Allied from Germany, Hungary, Finland, Romania and Bulgaria

Foreign volunteers, collaboration and Axis Allies 1939-1945.

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Jan
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Allied from Germany, Hungary, Finland, Romania and Bulgaria

Post by Jan »

Hi
Which divisions Hungary, Finland, Romania and did Bulgaria for the fight in the east set up :?:

Jan
Victor Nitu
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Post by Victor Nitu »

The Bulgarian army did not fight against the Soviet Union.
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Post by sid guttridge »

Hi Jan,

The entire active Romanian Army served on the Eastern Front and every single division suffered the complete loss of its combat capacity at least once either through complete annihilation (as at Stalingrad in 1942), extremely high infantry casualties (as at Odessa in 1941) or the complete loss of heavy weaponry and transport (as in the Crimea in 1944). Yet almost all were back at the front in August 1944.

Infantry Divisions: Guard, Frontier, 1st-11th, 13th-15th, 18th-21st, 24th.

Mountain Divisions: 1st-4th.

Cavalry Divisions: 1st, 5th-9th.

Armoured Division: 1st.

Security Divisions: 1st-3rd.

Fortress Division: 1st.

Miscellaneous: 35th Reserve Division, 4/24th Infantry Division.

Cheers,

Sid.
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Mad Volksdeutscher
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Post by Mad Volksdeutscher »

Since Sid covered Romania, I'll do Hungary:

(noted for their baroque insignia, retro WWI uniform styling and utterly charming womenfolk! 8) LOL!)

BTW: The Horthy government ONLY declared war on the Soviet Union. Not the US or UK.

1941:

Carpathian Group

8th Army Corps (1st Mountain Bde, 8th Border Guard Bde)
Mobile Corps (1st cav. Bde, 1st & 2nd Motorized Bdes)

units mostly employed in rear guard activities, additional troops sent forward to bolster units until unit strength was to 2 full Corps

1942:

Hungarian 2nd Army

3rd Army Corps (6th, 7th & 9th Light Infantry Divs)
4th Army Corps (10th, 12th & 13th Light Infantry Div's)
7th Army Corps (19th, 20th, 23rd Light Infantry Divs)
1st Armored Div
2nd Air Brigade of Hungarian Airforce

2nd Army sustained heavy losses along the Don River sector of the front, especially to the 3rd Army Corps. Remainder of 2nd Army was used to hold the left flank of the 1942 offensive with the German 6th Army at Stalingrad. In January, 1943 Soviet forces broke through the overextended and thinly stretched Hungarian lines, and the 2nd AG was destroyed in all but name. 35000 KIA, 26000 POWs, to include the father of one of my college friends (he survived. Many did not)

May 1943

7th Army Corps (1st, 5th, 9th, 12th & 23rd Light Infantry Divs)
8th Army Corps (18th, 19th, 21st & 201st Light Infantry Divs

aforementioned Carpathian Group

Losses sustained at Kharkov (1st LI reduced to 50% strength in 2 weeks fighting in Sept 1943), by Dec. 1943 only 2 divisions managed to escape destruction, via a retreat through the Pripet Marshes and to the Polish Border.

March 1944

1st Army Group
6th Army Corps (25th, 27th, 201st Light Infantry Divs)
7th Army Corps (16th, 18th Light Infantry Divs)
2nd Armored Div
24th Light Inf Div
1st Mountain Bde
2nd Mountain Bde
20th Infantry Div

At this point German forces had entered Hungary

August 1944

2nd Army Group
2nd Army Corps (2nd Armored Div, 7th & 9th Replacement Divs, 1st & 2nd Replacement Mountain Bdes)
9th Army Corps (2nd Field Replacement Div, 25th Inf Div, 27th Light Inf Div, 9th Borderguard Bde)

Units sent to Transylvanian front after Romania left the Axis

In October 1944 the Horthy government was overthrown, must mention also a couple of additional Hungarian units, under complete German command:

18th WSS Div "Horst Wessel"
22nd WSS Div "Maria Theresa"
25th WSS Div "Hungaria"
26th WSS Div "Hunyadi"

The latter two were EXTREMELY poorly equipped and supplied, as I recall the 26th was nicknamed the "slouch hat division" as much of the unit was in civilian clothing with only cap badges on their "Kossuth" type fedoras.

(One of the Ballantine books on the WSS, also the L & F Funcken volume on SS makes mention of the 26th being the WSS unit that "disappeared". Umm, they never all got uniforms, no supplies, hopeless situation at the front. "Disappearing" would have been a VERY sensible thing to do!) :wink:

(FWIW, I will also mention Croatia's contribution of the 369th "Schachbrett" Div to the fighting at Stalingrad! There. I have mentioned them!)
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Post by sid guttridge »

Hi Mad V,

The Croats only contributed a regiment to the Eastern Front. This was subordinate to an Austrian jaeger division and was lost at Stalingrad.

369th Division was built after this and never served outside Croatia.

Cheers,

Sid.
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Post by Mad Volksdeutscher »

Should have said 369th REGIMENT, this is what happens when I get a call on my other line and I'm trying to tie off a post....
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Enrico Cernuschi
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Post by Enrico Cernuschi »

There was too a Legione Croata (something more than a battalion) in blackshirt uniform with the Italian Divisione Celere P.A.D.A. in Russia in 1942. EC
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Post by Abel Ravasz »

Hi,

seems that the 3rd Hungarian Army was left out of previous posts.

3rd Hungarian Army
CO József Heszlényi
Formed 20/9/44 from IV. AK in the area of Szeged - Nagyvárad
OOB

16/9/44
IV. Corps: 20th Inf Div, 1st Armd D
VII. Corps: 12th Res Div, Lakatos Bde
VIII. Corps: 5th, 8th Field Repl Divs
Army Reserve: 4th, 6th Field Repl Divs

13/10/44
VIII. Corps: 23rd Res Div, 5th, 8th Field Repl Divs
LVII. German Panzerkorps: 20th Inf Div, 1st Cav Div, 4th SS PzG Div
Army Reserve: Szent László Div

5/11/44
VIII. Corps: 20th Inf Div, 5th, 8th Field Repl Divs
LXXII. German Armeekorps: 25th Inf Div, 76th German Inf Div
Army Reserve: Szent László Div

26/11/44
II. Corps: 23rd Res Div, 1st River Bde
LXXII. German Armeekorps: 25th Inf Div, 76th German Inf Div
Army Reserve: 25th Inf Div, VII., VIII. Corps HQs

31/12/44
II. Corps: 25th Inf Div, 8th Field Repl Div

7/1/45
II. Corps: 9th Field Repl Div, 25th Inf Div
VIII. Corps: 23rd Res Div

19/2/45
II. Corps: 20th Inf Div, 8th Field Repl Div
Army Reserve: VIII. Korps HQ, 1st Cav Div

1/3/45
II. Corps: 20th Inf Div
III. German Panzerkorps: 25th Inf Div, 1st, 3rd, 23rd German Pz Divs

Best,

Abel
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Post by Mad Volksdeutscher »

Thank you, Abel for correcting my OTHER mistake in that lengthy post of mine on this topic.

(I mean, not only did I make the 369th typo for what I hope was the FINAL time...right, Sid? :oops: BUT: I had a feeling as I was trying to wind things down and talk to one of my buds on the other phone that I was forgetting SOMETHING.... :shock: )

Sometimes the Mad Volksdeutscher can multitask successfully...sometimes NOT! :? LOL! :D

Okay, I think we've finally gotten Hungary ( known for the nifty things mentioned in my 1st post on this thread ) covered. And Croatia!

Sve za Hrvatsku!

(Thanks to E. Cernuschi for mentioning the OTHER Croat unit, thusly completing the catalogue of Pavelic's contribution to the Russian Campaign)

SOMEBODY ELSE has to do German order of battle! I'll come down with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome if I have to type all that!

(BTW, no one's done Finland yet, and Enrico if you want to cover Italia I've just set up for your segue....)
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Re: Allied from Germany, Hungary, Finland, Romania and Bulgaria

Post by zoltay »

Re the comment that the 26th SS Division "Hungaria" disappeared. The division did not disappear. In early April 1945 after its Commander (Maack) had left to command the 20th SS division no other Hungarian commander came forward so it was combined with 25 SS "Hunyadi" under the command of Grassy and continued the retreat into Austria and surrendered along with the other Hungarian SS units at Attersee. Some members actually fighting on the Oder as part of the 32nd SS. Also I have heard the term "Slouch Hat division" being associated with other SS divisions so it seems to move around a lot.
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Re: Allied from Germany, Hungary, Finland, Romania and Bulgaria

Post by John Hilly »

Finnish Divisions in1941 can be found here:

http://niehorster.org/024_finland/41-06-29/_army.html

With best, J-P :wink:
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Re: Allied from Germany, Hungary, Finland, Romania and Bulgaria

Post by tigre »

Hello to all :D; a little complement...........................................

Bulgaria takes sides 1941.

Source: https://www.delcampe.net/de/sammlerobje ... 74403.html

Cheers. Raúl M 8).
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Bulgarian Minister of War, General Teodosi Daskalov (1888 - 1945) greeting in Sofia the Commander of the German troops in Bulgaria, Field Marshal Wilhelm List ...............
Bulgarian Minister of War, General Teodosi Daskalov (1888 - 1945) greeting in Sofia the Commander of the German troops in Bulgaria, Field Marshal Wilhelm List ...............
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