S British Free Body

Unit of the Waffen-SS only made up of Anglo-Saxon volunteers originating in the the Commonwealth. Conceived at the beginning like combat unit, it was summarized to be hardly more than one small group of propaganda without the least military value. Its total staff complement ranges between 50 and 70 members.

Origins

In the beginning John Amery is, which in a small work published in 1943, England and Europe , preaches the creation of a combat unit, composed only of Anglo-Saxon volunteers anticommunists, whom he baptized: " Legion of Saint-George" ( The Saint-George Legion ). Influenced by the relative success which knew, in France occupied, the creation of the LVF (Légion of the French volunteers against the Bolchevism), it was inspired some for its own Légion, discounting the first engagement of 1 500 compatriots , intended to form one or two Battalion S, constituting a Brigade of infantry. The recruitment campaign which he undertook, under the not very enthusiastic auspices staff of the Wehrmacht, within various the prison camps British during the following months, made fall its last illusions: only one and single volunteer, Kenneth Edward Berry, were presented. The project of Amery was not to survive similar failure.

1944: development

This idea of a Anglo-Saxon unit nevertheless was taken up, and realized, by the services of Waffen S and at January 1st, 1944 was officially made up the “Britische Freikorps der Waffen S” (British Body-franc of Waffen-SS) more generally known under its English name: “ British Free Body ” or BFC. As of its constitution, this unit, at the very least special, appeared not only not very reliable, but even atypical: neither unit of combat, nor truly “window” of propaganda, it was, in any manner, the object of real attentions of any service S. Placed initially under the command of the S Hauptsturmführer German Hans-Werner Roepke, former officer of the 5 {{E}} Panzerdivision S Wiking, this one appeared laxist at the very least; chosen for its anglophilia and the fact that he lived a few years in the United States before the war, he did not even take the trouble to involve its men. And it is only in November 1944, which it was replaced by the S Obersturmführer D Walter Kühlich.

Only the real outstanding personality of the BFC was the S Oberscharführer (regimental sergeant major S) British Thomas Cooper: born from a German mother and an English father, this former member of the “British Union off Fascists” of London, had joined the S as of 1938 and had fought on the face of the east within division S “Wiking”, and had been seriously wounded thus receiving the Insigne casualties silver. Politically justified and not missing character, it vainly tried to make “move the things” and to make BFC a unit of combat. But it does not succeed in imposing its point of view on the competent authorities.

1945: last months

At the beginnings of 1945, the BFC was directed on a camp of drive of Dresden in order to follow a formation of pioneers of attack (= Sturm-Pioniere ). At the time of the tragedy bombardment of the city by the RAF and USAF in February 1945 two British volunteers were killed and it group was directed at once on Stettin.

In March 1945, the German authorities decided finally to engage the BFC; but only 8 volunteers presented themselves. They were incorporated in the 3rd company Bataillon of recognition of the 11th S Panzergrenadieren Division " Nordland" ; but following the order of the S Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner, prohibiting to use them in first line, the English volunteers spent ten days to dig trenches and shelters, before being redirected on the backs where they were charged to help the refugees and to ensure the monitoring of the road traffic.

End April 1945, at the time of the ultimate offensive of the Red Army , they followed the flood of the runaways. One of them, nevertheless, the S Mann reg. Cornfield , would have been credited with the destruction of a T-34 of a blow of Panzerfaust at the time of the engagements of Berlin; in fact this concerns a pure legend. The only member of the BFC to have fought in Berlin, under the uniform raising the Union Jack, is a German , the interpreter Wilhelm-August Bob Rössler.

Other Anglo-Saxon volunteers

In addition to the members of the BFC, a dozen other Anglo-Saxons were useful in various German units of combat. They were useful in the following units:

Battalion of Flak of the 1st S Panzer-Division " Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" ; the Hiwis James Conen (British) and William Storerooms (South-African): these two volunteers could be the only Anglo-Saxons to have received the Croix of iron of 2° class;
S km No-Standarte " Kurt Eggers" (= Regiment S of propaganda): the S Untersturmführer Railton Freeman and interprets it Roy-Walter Purdy ;
Department S of medicine : the Irish doctor Patick O' neill ;
Azad Hind (= free India Legion): the Sonderführer interprets Franck Becker ;
S Jagdverbande " Mitte" (= Commandos of hunting S anti-partisans): two Irish: the S Unterscharführer James Brady and the S Mann Franck Striwger ;
Department of propaganda of Munich: S Sturmbannführer Vivian Stranders;

Moreover it remains a " mystère" as for the presence of 7 British volunteers within the 3° S Panzer-Division " Totenkopf" .

Sources

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