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At the beginning of the Second World War Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Denmark and Norway, but left neutral Sweden alone. Less than a year later citizens from all three of those Scandinavian nations volunteered to join the Nazi Waffen-SS and go and fight on the newly formed Eastern Front against Stalin's Soviet Union. By the end of the war in 1945 the number of Scandinavians who had fought in the Waffen-SS had reached the thousands. Casualties were high, but there were survivors and they returned home, often to face retribution and condemnation. As time marches on the veterans are passing away. This book is about the war they fought in their own words - their last testament before they are all gone.
The motivation of these men was complex: many volunteered through a deep hatred of communism, particularly in light of Moscow's invasion of Finland in the Winter War. Some simply believed in Hitler's vision of a new world order, while others were just young men with a craving for adventure.
The Scandinavian Waffen-SS, in various configurations, saw action on the Eastern Front from 1941 onwards - at the siege of Leningrad, in the cauldron of the Demyansk Pocket, in the Caucasus, and famously at Narva in Estonia and back into Germany itself with the remnants fighting to virtual extinction in the ruins of Berlin as the war came to a bloody close. For these men who had chosen the 'wrong' side, the war was certainly not over. Some fled to Germany, some returned home to recrimination and prison. Jonathan Trigg has interviewed some of the last survivors, who tell their story with absolute truthfulness: after so many years, they have nothing to lose. The interviews and images gathered within are vital historical documents.
A propos de l'auteur
Jonathan has an honours degree in History and served in the British Army, completing operational tours in Northern Ireland and Bosnia, and latterly acting as a military instructor to friendly governments in the Arabian Gulf. He has written extensively, although not exclusively, on the Second World War, specialising in the fighting on the Eastern Front, and non-Germans who served in the Waffen-SS. A regular expert contributor to all aspects of media, including TV and a range of magazines including History of War, All About History and The Armourer. He also often features on radio; BBC Radio 4, Talk Radio, Newstalk, and in a large number of podcasts, such as ww2podcast.com, History Hack and History Hit. His previous books include 'Death on the Don: The Destruction of Germany's Allies on the Eastern Front' and the best-selling 'D-Day Through German Eyes'.
