The Contribution of the Spanish Division of Volunteers to the USSR invasion

Abstract

The Spanish Division of Volunteers (DEV), also known as Blue Division, wasn’t the only help of Franco’s government for the German’s military operations in World War II, but it was the most valuable contribution of Spain to the III Reich’s campaign for the invasion of the URSS and the annihilation of the soviet regime. The article reviews the organization and composition of the DEV, as well as its integration into the Wehrmacht, and analizes the Spanish military contribution with respect to their availability and its value in the URSS invasion, ie, its capacity, the chores that were assigned on the northern front as part of the Infantry Division of a Heer Army and the result provided in the battlefield. The military operations that affected the DEV, like the Krasnyj Bor battle, are contextualized to be able to appreciate that this unit was part of an Army and in consequence was subject to the Wehrmacht offensive and defensive initiatives. The text ends with a reflection of the tasks of the DEV and the results.

Keywords

• División Española de Voluntarios
• División Azul
• Franquismo
• Segunda Guerra Mundial
• Heer
• Wehrmacht
• asedio a Leningrado
• Krasnyj Bor.