Hitler's Flemish Lions

[jon trigg]

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.

[Stephan H.]

Jon,

I'll check your books out.

Your subject matter is of interest to me, as I came across many non-German fighters that fought in Berlin during research for my book Bloody Streets.

I am particularly interested in the Bataillon Fantasma or "Ghost Battalion" that consisted of Spaniards from the Spanish Blue Division that refused to go back to Spain or from Spanish volunteers that came across the Pyrnees to fight against Russians. Any plans to research/write on this unit?

Another group of interest is the Latvian contingent from the 15. SS Division. If you are not already aware, there is a very good Latvian Book by Aivars Petersons called Mums japarnak and it is about the Latvian units that fought in and around Berlin.

Cheers,
Stephan

[Jason Pipes]

Excellent, thanks for posting Jon! We will add you and your work to our list of Feldgrau authors ASAP! I will contact you offline.

[jon trigg]

Stephan,
thanks for the reply, please check out the books and tell me what you think, I don't kid myself I'm the new Anthony Beevor or anything but I do try and tell the story objectively but in an interesting way.
I am interested in the Spanish volunteers and it is a subject I'd like to cover in the future, perhaps in one volume with the Italian Waffen-SS, something like 'Hitler's Latins', what do you think? Any contacts would be gratefully received. Same for the Latvians of the 15th (and the 19th as well), I want to do a volume on the Balts as a whole that will include the Estonians of the 20th, its fascinating to see the Baltic countries still celebrating their volunteers, unlike almost everywhere else.
Again any contacts gratefully received.

Jason, glad to add the post, the site is excellent and has been a huge help to me for research and contacts. Will wait to hear from you.
regards
Jon

[Stephan H.]

Jon,

I don't have any personal contact with veterans from those units. However, you should check out this link to an article from the Historian periodical about the Spanish Waffen-SS volunteers: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-72435152.html

You will find several veteran's names that contributed interviews in the author's sources. . . it's a start.

As far as the Latvian's are concerned, you should try to contact the author of the book I mentioned in the previous post. He happens to be a senior officer (or was) in the Latvian Army and has contacts with surviving veterans.

You are correct at the fact that almost all the Baltic countries look at their former native veterans of the Waffen-SS practically as "freedom fighters" and they take regular part in parades. It should interest you that at the urging of Russia, the United Nations passed a resolution in 2004 against the glorification of the Waffen-SS. This was a political attack against Latvia. Here is a link to some info about the issue if you were not already aware of it: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-93439627.html

Cheers,
Stephan

[jon trigg]

thanks all of you for your comments, sorry I didn't stay up and read them all, we were too busy having a minor earthquake here (5.2 on the richter scale apparently). Lots of interesting stuff here, Stephan thanks for the links, appreciated.
Hopefully you will all buy my books and then we can have a debate about whether you think they are any good, all comments welcome.
regards
Jon

[Tom Houlihan]

This thread has just been cleaned up. Only posts directly relating to the book in question will be allowed.

Should you wish to start a new thread debating issues brought up in the book, feel free to do so in the appropriate section of the board.

Any other OT posts will be deleted on sight.

[switchhitter]

Hi Jon,

I've read both of your books and found them extremely lucid and readable accounts of each formation history - with useful provision of a contemporary context (which many books lack).

Is it possible that you remember where you found your accounts of Berlin youngsters fighting during the last days? Were they in English? Only the description of the young boys "fighting like demons" contends with a few other accounts I've read about their actual performance. I'd like to believe your version of events, but the bibliography isn't too clear where this info came from.

Any other books in the pipeline?

Switch.

[Franz Repper]

Jon contact me tryed to PM you Ref Finnish SS

[Bart V.]

I am Bart Verstraeten and I am doing research to the Flemish Eastern Front Volunteers. I will be buying this book in a matter of time. I hope that we could contact eachother.

One question thought about the book: Why did you choose that photo as frontcover? I know which company it is, 2 of their names and where it is taken and circa when.

Post Scriptum:
Contact is possible at one of the two adresses: [email protected] or [email protected]

Friendly regards
Yours sincerely,
Bart Verstraeten