In 1941, the Franco regime established the Spanish Division of Volunteers to take part in the Russian campaign as a unit integrated into the German Wehrmacht. Recruited by both the Fascist Party and the Spanish army, around 47000 Spanish volunteers joined what would become known as the "Blue Division." "The Spanish Blue Division on the Eastern Front" explores an intimate history of this unit "from below," using personal war diaries, letters and memoirs, as well as official documents from military archives in Spain, Germany, Britain and Russia.
In addition to describing the Spanish experience on the Eastern Front, Seixas takes on controversial topics including the "Blue Division" proximity to the Holocaust and how members of the Division have been remembered and commemorated. Addressing issues such as the behaviour of the Spaniards as occupiers, their perception by the Russians, their witnessing of the Holocaust, their commitment to the war aims of Nazi Germany and their narratives on the war after 1945, this book illuminates the experience of Spanish combatants and occupied civilians.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Seixas, Xosé M. Nunez
Title
The Spanish Blue Division on the Eastern Front, 1941-1945. War, Occupation, Memory
Details
English text, paperback, spme bw-photos. 343 pages.
State
new
University of Toronto Press 800 Bay Street, Mezzanine M5S 3A9 Toronto, ON, Kanada
Responsible person
Berliner Zinnfiguren
Knesebeckstr. 88 10623 Berlin Deutschland [email protected]
