Blue Division Soldier 1941-45: Spanish Volunteer on the Eastern Front (Warrior) [Paperback]

Carlos Caballero Jurado (Author), Ramiro Bujeiro (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Warrior | Publication Date: October 20, 2009

Osprey's survey of the Blue Division soldiers of World War II (1939-1945). The all-volunteer 'Blue Division' was a formation that allowed Franco's technically neutral Spain to support Nazi Germany's invasion of Russia. Following initial training in Germany, the Blue Division's units were sent to the Eastern Front in August 1941, where, after a 40-day march to the front, the Division fought in several major battles including Leningrad. In 1943, with the tide turning against the Axis forces in Russia, the Division was ordered to be withdrawn, yet many men chose to stay on and serve with the Volunteer Legion. Even after the collapse in the East, some volunteered to serve with Waffen-SS units through to the fall of Berlin in 1945. This book narrates the experiences of the common soldier, exploring his motivation for serving the Wehrmacht, and detailing his dramatic experiences in a brutal and hostile theater of World War II.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A solid pick for such [military history] collections... C. Caballero Juardo's The Blue Division Soldier 1941-45, telling of Spanish volunteers in the 'Blue Division' that allowed a technically neutral Spain to support Nazi Germany's invasion of Russia." -The Bookwatch (January 2010)

"Carlos Caballero Jurado's book Blue Division Soldier 1941-45 introduces the readers to Blue Division. After a brief overview on the social and political roots of the division's formation, he described the common Blue Division soldier's training, tactics, and experiences fighting a war that they, at least initially, believed in. Jurado also described the German experience fighting alongside the Spaniards, including the unsurprising German complaint of the Spanish lack of discipline. In terms of unit composition, he did a great job contrasting German and Spanish formations, particularly diving deeper into the Blue Division's problem with inadequate non-commission officers... Given that Spain was technically neutral/non-belligerant during the war, Spanish involvement in the European War had not been a frequent topic. Blue Division Soldier 1941-45 represented the first book in my collection on this topic, and I felt that it gave me a great introduction." - Peter Chen, World War 2 Database / ww2db.com (January 2010)

"This Spanish unit is one of many interesting aspects of WWII that hasn't received very much notice or coverage. I would highly recommend this book to those with little knowledge of the Spanish involvement in the war and anyone who has an interest in WWII in general." -A.J. Mergenthaler, Toy Soldier & Model Figure

About the Author

Carlos Caballero Jurado was born in Ciudad Real, Spain, in 1957. He served as an NCO in the Spanish Army's Division Brunete (1st Armoured Division); and later graduated with a BA in History from the University of Alicante. He has written and co-written four Osprey titles; he is also the author of fourteen other books and numerous articles on military historical subjects, and his work has been translated into English and German. A history teacher in Alicante, he enjoys travel in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and is a keen climber and skier. The author lives in Alicante, Spain.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (October 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1846034124
• ISBN-13: 978-1846034121
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #698,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Look at the Men in the Blue Division, December 7, 2009

By 

R. A Forczyk (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Division Soldier 1941-45: Spanish Volunteer on the Eastern Front (Warrior) (Paperback)

The subject of the Spanish volunteer "Blue" Division serving with the Germans on the Eastern Front in the Second World War continues to attract far more interest than many other Axis minor allied formations. Osprey produced the earlier Men-at-Arms title Germany's Spanish Volunteers, but Blue Division Soldier 1941-45 in the Warrior series does not repeat much from the earlier volume. Instead, this book is written by a Spanish historian from a Spanish point of view and while it offers much less on the activities and equipment of the Blue Division, it provides a better glimpse into the human aspect of this story. The bulk of the volume consists of a discussion of how the Spanish volunteers were inducted, how they served in the division and what became of them. Readers looking for detailed tactical descriptions will not find them in this volume, but it has merit as an examination of Spanish volunteers on the Eastern Front. Overall, a decent volume that doesn't make me feel like I'm just getting an updated version of the MAA title.

After a brief discussion of why Spain felt compelled to send volunteers to fight with the Germans against the Soviet Union in 1941, the author moves into a section discussing how the recruits were drawn from the Falange Party as well as the Regular Army. The author makes some important points here, that the Falange and the Army had different visions for the division and some of these factors were not brought out in other books on the Blue Division. He provides only a brief section on training in Germany (a bit too brief), then spends about 10 pages discussing the composition of the division, broken down by ranks. The author makes the point that a major weakness of the division was the lack of a strong Spanish NCO corps, which made it difficult to fill out the large number of NCO slots based on German tables of organization. He discusses tactics in 3-4 pages, with one of the interesting items being that the Spanish use of bugles on the battlefield annoyed the Germans. Although he alludes to the Spanish aversion to static, trench warfare, he also points out that they lacked the training to conduct the German version of mobile warfare, so it's just as well they ended up at Leningrad.

The 10-page section on life at the front covers the effect of mud and cold on Spanish troops, trench warfare, replacements, support and medical services, and discipline. The next section on motivation and morale covers food, religious services, propaganda, mail and awards. Another section covers the relationship between Spanish troops and Germans and the local Russian population. A final section covers the volunteers after their return to Spain and post-war veterans organizations. The B/W photos throughout the volume are very good and most have not appeared before in English-language works. The volume has six color plates (the departure of the Blue Division; decorations and badges; Spanish infantry in the Battle of the Volkhov Pocket; the Battle of Krasny Bor; daily life in Russia; veterans). Overall, this is an interesting look at the men that formed the Spanish Blue Division, but it is a bit light in areas that many military history readers enjoy (weapons, training, battles), so it is best used as an adjunct to other works. There's nothing terribly new here, but it is an interesting read and provides some depth on the human dimension of the Eastern Front.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "blau", November 17, 2010

By 

I. M. C. Garcia "leon ecijano" (Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Q: Roo, Mexico lindo) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Division Soldier 1941-45: Spanish Volunteer on the Eastern Front (Warrior) (Paperback)

"gloria eterna a la division azul y a Francisco Franco, el español mas grande de todos los tiempos,unico vencedor del comunismo en los campos de batalla"

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Summary, April 12, 2011

By 

Michael F. Brookman "Albin Bachmann" (San Martin, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Blue Division Soldier 1941-45: Spanish Volunteer on the Eastern Front (Warrior) (Paperback)

This book is a good summary of the facts and impressions of the Spanish volunteers in the German forces. I liked how it explained so much of the attitude and ideals of the Spaniards and drew the line between the different fascist groups of Germany and Spain. I'd like to meet the author one day.