The Forgotten Axis

Book excerpt: The mention of World War II German soldiers conjures images of strong, Aryan young men born in Germany and raised under the Third Reich. However, throughout the war, more than 3 million foreigners served in Nazi Germany’s armed services, comprising 18 percent of the entire German force. These non–German soldiers included 1.5 million Austrians, 350,000 Sudetenlanders, and approximately 200,000 Poles, as well as Czechs, Slovaks, Norwegians, Danes, Belgians, Romanians, Finns, Bulgarians and other nationalities. Whether converts, conscripts or reluctant volunteers, these foreigners served throughout the armed forces and participated in all major operations. This volume offers the first in-depth exploration of the motives and experiences of these non–German German soldiers, providing a new perspective on the military history of the Axis powers.