New book: Hitler's Flemish Lions

jon trigg · Post by **jon trigg** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:29 am

Hello there, my name is Jonathan Trigg and I have just had the second volume in my Hitler's Legions series published by Spellmount Publishing (part of History Press). Unsurprisingly it covers the Flemish volunteers who served with the Germans in the Second World War, including the SS-Legion Flandern, the SS-Sturmbrigade Langmarck and the 27. SS-Langemarck Division. As I am always trying to do I concentrate on the combat that the Flemings were involved in and try to get as much input from veterans as possible. I am a former British Army officer myself and as such my interest is in seeing the military achievements or not of the foreign volunteers.
It is available on Amazon UK and I hope that some of my fellow feldgrau members feel like reading it. It is the second volume in the series after Hitler's Gauls which was about the French Waffen-SS. It would be very useful if anybody who reads it comes back to me with their comments, good or bad, as I am always trying to improve.

Hammer Head · Post by **Hammer Head** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 3:56 pm

Hello

After reading your post I have ordered a copy. I have got "The last knight of Flanders - Remy Schrijnen" by Allen Brandt and "Lions of Flanders" by Richard Landwehr. Does your book add anything further that's not covered in either of these two books? Have you any others planned?

jon trigg · Post by **jon trigg** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:13 am

Hi Hammer Head

welcome to the site and thank you for ordering the book. I think it does offer quite a lot that isn't in either Landwehr or Brandt's works (good as Brandt's is especially with comments from veterans). I have tried to firmly place the action at the Front in the context of the nationalist movement at home in Flanders and the growth overall of the Waffen-SS. I have also tried to 'layer' the fighting, particularly on the Volkhov and in the Ukraine in the wider picture. The biggest thing I suppose I would say I bring to it would hopefully be balance, in that I have tried to give each of the formations; the SS-Legion Flandern, then the Sturmbrigade Langemarck and finally the Langemarck Division equal space and weight in the book so that every battle gets a good airing, including the last fights in the East. In the end though it will be readers like you who will be the best judges as to whether I have written something of worth, i would value your feedback.
Yes I have plans for more, Flemish Lions is the 2nd volume in the series, Hitler's Gauls on the French SS volunteers was my first, and the next planned volume is Hitler's Jihadis on Muslims in the Waffen-SS including the Handschar, Kama, Skanderbeg and the central Asians. After that I would like to do another volume per major nationality/racial group, for the Balts, the Scandinavians etc and maybe a couple of books on the volksdeustche who are often neglected.
Hope you enjoy the book and keep on buying.
regards
Jon

hucks216 · Post by **hucks216** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:53 pm

I have Hitler's Gauls and thought it was a very good book and I have just ordered Hitler's Flemish Legions from my book club. so I look forward to reading it when it arrives.

jon trigg · Post by **jon trigg** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 2:21 am

thanks Hucks thats very kind, I have no pretensions to be of the same calibre say as an Anthony Beevor but I want to make the histories of these extraordinary units much more accessible to more readers and hopefully better understood, so thanks again and hope you enjoy Flemish Lions, any comments welcome. You could post a review if you wanted on a site like Amazon, just an idea.
regards
Jon