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Waffen-SS 'Unit Ezquerra'

Discussion in 'Eastern Europe February 1943 to End of War' started by JCFalkenbergIII, Mar 1, 2008.

  1. JCFalkenbergIII

    JCFalkenbergIII Expert

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    Waffen-SS 'Unit Ezquerra'

    After the Blue Legion was withdrawn it became illegal for Spaniards to serve on the Axis side. None the less, some of the volunteers refused to return to Spain, and volunteers continued to sneak across the border into France.
    Most of these recruits joined the Waffen SS, however, some Spanish platoons were attached to the 3rd Mountain Division and the 357th Infantry Division. Two companies of Spaniards performed anti-Partisan work in Yugoslavia as part of the Brandenburg unit. In September 1944 one of these companies was sent to Austria, where it became the Spanische-Freiwilligen-Kompanie der SS 101. A second company (102) was soon formed. The 101 Company was attached to the 28th Waffen SS Division (Wallonien) and saw heavy action in Pomerania.
    In the end, the 101st was attached to the 11th SS Division Nordland.
    In April 1945 Colonel Miguel Ezquerra Sanchez commanded the three companies of Waffen-SS 'Unit Ezquerra'. The unit was formed from:
    • 100 Spaniards who, like Ezquera himself, had served in the Blue Division, but remained in German service. (Ezquera had been a Blue Division Captain.)
    • 150 Spanish recruits who had secretly crossed the Spanish/French border which had been closed by Franco.
    • Some survivors from Belgian and French SS Divisions.
    The men of 'Unit Ezquerra' were amongst the last troops fighting the Russians in the rubble of Berlin. Ezquerra survived the battle, and later escaped from Russian imprisonment to return to Spain.


    1939 - 45 Spanish Involvement in WWII
     
  2. JCFalkenbergIII

    JCFalkenbergIII Expert

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    :bump:
     
  3. PzJgr

    PzJgr Drill Instructor

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    And those who did survive were not allowed to enter Spain. I don't know if my Grandfather was aware of the recall but he fought on and later found out after his release from prison that he was not allowed back into Spain. While the men of the Blue Division were hailed as heros, men like these were not. Hmmm.
     
  4. JCFalkenbergIII

    JCFalkenbergIII Expert

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    Perhaps one of the reasons for some of the men might have been the taint from being associated with the SS?
     
  5. PzJgr

    PzJgr Drill Instructor

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    Could be. But from what I have read, Franco's efforts in preventing Spaniards from leaving Spain and volunteering to fight on their own, I can deduce that there would be some repercussions for those who disobeyed.
     
  6. JCFalkenbergIII

    JCFalkenbergIII Expert

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    There is also that. I would assume that once serving in either Lutwaffe,Heer,Kriegsmarine and SS that those in the SS would be the least desirable after the war. But having served with the Germans at all might have made them politically or some other way tainted in a way that threatened Franco.
     
  7. skywalker

    skywalker Member

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    Were the Germans fond of the Spaniards ?
     

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