The 250 ID - Krasny Bor 1943.
Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 5:35 am
Hello to all ; for Sebastian (do not forget the pictures)................
Krasny Bor – Febrero de 1943.
Back ground – To the East Front.
When the World War II began, Spain had been proclaimed neutral, and later it was changed to the situation of " not beligerancia". The affections of the Regime of Franco were clearly on the side of the Axis then, not in vain, the aid of the Italy of Mussolini and the Germany of Hitler had been of great importance to gain the victory in the Civil War.
When the Operation " Barbarroja" took place (Unternehmen Barbarossa in German, was the code name given by Hitler for the plan of invasion of the Union Soviet during World War II) the situation gave a radical turn.
The Phalange received the news with enthusiasm; their leaders launched the idea to send a Spanish contingent of volunteers to the recently open front, to take part in which was baptized as the “European fight against the Comunismo". Being this origin of the idea, almost spontaneous the new formation was assigned the name of “División Azul". The Army did not wish, nevertheless, that the volunteers were recruited only through the Phalange, its Militias and its youthful organizations for themselves. The solution consisted in recruiting a unit where the command would come mostly from the Army and the troops would come, to a large extent, from the Phalange Militias.
The contingents of volunteers were organized very quickly and sent in brief term to Germany. The fear existed of which the campaign went to finish before they had reached the front. In the case of the Blue Division, it received a period of instruction and quite brief equipment, in the Training Ground of Grafenwöhr.
The unit of volunteers was equipped like a horse-drawn Division, as it were mostly of the German Infantry divisions. The Division started off for Poland in train, but it was disembarked there and it had to initiate one long walk, of about 1,000 km., towards the central sector of the East Front, to which it was assigned. Strategic needs advised to direct it, nevertheless, towards the North sector and, on October of 1941, it entered in line in the sector of Novgorod and the Voljov River, integrated in the German 16 AOK.
On aug 11 of 1942 the 250 ID (Blue Division) was shifted towards the Leningrad Front (and 18 AOK) taken there the sector assigned before to the German 121 ID.
On Dec 1942, General Agustín Muñoz Grandes, was decorated with the Knight's Cross and handed over the Division to a new Commanding Officer, General Emilio Esteban-Infantes.
Sources: Morir en Rusia. La División Azul en Krasny Bor.
http://members.libreopinion.com/ch1492/ ... u_div.html
Cheers. Raúl M .
Krasny Bor – Febrero de 1943.
Back ground – To the East Front.
When the World War II began, Spain had been proclaimed neutral, and later it was changed to the situation of " not beligerancia". The affections of the Regime of Franco were clearly on the side of the Axis then, not in vain, the aid of the Italy of Mussolini and the Germany of Hitler had been of great importance to gain the victory in the Civil War.
When the Operation " Barbarroja" took place (Unternehmen Barbarossa in German, was the code name given by Hitler for the plan of invasion of the Union Soviet during World War II) the situation gave a radical turn.
The Phalange received the news with enthusiasm; their leaders launched the idea to send a Spanish contingent of volunteers to the recently open front, to take part in which was baptized as the “European fight against the Comunismo". Being this origin of the idea, almost spontaneous the new formation was assigned the name of “División Azul". The Army did not wish, nevertheless, that the volunteers were recruited only through the Phalange, its Militias and its youthful organizations for themselves. The solution consisted in recruiting a unit where the command would come mostly from the Army and the troops would come, to a large extent, from the Phalange Militias.
The contingents of volunteers were organized very quickly and sent in brief term to Germany. The fear existed of which the campaign went to finish before they had reached the front. In the case of the Blue Division, it received a period of instruction and quite brief equipment, in the Training Ground of Grafenwöhr.
The unit of volunteers was equipped like a horse-drawn Division, as it were mostly of the German Infantry divisions. The Division started off for Poland in train, but it was disembarked there and it had to initiate one long walk, of about 1,000 km., towards the central sector of the East Front, to which it was assigned. Strategic needs advised to direct it, nevertheless, towards the North sector and, on October of 1941, it entered in line in the sector of Novgorod and the Voljov River, integrated in the German 16 AOK.
On aug 11 of 1942 the 250 ID (Blue Division) was shifted towards the Leningrad Front (and 18 AOK) taken there the sector assigned before to the German 121 ID.
On Dec 1942, General Agustín Muñoz Grandes, was decorated with the Knight's Cross and handed over the Division to a new Commanding Officer, General Emilio Esteban-Infantes.
Sources: Morir en Rusia. La División Azul en Krasny Bor.
http://members.libreopinion.com/ch1492/ ... u_div.html
Cheers. Raúl M .