites who hated the Slavs and communism as part of their general agenda of hatred and fear. The idea that any SS unit was primarily anti-communist in outlook and intention is false and another Cold War apologist invention.

There were two SS division of Muslim Croats (Handzar and Kama) and Catholic Croats formed couple o Wermacht divisons (369. and 373. divisions I know but maybe others too). And ethnic Germans from Croatia formed SS Gebirgsjager division Prinz Eugen.

I've always been curious about so-called 'ethnic Germans' in places like the Sudetenland and Alsace. I always assumed that the claimed to be German out of either opportunism or fear, but how connected were they with the German language and culture?

Alsace changed hands often during the last two centuries, in Strasbourg you can still find native German speakers among the elderly residents, I think I remember reading that German was the majority language in many places of Alsace. Post war the French gov't ensured this would not continue so German is no longer spoken there amongst the young. In the Sudetenland, many of those ethnic Germans now reside in Germany after having fled west to escape Soviet rule and most have distinctive 'regional' names that show their origin. Some of these ethnic Germans range even further, there's a Ukrainian church in Santa Clara Ca. (USA) where the principle language is German. Almost surreal isnt it? Language and culture have always crossed borders. How else would you explain Switzerland with three national languages?

Their native language was German (dialect of) and their culture was not isolated from German one.

During WW2 Sudeten were official part of Third Reich and Germans from there drafted as other Germans were.

At the beginning of occupation of today's Czech Republic, anyone could claim German nationality. I do not know what were the conditions or numbers. Sometimes it happened with mixed marriages.

People living in Silesian part of Moravia could claim 'Silesian' nationality. It seemed advantageous for lower taxes but later these people were mandatorily drafted into army.

Intent of Nazis was to 'germanify' suitable part of Czech nation. For this reason e.g. children were measured for fitting Arian ideal. The plan was postponed till end of war, though.

in Eastern Europe, these people ('native Germans' did (and, as far as they have not fled, been forcefully expelled, killed or absorbed during or after the war, some of their anchestors - albeit a small number compared to the early 1940s, still continue to do today) speak German, sometimes a particular dialect brought in by their anchestors that had immigrated to these countries typically several 100 years back. Depending on the particular country (and its policy towards this 'national minority' there were towns with German names, German-language schools, church-services, universities, and so on.

Alsace is a bit different in this respect that historically speaking it had been an area of 'Germanic' people (if you allow for this rough division, as opposed to 'Romanic' people of more Western Europe). The Alsacian language as part of the Aleman dialects (maybe a different term would be more appropriate linguistically?) makes, again linguistially speaking, part of the family of German dialects. Historically the French rulers, both kings and republics, have steadily pushed their boundaries east in the quest of expanding their territory, and after the late middle ages more and more of Alsace came under French control (which of course cluded that over time, i.e. centuries, more and more people of French origin moved there as well and that the French culture including language was more and more adopted by the locals). By 1940 most Alsacians would probably have agreed that they were 'French' (anyone from that particular region might be able to give a more detailed insight).

The French succeeded in that the alsacian population speeks french fluently, just as the Swiss speak both swiss-german and french fluently. But the native language in the Alsace still is a regional variant of the alemannic, a german dialect. The same dialect is spoken in the southern part of Badenia (a former german state just cross-border of the Alsace, now united with Württemberg) and the region around Basel in Switzerland. In fact the Alsacians speak better german than I do speak french (I live in Karlsruhe, 10 km from the Alsace, though I'm not a native Badenian).

The look and feel of alsacian villages is distinctly different from other parts of France.

I can't comment much of the Sudeten-Germans, Silesians or East Prussians, other than there still are traditional clubs around that aim to preserve their culture, but sometimes also act as political pressure groups. But there is no doubt that they always regarded themselves as germans.

Claus-Juergen Heigl

Alsace changed hands tree times since 1870. Language spoken in Alsace is a german dialect which have barely nothing common with french language (it's close from 'bavarian', german dialect spoken is Bavaria, with a large amount of difference with standard german). This dialect remains today widely used. french (especially if you take the religious fact in account ), even if few Alsace native will admit it.

As I understand it, in spite of the fact that Alsatians speak a dialect of German, they do not consider themselves Germans and identify with France. As a result of the German invasion and annexation of Alsace-Lorraine in 1870 half a million Alsatians fled the region, according to Barbara Tuchman's book 'The Guns of August'. This leads to the question of what the status of these people was during the German occupation of World War II. Were they considered full Reich Germans and were they subject to conscription to the Wehrmacht?