HISTORY:
** As in several countries occupied by the Wehrmacht in 1940, the 1941 assault upon the Soviet Union attracted French volunteers for what Germany hailed as ‘a crusade against Bolshevism’. This book provides the first English-language account of the structure, campaigns and uniforms of Germany’s French forces. Illustrated with rare photos and new colour plates, it not only examines the German Army’s Legion of French Volunteers, but also the lesser-known Tricolour Legion; the African Phalanx in Tunisia; and the French regiment, brigade and division of the Waffen-SS, whose grim story ended in the final battle for Berlin. **
** Quoted from the back cover of the book.
THE BOOK:
Osprey Publications has released Germany’s French Allies 1941-45 as Number 556 in their Men-at-Arms series. It is a soft cover book with 48 pages and is the standard Osprey Publishing size of 7 1/4 x 9 3/4 inches. Included with the text are black and white photographs and color photographs, color illustrations, detailed captions and more. It has a 2024 copyright, a publication date of June 20, 2024, and the ISBN is 978-1-4728- 6298-3.
THE CONTENTS:
Please refer to the attached scan of the Contents page for a detailed listing of the contents of the book.
THE TEXT:
Author Massimiliano Afiero has written an excellent history about French nationals that made the decision to join and fight with the German military during World War II due to their specific beliefs in what Germany was fighting for. The author details and discusses the specific military units that the French were enrolled in including the Waffen SS division Charlemagne, specific individuals and their individual histories and military experiences, the various campaigns undertaken, the countries they were in as well as time frame of each specific action, and the successes, failures and outcomes of the campaigns. When discussing the individual areas of combat and the Actions taken there the author also provides such specifics as to the specific types and nation of tanks used and encountered down to such minute details such as the type of terrain where the fighting took place, the type of foliage in the areas and the outside temperature. Along with his own words Massimiliano Afiero has also provided quotes from official military reports that were submitted by German officers discussing what they observed of the French volunteers and their feelings about how they would perform in combat. The text in the book is nicely written and well detailed. As I read through the text, I didn’t notice any spelling or grammatical errors. Grammar and spelling might not be an important factor to everyone however it is something that I take notice of and pass on my findings. I feel that if the text is well written then it shows that the author has taken the time to be professional with their writing. As a reader that did not know very much about the French in German service, I found myself to be well informed on the subject upon finishing the book. Anyone wanting to add an excellent reference and history book on the Wehrmacht's French volunteer units and their actions on the Eastern Front and in North Africa during World War II.to their personal library will be pleased with this very informative and interesting book.
THE PHOTOGRAPHS:
A total of 34 black and white photographs and 6 color photographs are included in this volume. The photographs range from wide angle photographs to close-up detailed photographs. They are a combination of in-action photographs, photographs removed from motion pictures to photographs that have been staged for the photographer as well as photographs of military recruiting posters and wartime postcards. The majority of the photographs are clear and easily viewable; however, a few have an out of focus look to them and some appear to be too dark, and others appear too light. This is typical for the discussed period of history and the quality of the photographs is no fault of the author and do not take anything away from the book. The close-up photographs show items such as German and French uniforms to include helmets, soft caps, unit insignia, medals and military ribbons. Also shown are several small arms to include handguns, rifles, submachine guns, Panzerfaust, mortars, rifle grenade launchers and others. Also shown are artillery pieces, military bicycles and various items of horse tack. Author Massimiliano Afiero stuck to the title of the book and chose subject specific photographs and did not include photographs that strayed from the main subject. The majority, if not all, of the photographs will prove to be excellent reference material for the scale figure modeler due to the details they contain. The military historian, and the military uniform and smalls arms enthusiast will benefit from the excellent photographs as will anyone that is interested in Germany’s French allies during World War II.
THE ILLUSTRATIONS:
There are 8 plates featuring a total of 29 color illustrations included in the volume by illustrator Ramiro Bujeiro.
There are brief captions that accompany the illustrations stating the individual’s name or occupation. The Plate Commentaries chapter, which starts on page 44, provides well written and detailed larger captions that provide specific information on the individuals shown such as their names, ages, military rank, military unit, the uniform and accoutrements such as medals they are wearing, weapons, their individual histories, dates, etc. The illustrations will prove to be valuable to the scale figure modeler as well as anyone interested in the French volunteers in the German military during World War II.
The illustrations are all very well done, nicely detailed and are of:
Plate A
Légion des Volontaires Françaises 1941-42
1. Col Labonne; France, 7 Sept 1941
2. Soldat; Debica, Poland. Oct 1941
3. Sergent replacement; Poland, early 1942
Plate B
Légion des Volontaires Françaises, 1941-42
1. Sergent-chef; Smolensk, Nov 1941
2. Cyclist courier; 5. Kp; Smolensk, Nov 1941
3. Soldat, Moscow front, Dec 1941
Plate C
Byelorussia, Summer 1943
1. Lieutenant
2. Caporal-chef
3. Soldat with grenade launcher
Plate D
LVF Personalities
1. Col Edgar Puaud, 1943-44
2. Monsignor de Mayol de Lupé, 1943
3. Lieutenant Jacques Doriot, 1944
Plate E
Légion Tricolore, 1942-43
1. Artilleur, Paris, 27 Aug 1942
2. Aspirant, École des cadres; Guéret. spring 1943
3. Sous-lieutenant; Russia, summer 1943
Plate F
Phalanges Africaine & Nord-Africaine, 1943-44
1. Volontaire, PA; Tunis, Jan 1943
2. Capt Dupuis, PA; Vichy, May 1943
3. Volontaire, PNA; Dordogne, 1944
Plate G
French Waffen-SS
1. W-Oscha Henri Fenet; SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz, Dec 1943
2. W-Osch, I/ W-Gren-Rgt 57; Galicia, Aug 1944
3. W-Rof, Sturmbataillon ‘Charlemagne’; Berlin, Apr 1945
Plate H
Insignia & Decoration
THE CAPTIONS:
The captions are well written and explain the accompanying photographs and illustrations in great detail eliminating any doubt as to what is shown. The captions go into very specific detail as to the specific individuals shown and their military rank and military unit they are assigned to, the types of uniforms and accoutrements such as medals they are wearing, weapons, equipment carried and used, dates and locations and other such pertinent information. I was impressed by Massimiliano Afiero’s captions as they are very helpful to the reader due to their detailed content as opposed to other captions that I have seen that are very brief and lacking in detail.
CONCLUSION:
As with the other Osprey Publishing titles I was impressed with this book. This is a very nice reference book that contains a well written informative text, many subject specific photographs and illustrations, well detailed captions and more, all detailing the Wehrmacht's French volunteer units and their actions on the Eastern Front and in North Africa during World War II. As with the other Osprey Publishing titles, I have no hesitation recommending this book to others as it will be a welcome addition to one’s personal reference library.
Osprey Publishing also offers Germany’s French Allies 1941-45 as:
Ebook (Epub & Mobi) ISBN: 978-1-4728- 6299-0
and
Ebook (PDF) ISBN: 978-1-4728- 6300-3
Osprey Publishing’s, Germany’s French Allies 1941-45 is also available as a Kindle version through Amazon.
PRICE:
UK £12.99 / US $20.00 / CAN $27.00
This book was provided to me by Osprey Publishing. Please be sure to mention that you saw the book reviewed here on the KitMaker Network when you make your purchase. Thank you.