I was lucky enough to meet one of the last veteran of the blue division in 2014. I had to spend some days at hospital and we were in the same room. He was a very little man from the canary island of Lanzarote and also a veteran of the spanish civil war. It was amazing to hear his stories first hand, I shall never forget that experiencie. His name was Basilio Brito, he died two years later...
On September 5, 1942. That day, the "Führer" said that Spain was "a country that is impossible not to love." He even used "greatness" to refer to the peninsular people. «I don't know a single German who thinks differently. One of our first regional leaders in Hanover was returning from Spain. He had no other desire than to return there again. I have never found anyone who does not feel admiration for the Spaniards, ” Hitler came to affirm that "one of our happiest initiatives was to allow a Spanish legion to fight by our side." He was so happy that day for the performance of the Blue Division, that he indicated that, as soon as he had occasion, “ I will decorate Muñoz Grandes with the Iron Cross with oak leaves and diamonds to motivate more and more men to join his ranks”. «When he returns to Spain, we will have to equip this legion from top to bottom (and in a magnificent way), give it part of the loot (of the occupation of Moscow) and some Russian generals as trophies. In this way they will make a triumphal entry into Madrid and their prestige will be invincible, ”he added. Hitler explained to everyone willing to listen to him (he was famous for exhausting his guests with extensive monologues in which he barely let the rest speak) that the gallantry of the Spaniards was historical. «If Goeben's writings on the Spaniards are read, it is noted that they have not changed for a hundred years. Extraordinarily brave, hard for deprivation, but fiercely undisciplined. In them, the unfortunate thing is the difference in treatment between the officers and the troops. Spanish officers live beautifully, ”he said. Although, emphasizing that their Latin character was a real drag Hitler praised the Spanish soldiers. “To troops, the Spaniards are a crew of ragamuffins. They regard a rifle as an instrument that should not be cleaned under any pretext. Their sentries exist only in principle. They don't take up their posts, or, if they do take them up, they do so in their sleep. When the Russians arrive, the natives have to wake them up. But the Spaniards have never yielded an inch of ground. One can't imagine more fearless fellows. They scarcely take cover. They flout death. I know, in any case, that our men are always glad to have Spaniards as neighbours in their sector”, Hitler explained. When Hitler considered an invasion of Spain to remove Franco and replace him with Agustín Muñoz Grandes, he decided against it, saying "The Spaniards are the only tough Latins. I would have a guerrilla war in my rear". This was also an objective of the Blue Division. To fight with courage against the communists in the Soviet Union, returning the visit made by them during the Spanish Civil War, to let the Germans know that invading Spain was not a good decision.
I knew a Blue Divisionary, he told me they were shocked in their way to Russia by the treatment nazis gave polish (catholics) and jews. They refused to collaborate with all that. They would not salute normally german officers, but only the spaniards. The germans went crazy about that. They just wanted to combat communism.
It is unfortunate that Spain could not fight alongside the Fatherland arm in arm, but I guess it’s for the best now, knowing what happened to those who lost.
Don't mess with the Spanish infantry. It doesn't matter if you are an invincible samurai, the almighty Napoleonic army or a million Incas. And I won't even tell you about the Tercios...
@@draconisgubernator You don't have to mess with the Spanish infantry. If this high spirited bunch is partying on Madrid streets, this home team might cross Reproofs Valiant or Countercheck Quarrelsomes with you at Will. In a network of almost 3000 I discovered some 62 members of the ruling PP. A couple of them expressed heated disapproval of my use of emojis (!). I believe they see it as "unmanly." I posted on the ntwk Bulletin Board '"PP don't F' with your host!"" They complied, but not because they're afraid of me, they're not afraid of anything. It was a hot network, and they didn't want to be kicked out, which wouldn't have happened. Some are, yes, fascistic. I don't see it my job to change their minds about anything. That's a fools errand.
Big exaggeration right there, first of all in the battle of Cagayan is not even well recorded, but even for the sake of it, Spanish used indians in that fight, yeah sure they belonged to the Spanish rule but still in their blood was running native blood not Spanish, not only that but they didn't fought samurais, it was pirates and untrained folk who lived of robbing and highjacking ships, second, it's pretty well known that the diseases the Spanish brought did most of the work against the Aztecs and the empires, not only that but the Spanish used other tribes to help them fight against the empires, so they didn't do shit alone , but they for sure know how to come from hard situations such as taking Spain again from Napoleon and the Muslims
Nun zumindest bin ich kein Freiwilliger für irgendwas Gaudillömässiges the 47,000 Spanish men who served in the Blue Division, 22,000, or 47 percent, became casualties. A year after their return, Franco was writing them off, making the amazing remark to an American journalist that sending the Blue Division to Russia “implied no idea of conquest or passion against any country.” He added, “When the Spanish government realized that the presence of these volunteers could effect its relations with those Allied countries with which it had friendly relations, it took the necessary steps to make those volunteers return home.” Metaförli is Ässli schiebä gäu
A few years ago I saw a documentary on television about the recovery of human remains of soldiers of the Blue Division on Russian territory. I was struck by the fact that they interviewed descendants of Russian citizens living in the villages where the fighting took place and whose parents and grandparents had known Spanish soldiers and they recounted that they had left fond memories of the respectful and even friendly treatment they always had with the Russian civilian population, unlike the treatment given to them by many German soldiers. Some of them had even learned Spanish songs which they later taught to their grandchildren who now still remembered them to sing in front of the television cameras.
My grandfather was a volunteer in the Flemish legion who were stationed in the same sector as the Blue division early 1943. As he spoke a little Spanish he was used as a dispatch and regularly came into contact with the Spaniards: brave and reliable soldiers he always used to say.
If I were you, I would be embarrassed to say that your grandfather fought for the Nazis. I think your father would probably know that he should keep quiet at this point. But times change, unfortunately, such kinship is slowly becoming fashionable now.
Stalin was furious when he heard of the failure of Operation Polar Star. He could not understand how a few Spaniards had decimated his best troops. The prisoners of the Spanish Zulu Division (250th Division), who were taken prisoner along with their captain, Don Teodoro Palacios Cueto, were sent to the Siberian Concentration Camps from where they returned to Spain after the dictator's death. They were the only prisoners left, as they had already liberated all of them (including German Nazis). Their return to Spain on the Red Cross ship "Semiramis" was quite an event.
That is another incredible feat of those prisioners. The names of captains Palacios and Oroquieta comes immediately to my mind. What a heros they were.
@@SirJellyBean Nowadays it's a little hard to find but there is a great book about it. It's called Embajador en el Infierno (Ambassador in Hell) and it's definitely worth a read.
Con los españoles NO! Son un pueblo que fue imperio debido a la capacidad y heroísmo de sus militares. Grande España! Abrazo a mis consanguíneos desde Chile
Gracias por tus amables palabras, amigo, pero eso ya es historia, los malditos políticos se han ocupado de cargarse la España que nos hizo grandes. Felipe II llegó a decir una célebre frase: “En España nunca se pone el Sol” debido a que teníamos territorios en todo el mundo.
@@elpibelol5005 Solo hace falta ver los test de ADN de los hispanoamericanos aquí, en youtube, para ver que la mayor parte sobremanera de Hispanoamérica es consanguínea con los españoles. Saludos!
My grandpa was there, he was in the infantry military academy when he volunteered to fight against the communists. He was only 21 y.o. and went in the Blue Division like Second Lieutenant. He was injured in combat and named mutilated knight. I remember when I was a kid asking him about war but he never wanted to talk about it. He was a hero back then, during his life and he’s still my hero. He helps me to go forward. He died very young 69 y.o. He told me before dying he was ready to leave. He did everything he wanted to do in life.
One of my elders fought in Russia, in the Blue Division, against comunism. Thank you very much for this video and the caring way in which you honored our soldiers. A warm hug from Spain.
My grandfather was there. Came back with one eye blinded because of the cold. Fought in the11/J.R.262 That´s what his plate says. Anyone knows where may have been stationed or fought? He died when I was a child, and refused to talk about war when he returned. But he still kept his medals (was buried with them) and German documents. And by the way, he was neither a nazi or a fascist, he saw his father, a civilian, being killed by the communists during the Spanish Civil War just because he went to mass every sunday and read a "right wing" newspaper. My grandfather just wanted revenge against the communists, and probably took it. My mother used to talk about how emotioned my grandfather was when the last prisoners of the Division captured by Russia were returned to Spain after the war thanks to the mediation of the United Nations in the 50´s. He had no bad words for the Russian civilians, said the Spaniards were almost always welcome, as opposite to the Germans
Creo que te podrán informar en la Hermandad Nacional de la División Azul. www.hermandadnacionaldivisionazul.es/ Un gran tipo tu abuelo, puedes sentirte muy orgulloso de él.
Un heroe tu abuelo. El libro de "embajadores en el infierno" deberia ser de lectura obligada para que se supiera en España que clase de heroes eran aquellos divisionarios. Un saludo, paisano
Anothe epic battle was Las Lomas de San Juan, where 700 Spanish infantry troops resisted around 10000 US and cuban traitors in the Spanish American war. After 8 hours the Spaniards were all dead, but that epic battle is studied in all major military schools today. 🇪🇸
@@1guitarlover The Spanish soldiers can be daredevils, that you don't want to disagree with. It's not for me to ask the Spanish to tone down their military. The trajectory of the Goths is impressive. General Cniva destroyed a Roman army and two emperor's. Fritigern repeated the feat when the Goths crossed the Danube: Another Roman army destroyed, plus two more emperors. The Goth found DNA is varied, because they attracted other tribes people, the rulers were always found to be the Germanic🌿Military🌿Elites.
1:04 So you're telling me that 4900 Spaniards do not only resist but also counterattack on the Soviets while being outnumbered almost 1 to 10? Crazy stuff.
You can check and recheck in any history book. Completely true. No chauvinism here at all. In fact it is politically incorrect to even mention the unit.
Great video dude, just want to sort of clarify something about this fanatical morale that you mention for the people that doesn't know the story of those men in the blue division, si that fanatycal morale was not because they were followers or like they agree with the nazi ideology ( in fact they had numerous non friendly encounters with SS groups ) but because they were moved by the sheer hate against comunism and the USSR wich they made responsible for all the calamities of the spanish civil war and the state that Spain was after it. Again great video, I just wanted to put my grain of sand to give some background for the people interested.
When the Spanish Civil war started, Stalin told the Spanish Republicans, I will keep your Gold save. They handed over +500 Million in Spanish Gold. After the Spanish Civil war, Franco asked Stalin to return the Gold, Stalin said,:The Republicans used it all on weapons...
I do not generally disagree with you, yet there was a minority of them who were actually Nazi sympathisers. 3 years ago I had the chance to examine a portrait of Falange veteran partymember and lieutenant who had volunteered for the blue division, and who even after ww2 kept his Spanish fascist symbols removed from his uniform and exchanged instead with schvastikas that he had collected in the Eastern front.
The blue division are really underrated group in ww2 discussions. They were the only group of people, where Soviets found difficulties to make a atrocitie propaganda about them, because they treated pow's and civilians nicely.
@@SirJellyBean I don't know if the book "Embajador en el infierno" has been published in English. If it is, I highly recommend it. The history of Captain Palacios. He was unfortunately taken prisoner after the battle. He spent many years in the gulag. His bravery was out of this world. Incredible people.
@@maurasi_maurano2107Precisamente por su valor y espíritu durante el cautiverio, sirviendo de ejemplo y velando para que no perdieran la moral y la esperanza sus compañeros fue recompensado a su vuelta con la Cruz Laureada de San Fernando. Por cierto, basándose en el libro del capitán Palacios hay también una película, creo recordar de 1959, titulada como el libro, aunque pluralizando la primera palabra: Embajadores en el infierno. Está en TH-cam. Un saludo.
Division Azul was a great unit. Unjustly hated by many in Spain because they're labelled as fascists, while they were just volunteers who hated communism. The horrors and brutality of Communism were felt in spain even before the civil war , many youngsters witnessed it first hand and so volunteers willing to put their life on the line is what it takes to fight communism, socialism and all sorts of unjustice. I have nothing but respect for them . My paternal grandfather knew many who fought in Division Azul , he was a military surgeon and treated many wounded from both sides . He helepd so many people that , people from his hometown (Motril) contacted me on Facebook recently, asking me if i was family of Doctor Segura (we carry the same name and last name), and i said yes and they had nothing but beautiful stories about how everyone was grateful to him. He died when i was very young, but i remember he told me the guys from division Azul were something else entirely. My maternal grandfather was a "guardia civil" , the armed police, he told me many republicans not suspicious of crimes were given the opportunity to enter the police after the war , including him. They were needed . He also respected the division azul as a heroic unit, and became friends with my ither grandfather even though they had been enemies at one point. There were also honest and hard working men on the red side. He blamed the bad apples for manipulating the honest ones . Unlike my grandmother, who voted red party even on the year she died when she was 92. Perhaps because she didn't witness first hand what her husband saw. In recent years, unscrupulous politicians from the left are trying to convince us that both sides never made peace with each other ans that means, according to them, that we should hate Division Azul and anything related to Franco. I think that's a mistake. Our ancestors who lived in the time knew the truth and are trying to pass it on .
@@SirJellyBean España siempre parió hombres duros , de estatura pequeña y escuálidos y tremendamente aguerridos al punto de tacharnos como fanáticos, en algunas ocasiones. Ahora no queda nada, solo niños mayores haciendo el subnormal en tik tok. Occidente no aguantará un " Lepanto 2".
Very tough. Spain defeat napoleon with the help of portuguese and english. Portuguese did help even after spain let the french army cross spain to attack portugal and later betrayed by the french. History is not forgotten.
En una ciudad de 10.000 habitantes, ahora no recuerdo el nombre, entraron 1.100 soldados franceses y aún hoy los están buscando. Los hicieron desaparecer por completo. Nunca se sabrá el número real de bajas de los franceses en España. Como tampoco se sabrá el número real de españoles que perdieron la vida, porque fue una guerra de exterminio, sin cuartel, del pueblo traicionado por sus élites contra un invasor al que habían dejado entrar y tomar posiciones.
Blue Division was the best of Spanish armed forces already well experienced by a brutal Civil War just before WW 2. Division Azul (Blue, Blau) had veterans who saw the devastating Russian Communist & local presence cripple their Spanish homeland. They were ANTI COMMUNIST !! There was not racial animosity. Russian civilians often helped the Spaniards. Moral as in fighting for defense of one's country is often under rated. Spanish Civil War saw Communists burn down Churches & murder priests. Spanish patriotism & military traditions is often overlooked in English speaking lands.
In fact it was not any unit of the Spanish army. It never was. But volunteers. It was flooded with thousands of youngers from universities and the Falange. Probably the military unit in history with more university students . Volunteers.
Lo que creo que los anglosajones no entienden y a veces confunden con fanatismo; es el alto grado de sentimiento de honor individual, que no colectivo, que tenemos los pueblos Ibéricos. que hace que mantengamos muestra palabra hasta en situaciones que es incomprensible de entender para otros pueblos. Perdón por no escribir en Ingles, no tengo nivel suficiente para hacerlo.
@@miguelangelsaenzmedina1273 pardon mi Espanol, yo soy de EEUU. Mis abuelos son de Espana. Yo entiendo historia de Division Azul. Gracias por text. Yo creo muchas personas en Espana no quiero Communismo. Muchas personas aqui no quiero Communismo tambien. Saludos
I grew up in Spain. Our gardener, Lorenzo, had bright blue eyes and very fair skin, which isn't all that common in Spain. He was also missing his right arm from the elbow down. He was a member of the Blue Division. He told me as a child that when he threw a German-made hand grenade, it exploded prematurely, which caused him to lose his arm. Despite his handicap, he was able to work as a gardener. After he died, it became known that he was actually wealthy. He owned all the bars in the nearby village, owned a lot of land and rumour had it that he even owned a nearby gas station. During a history class in college (in the U.S.), a student asked the professor who were the members of the Blue Division (División Azul), but the professor had no clue. I raised my arm and explained who they were. When asked how i knew this, I mentioned our gardener's story. People looked at me as if i had arrived from planet Mars. I desrved an A in that class, but the professor gave me a B. He didn't like the idea of a student having to answer another student's question.
@antoniogarcialopezvazquez4806 I'm also a spaniard with blue eyes and fair skin. I was born and raised here. This is where I live. Yes, they exist here, but, again, it's not common to see them as in, say, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Holland, Finlandi, Russia, etc. I've flown all over the World (except Antarctica) as a pilot and lived in the Middle East, Russia, and Africa for several years. In the Middle East and even in Africa, one can see people there with green/ blue eyes and fair skin, too, but, again, it's not common. In Galicia and Asturias, as you know, it's more common to see Spaniards with light skin and green/blue eyes, but even there I personally wouldn't say is common. I think people looked at me in class (como si fuese un marciano) because of the fact that Lorenzo was as a gardener while having only one fully functional arm. Because he still had part of his arm below the elbow, this enabled him to use a wheelbarrel. Why he worked was/is a mystery because he had no financial need to work. I used to enjoy talking with Lorenzo, and I miss him. I'm an older retired person, so I suppose I'll cross paths with him soon (si Dios quiere).
@@jonathanjudeoneildelisle481 one thing is that in Germany or Scandinavian countries there are more persons with blue eyes and white skin (in fact, in Germany is because the very close Scandinavians there are, not for theirself, because the originals are like Spanish (R1b mitocondrial in their DNA´s, like English, French and all Center of Europe too)), and other thing is that in Spain there isn´t common this characteristic in the Spanish people, that is rotund false (fake news as Trump says XD). The true is that the blue eyes and white skin is not from Scandinavian people either, but Caucasian people (originaly from South East between Europe and Asia). All Europeans are Caucasian in fact. All we are the same, whether you want to believe it or not. The unique differency is that in the North of Europe hardly any people lived in those times, meanwhile in the rest of Europe many more people lived and then the Caucasian conquerors couldn´t kill to all of them and at last they mix with the survivor as logical.
@@jonathanjudeoneildelisle481 El tío de mi padre por parte materna Francisco Muñoz combatió en la División Azul y su sobrino Francisco Muñoz fue corresponsal de guerra.
Nice video!! I love that you tell things about my country, your video is also very well explained and very well done!! Congratulations and greetings from Spain!
The few Spaniards taken prisoner by the Soviets that day were all interrogated by the NKVD who only wanted to know “what secret weapons did you deploy against us?”
@@OriginalSaklo🤣 soy de Nicaragua y tenemos una historia similar pero contra 🇺🇲, ocurrió en los años 20 y nosotros fuimos el primer Vietnam de los gringos. Un veterano de esas época me contó que en una campaña ellos implementaban o utilizaban el concepto de guerra de guerrillas( no se si fue que nosotros lo inventamos pero al menos fuimos los primeros en utilizarla en este lado del charco) y la división Yanki compuesta de 200 o 300 marines iban siendo arrasados de a poco hasta solo dejar vivo a uno, que lo dejaba ir en regreso a su cuartel con un montón de burros cargados con sacos llenos de las cabezas de sus compañeros marines. Una manera de hacer tortura psicologíca. 😬😬 Años después cuando cae la dictadura creada por ellos, escuché que se planteó en el Pentágono invadir Nica y los altos mandos del ejército dijeron que absolutamente No. Será que se acordaron de los años 20s??🤷
And i am not republican but need to notice about la novena o la nueve, 9th company, 2nd Armored Division of general Leclerc. They also have guts. The first to enter in Paris. With 250th division, a fligth wing war also deployed. Initially, the were assigned to center sector, objetive Moscow. But in the way, it war supposed that Leningrad war about to fall and 250th were diverted to north sector. This wing war attached to JG27. So there were more spanish fighting against comunism. La guerra es una mierda de tamaño colosal, donde nada se salva de la barbarie. Que se lo digan a los ucranianos que siguen en su país. Pero es una pena que, después de tanto tiempo, no seamos capaces de salir de las motivaciones pueriles políticas y destacar que, en todas esas unidades, nuestros compatriotas sirvieron con lealtad, honor y bravura, dejando el nivel bastante alto. No porque lo digamos nosotros, sino porque los que estuvieron allí bien que mencionaban que siempre era una seguridad tenerlos cerca. Y lo decía gente que se jugaba la vida.
Many years ago I read a book about the Blue Division, months later, while I was waiting at the dentist's office, it turned out that there was an old man telling to another old man how they had saved a group of Germans who were isolated and had to cross a frozen lake on skis.😅
I had a great gradfather who fought in the rif, Spanish Civil War and blue division, last one, as commander of 250 mobile reserve Wehrmacht division, he was granted 2 iron crosses 2nd and 1st class, he was very injured for stepping on a mine in the volchow, near Leningrad. He was a 66% war mutilated hero, and was promoted to Brigadier general in 1963.
@@SirJellyBean During the Spanish Empire, in the 15th, 16th, 17th and even 18th centuries, Spanish troops, on land and at sea, performed incredible feats, generally in inferiority: Miracle of Empel (Old Third of Zamora in Flanders), Cartagena de Indias, Castinuovo, The Glorious, etc. etc. etc. Spain, a small nation, at that time with about 7 million inhabitants (women, children, elderly people, among them) - conquering America, arriving 200 years before the English. By the time the English achieved their first settlement (Jamestown), the Spanish had literally already founded and created more than a THOUSAND cities in America, they had universities, hospitals, ports, ... - stopping the powerful Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean, practically alone and against French and English aid to the Ottomans, - against Dutch, French, and English pirates and corsairs in all the seas of the world, - fighting with France, - with England, - in Flanders, ... At the same time that Australia was discovering 60% of all the seas on the planet, it was circumnavigating the world for the first time, its brilliant navigators were finding a way to return from China by boat to America, It is incredible how a handful of men, with their high ideals, were capable of achieving impossible victories against much superior enemies, so numerous and disparate.
@@SirJellyBean I'm recalling them from memory, now I've just remembered the English disaster of the counter-armada. After the loss of the Felicísima Armada (renamed by the English as "invincible" to mock it) due to the harsh weather and sea conditions, the Spanish fleet with few casualties (there was no real military confrontation) returned almost entirely to Spain to repair. The English queen sees the opportunity and a few months later sends a powerful squadron to destroy the Spanish ships in the port, while they are being repaired. And they head for La Coruña (at that time a small town of about 3,500 inhabitants, without a military garrison or defenses, the castle that protected the bay was under construction, not operational). With everything against the civilian population, there is no military equipment, it resists a long bombardment by the English squadron that lands without opposition and its tens of thousands of soldiers crash against the walls and the civilians who defend them. The English place mines to destroy the walls. The people of A Coruña, warned of the manoeuvre, raise the streets, demolish houses and accumulate all the rubble and materials they find so that when the mine detonates, the shock wave does much more damage to the English. However, the wall gives way and there are breaches. The English, far superior in number and weaponry, try to penetrate the combat in hand-to-hand combat. Maria Pita, a neighbour and a fisherwoman, sees her husband fall dead and picks up the lance that pierced her husband and attacks the invaders with it, shouting "Whoever has honour, follow me." The Spaniards, exhausted and with great losses, unexpectedly find a fresh force. The Spanish women attack the English as one. Maria Pita pierces the English captain with her lance and kills him. The English cannot believe the fury and drive unleashed by the women. They throw down their weapons and run towards the ships to escape certain death... so a few hundred Spaniards and their brave women cause thousands of casualties to the English and humiliate them, putting them in retreat, abandoning the wounded, the dead, weapons, ... and barely getting out in their ships to never return... But curiously, in the "history" books of the whole world, including those of Spain, there is never any mention of anything other than the "defeat of the "invincible" but not that this war was won by Spain despite losing (by the temporary rather than by military action) the first battle...
@@SirJellyBean Milagro de Empel, la primera y única vez que la infantería (española) derrota la marina (holandesa) en el agua al tomarla por asalto. Miracle of Empel, the first and only time that the (Spanish) infantry defeated the (Dutch) navy on the water by taking it by storm. th-cam.com/video/0BGCH0dFIPQ/w-d-xo.html la batalla de Cartagena de Indias The Battle of Cartagena de Indias th-cam.com/video/I0nprTU8NcY/w-d-xo.html La mayor catástrofe naval de Inglaterra England's Greatest Naval Disaster th-cam.com/video/-Sq4722iH7w/w-d-xo.html El asedio de Castilnuovo, las termópilas de los españoles The siege of Castelnuovo, the Thermopylae of the Spanish th-cam.com/video/joUYSbh_RxY/w-d-xo.html 700 españoles salvan Viena 700 Spaniards save Vienna th-cam.com/video/MG59K2ejoWc/w-d-xo.html El desastre naval inglés, España captura el doble convoy The English naval disaster, Spain captures the double convoy th-cam.com/video/tNbonit4WZg/w-d-xo.html etc. etc etc.
@@LuisRodriguez-xk1su even against Ronin Samurais in Filipina Islands - Cagayán Battle (the first Occidental Army against Samurais in the history). The Spanish forces: 7 small ships and 40 men (Spaniards and Tlaxaltecas the majority). Japanese forces: 18 sampans and 800 Ronin with katanas and Portuguese arquebuses. Final Result: Spanish Victory with 10 Spanish deaths against more than 500 Japanese because at last they ran away in disband terrified with the Spanish soldiers killing most of them and others drowning when they jumped into the river to save themselves. The Spanish took katanas, demonic masks, armor, etc from the fallen as exotic trophies and souvenirs (nowday there are some of them in a Spanish musseum dedicated to the Spanish History). The impact of that battle in the Japanese memory was such that it was created a very popular legend about an other ignote island far away, there were a few strange underwater creatures, half man and half fish (because of the scales of their silver chainmails, armors and helmet called "morrión") who suddenly appeared and fought with great superhuman ferocity and defeated them mercilessly. After that, no one else dared to go there anymore XD.
In this battle Krasny Bor fought my father with the Spanish Division. Very hard battle. They have to fight hand to hand all the time, very close with the Russians soldiers without Artillery support. The Russians fought with the best Infantry of the world. Thank you to publish this information
Thanks for the video. Let me some small but important remarks for clarification: a) the "División Azul" was the one and only foreign force with full national officiality and command (division general), b) this allow them to organize the defensive lines according to their critera (V and U shape) very different to the german style (linear), c) Spaniards were fair (even nice, no nazis) to civil population and in return they got the info of the day and time of the russian artillery attack, d) this info allow them to hide in safe holes the medium machine guns, so effective against massive infantry advance, e) the Spanish forces to compensate german help in civil war were limited to one division (15,000 soldiers) but there were volunteers to kill communist for 3 divisions, so "Division Azul" soldiers were selected among these volunteers which were all participating in different turns, f) the return of "División Azul" was not because of this single battle (there were others with medals also), but because of Allies enormeus pressures for immediate disengage of combat on the nazi size, so the remaining "Legion azul" soldiers were figthing on their own, not officially.
@@TheHistoricalReview Well, during WWII Wehrmacht und SS forces were known at these days to dig ligth linear temporal defenses because they were focused in front advance. That was the doctrine those "conquering" days, but others (División Azul) more experienced in back and forth combat and free of ambition (only kill comunists soldiers) thought and act on their own for the good of the whole front. As many, germans and soviets understimated us, as usually.
A curious fact, there were units formed by Spaniards on all sides of the war and all of them performed remarkable feats, apart from the blue division, there were the volunteers who fought with the Soviets (they participated in the siege of Leningrad and the attack on Berlin) and then there were those from "La Nueve" unit that fought for the allies and who were the first to enter Paris (in the images of the liberation of Paris you can see how the troops carry flags of the Spanish Republic and the names of Spanish cities on their vehicles)
@@SirJellyBean The reason of that is because both groups where formed by convinced guys. Volunteers who believe they where doing the right thing, Something to die for.
I am from Spain and I appreciate that vídeo. I want to say the in the 90's I met spanish relatives of spanish soldiers that died in Russia. Since they could not bring theirs bodies to Spain, they brought them soil from Spain to their tombs therefore they felt close to Spain.
Spain is not in Caribean Sea,on mountains every winter and on p most of high planes we have snow and ice snow enough,much more ice.One of my family was at Teruel battle at -40·C,mules didn´t survive,usual temperature in that places and season are -10-15·C,but in the war years winters were specially hard.Though in Canaries they see snow on Teide top.
@@SirJellyBean hahaha,Though in this hot and dry southeast corner of Spain I can see from home snow on mountains,of course if down here we enjoy the rare rain.And russian winters are not so everlasting grizzly cold,by New Year sometimes in Moscow you can find pools of rain,of course a lot colder than our beachs.Curiously ,russians residents here complaint about our cold houses and schools,😂.
@@jesus45658 España es el país más montañoso de Europa después de Suiza. No sé si seguirá siendo así, pero hace años, los mejores pilotos del mundo eran los de esos dos países por los increíbles ejercicios que efectuaban en las montañas.
Most of the men in the Blue division were battle hardened troops because they were veterans of the Spanish Civil War. They were definitely an elite force to say the least.
Eso es falso. Mi abuelo era zapatero y se fue de voluntario sin experiencia miliar. Regreso con dos Cruz de Hierro alemanas. Nadie en la familia supo que hizo allí pero todas las navidades le llegaba una carta de un alto mando del ejército preocupándose por él preguntado si necesitaba algo, una casa, empleo,… con doce hijos y al borde de la pobreza jamás aceptó nada. Eran otro tipo de personas que hoy en día somos incapaces de entender.
Many were normal people, who volunteered to save the family name because the Republican side had lost the civil war and the consequences for the family in which maybe your uncle, your grandfather, your cousin may have fought on the losing side, were discouraging. There was a very harsh repression by Franco's regime. But undoubtedly, there was everything in the ranks of the blue division. Yes, after the order to withdraw, only the most fervent anti-communists remained.
@@nada476 Cant be agree with you. Enlisted was made between Falange people with large historic in the party. Those who said later that enlisted because bla beacuse bla bla did if years passed when German lost the war and to be a falangist was not cool.
hey jelly, this video is really good - i love the mix of storytelling the historical occurrence while displaying it ingame! I love to do scenarios like this and i reckon if you get some graphics mods upon others which would really make it immersive (camera angles, downed soldier animations, better graphics/particle effects, tank decals and so on) this would look even better
The father of an old friend of mine was in the Blue Division and he used to tell me tales about him, such as that they endured three days without eating little to nothing, being eaten alive by bugs and under heavy fire constantly until germans came to the rescue. Then he told me they had one of their best meals in days, hard bread kept in sawdust. These men were truly made of steel.
@@Blitz-jp3vn And they gave you Bolshevism, Atheism, Anarchy and general lawlessness. Now you can prepare to change your sex and learn the Koran. Become happy with your change of society, Camarada! No-passaran! 😂
I am from Argentina, My grandfather (Mothers father ) severed for Franco in the civil war and in the blue division during WW2 and in Morocco After the war 🇦🇷🇪🇦🐂
When Franco, partly in compensation for not allowing nazi Germany into Spain and not joining the war directly, called for the raise of a volunteers force to send to fight against the soviets, tens of thousands volunteered to form maybe an army corps. They selected the best and most experienced battle hardened Spanish civil war veterans, so it was a a first class infantry division, but a single division it is all they sent, the smaller the (volunteer) expeditionary corps the higher the quality of its troops, consequently
My great-grandfather volunteered to fight in the Blue Division to get better rations for him and his wife. We don't know nothing but that he came a drunkard from the East.
On a defensive battle yes. However, it was a horse-driven division, useless for ofensive operations in WWII. The closest German equivalent would be a parachute division, also great in defense, useless in the ofensive with no armor.
@@pepitopalotes5608 but it always happenned to us, the spanish are top tier when it comes to defense strategies but not with offensive ones, just remember blas de lezo
Because in that time the spanish soldiers were the best around the world. All voluntaries against comunism and stalinism. That was the key, all of them came from their country to fight as voluntaries. VIVA ESPAÑA
Except they where also plenty of Spaniards fighting in the Red army, the Communist party was huge in Spain before the war and still worked clandestinely during the dictatorship off general Franco, the anarcho syndicalist were also pretty big.
Don't forget "La Nueve" who, under the French flag, were the first to enter Paris, participated in its liberation and fought in Germany, demonstrating great combat capability and very notable successes
The guys on the Blue division were very different from the germans. -The field kitchen always gave the remnants of the ranch to the children that gathered around. -The babushka what cleaned their uniforms was untouchable, some germans that disrespected her discovered it in a hard way, shaped into a fist. -The time one german soldier ra*ed a girl, the same day all men from the blue division not on duty went to the town and simply give a beating to each and every german soldier they saw, I'm not sure if they were only a few of them and ended up more beaten than the germans but hell if that was going to stop them. They had bad equipment, one german officer was horrified seeing one spanish soldier with a mg42 and a hammer, he needed the hammer to arm the gun as it was deformed and they were given no spare parts. That was no stopper, that gun kept firing.
I don't know much about those details but the equipment one isn't true the Blue division was armed as well as some of the best German Divsions in terms of small arms .
@@SirJellyBean I'm sure this is true at least on paper, but the germans had and still have an enormous superiority complex with Spain, Blue division veterans without exception remember that germen intendence treated them like crap, if there were spare parts they will get them IF and only IF, each and every german unit in the whole army group did not needed them, and this happened with nearly everything. Regarding the everyday stories, in Spain due to ideological circumstances the Blue division was seen in a very bad light for decades and still many people will consider the history taboo and "facha" (fascist), so no combat stories were widelly known, veterans mainly talked (if at all) about anecdotes more than other things. I bet less than 0'1% of the Spanish population will associate Spanish soldiers with the siege of Leningrad or Krasny Bor.
@@myvideosetc.8271 Mientes. Mientes tú y quien te lo manda. El abuelo de mi ahijado fue suboficial de transmisiones en el 2° Batallón del 269 y decía todo lo contrario de lo que dices.
@@9suizo Te falto llamarme "faaaaascha", creo qu el primo del sobrino del cuñao segundo de una divorciada amiga del vecino del quinto tambien decia lo mismo.
@@myvideosetc.8271 Con tu comentario me demuestras lo que eres. No voy a discutir contigo por que discutir con un inteligente asintomático es como hacer bicicleta estática : Uno se cansa, suda, acaba agotado, y no lleva a ninguna parte.
In 1943, Spain had gone through the most devastating war since its creation as a state, the Spanish Civil War, the bloodiest confrontation that the peninsula had experienced in the modern era, pitting the Republican side, supported by the Russians, against the Nationalist side, supported mainly by Italy and Germany to a lesser extent. For the men of the Blue Division, they were not fighting against the Russians, they were fighting against the communism that had brought destruction to their land, whether they were wrong or not, they fought so that the rest would not have to.
@@georgyzhukov6409 Franco never called himself a "Fascist" he called himself a Catholic. So Catholics stopped the Red Army from reaching the Atlantic/Mediterranean Ocean, hail Franco!
My father fought in the Battle of Krasny Bor as a Second Lieutenant of the 9th Company of the 262nd Regiment of the Blue Division, being a veteran Officer of the Spanish Civil War, and at a very young age, since he was born in 1920, and being cited in the Order of the Day as "Very distinguished". He wanted to emulate his uncle José Cavalcanti de Alburquerque y Padierna, Marquis of Cavalcanti who obtained his Laureate Cross of San Fernando for the Cavalry Charge of Taxdirt in the Moroccan War.
La guerra civil empezó en 1936 y acabó en el 1939. Si nació en 1920, al inicio tenía 16 años y acabó con 18. ¿ como es posible que fuese oficial veterano de la guerra civil?
The Spanish blue division was the most rewarded international división, 2359 2nd Class cross iron, 138 1st class. When blue division was retired, still around 1500 volunteers remained fighting in what was called "blue legion" and formed part of the 121st Infantry div. Around 100-200 spanish volunteers fought till the end in Berlin (read Miguel Ezquerra memories). RIP to all heroes in both sides.
My wife`s grandfather was a member of the Blue Division, but he died before I could know him because the shrapnel that was in his body was released in the blood and concentrated in his heart. One day, talking with my wife's mother, she told me that his father fought in the Spanish Civil War as a legionary and in the war in Russia... what? In Russia? She didn't know any history, so she did not understand the implications. Also she didn't know what his father did between 1940 and 1953 when he started to work in the circus... Just at that time, the last prisoners of war of the Spanish divisions were released from Russia and returned to Spain. They give his father money, land, and a wife. I don't know where he was fighting. I don't know how he survived the time in prison. I only saw an identification with the German/Nazi emblem and an old photograph with his uniform as blue division troops. Like him, most of the Spanish voluntary troops were veterans of the Spanish Civil War, with practical knowledge of how to fight tanks without armor on their side. The Russians thought that voluntary troops would be easily dispersed. They made a bad decision underestimating the enemy.
Man, thats an awesome story, you need to pusblish his photo and try to get information about with whom and were could have been. This things cannot be forgoten!
Aún hay una Asociación de Veteranos, aunque ya no viva ninguno. Con la nueva ley de "memoria democrática" será disuelta y quién publique algo en España será denunciado por el actual gobierno Social-Comunista de España
@@toonmag50 That was BEFORE Brits rolled into Spain and had nothing to do with the Royal Navy as the navy weren't on those lines of comm. You have to study the history in DETAIL
The Spaniards used their knives, only weapons they had. Napoleon lost so many Frenchman to Spanish knives, he left Spain. As for the British they are thiefs they took Gibraltar.
Siempre orgullosos de nuestros heroicos soldados voluntarios de la división azul..tuve el honor de tener dos profesores que fueron a rusia a luchar por sus ideales..
Theres a quote i find hilarious, German General Josef "Seep" Dietrich (general of Hitler's Waffen-SS) after krasny bor: "When you see a scruffy, undisciplined and unshaven soldier, stand at attention. He is a Spanish hero.
My grandfather was a sanitary soldier in the blue division. He didn't liked to talk about his experience in the war, but sometimes he told us than, to the dismay of his superiors, he didn't made distinctions between the russian and spanish soldiers, treating always the one who was in worst shape.
Had a great uncle that fought in the Spanish Civil War on the Nationalist side and then volunteered with the Blue Division. He was tall (6ft5) and a handsome fella but he never came back from Russia. Not entirely sure if he was KIA at Krasny Bor (highly likely) or if he was injured, taken prisoner and then executed by the Soviets. Either way, he fought bravely and with honour at such a young age. The Spanish Blue Division’s heroics is as good as it gets for infantry in an outnumbered and outgunned situation, it doesn’t matter when you read this. Fighting initially 10:1 and then 20:1 after the Soviet mortar/artillery barrage and actually winning the battle severely under equipped is off-the-charts incredible. I also had a great grandfather who was a colonel (doctor) with the Spanish Republican army, and thanks to his rank he managed to get on the last ship out of mainland Spain before the end of the Civil war, from Alicante to Oran, Algeria. The Stanbrook and its captain, Welshman Archibald Dickson, was the only ship brave enough to push through the Nationalist/Nazi blockade at Alicante and despite the ship being dangerously overcrowded, he allowed as many people as could physically fit aboard and then set sail for North Africa. Even so, thousands were still left stranded at the docks and the beach at Alicante. I remember my father telling me years ago that many people took their own lives then and there knowing that they had just missed their last chance to escape, and those who didn’t take matters into their own hands were bombed by the Luftwaffe just minutes after the Stanbrook had set sail. Apparently the ship was still close enough to the coast of Alicante for everyone onboard to hear the bombing of the docks. There’s a plaque now at the harbour there, both commemorating Archibald Dickson’s actions as Captain of the Stanbrook and also in memory of those who lost their lives unable to escape. My great grandfather spent the rest of the WWII years and beyond practicing medicine in North Africa before finally being allowed back into Spain during the latter, more lenient half of the Franco regime. However, he was never able to officially retire in Spain as he was not allowed access to a state pension. He died just a few years after his return. In short: Civil wars are brutal and never give Spanish soldiers a good reason to fight, because my word they are going to F I G H T, until they either run out of ammunition or enemies to take down with them. Apologies for the novel-length comment but thanks for the video, anything highlighting the Blue Division’s heroics is much appreciated. You have a new sub here. 👍
Conocia la batalla de los 37? españoles en Paris, pero esta me ha sorprendido incluso más. Estoy muy agradecida por el video. Gracias por el reconocimiento ❤
Los veteranos de la guerra civil de ambos lados tenían experiencia en una guerra reciente y por ser españoles demostraron su coraje, sea la 9 o sea la División Azul. La diferencia es que los alemanes siempre admiraron el valor de los divisionarios ( y no digamos las poblaciones rusas y judías ques sabían la diferencia con otras tropas SS) y luego fueron reconocidos por Franco.En cambio los republicanos de la 9 que recordemos son los primeros en entrar en Paris ,fueron totalmente obviados por Francia hasta tal punto que hasta hace poco la mayoría de franceses desconocían su heroísmo. Cosas de la Grandeur y esconder la historia: el pueblo francés o bien era colaboracionista con el ocupante o de una gran tibieza cuando menos contra los alemanes, no estaban todos en la resistencia y necesitaron aportaciones como la de los españoles.
@@agarizax osea.......me vienes a explicar algo de la batalla que digo que SI CONOZCO. mejor cuentame algo que no sepa hijo..... Que afán tenéis algunos por demostrar algo Digo: conocia la batalla de los 37 y la otra NO Y me vienes a explicar la de los 37. Muy bien hijo. En historia sacarás un 10. Pero en sumar 2 + 2....... Casi prefiero que me des un dato que no salga en el video y que sea de la batalla que NO conozco
@@agarizax ah! Y perdoname si soy antipática pero a veces..... Nose. No entiendo bien si la gente habla para enseñar y aportar, o para que le des una medallita a cambio de nada. De verdad perdoname si soy una borde. Pero he tenido la necesidad de decírtelo ❤️
Thats really intersting that Blue Division spaniards defending atacked soviet atacking lines, I wonder if that could be impacted by spanish civil war experience, as often germans often let the tanks pass first defense lines to let at placements deal whit them at further defensive lines..
@@SirJellyBean Maybe, but I am sceptical that they had much experience against republican armor units in civil war, because if I am not mistaken not many existed amongst them, maybe they exploited the soviet mistake to disembark infantry when first bullets fly and tanks would still drive full speed leaving soldiers behind they're support the tanks became vulnerable against such atacks.
@@SirJellyBeanduring the civil war the soviet union sent a lot of advisors but also a enitre tank unit composed of t-26 tanks crew mostly by russians and ukrianians(pre-purges so they were good i belive there commander was arrested during the purges) and they preformed exceptionaly well the t-26 was highly resitant to most anti tank guns and the the time as well as restistant to the panzer 1 so the natonailst had to find imporvised ways of dealing with republican armour so im sure they had exprince in anti tank warfare.
Interesting insight into the 'anti communist' Spaniards of WW2, the whole affair suffered from mixed loyalties as with the Ukrainians & Finns who ended up 'on the wrong side' because of the need of 'the Allies' to ally with the Soviet regime which in many aspects was just as bad as that of Hitler.
I have very warm memories about the Spanish teacher in Louisiana who came there from Galicia. We had several very exciting conversations with him. In particular, listening to his stories, I was impressed by how much Northern Spain and Western Ukraine share historically in term of choosing the part in a crazy complicated WW2 world. "Our grandfathers were not Nazis, they just wanted to protect the country from communism" he would say. How many Ukrainians would have signed up under these words. One of the most emotionally impressive part of this for me is a spooky toponimic similarity between the two far away lands of a similar fate. In Spain, it is Calicia. In Ukraine, we call it Halychyna, but the Russians and many others call it literally Galicia as as well. In the Wiki, for instance, it is called Galicia (Eastern Europe).
@@iuriikoboziev6762 It sounds similar because the origins are Celtic in both instances. Yep, Celts (Gaul -> Galicia/Galycina) passed through what is now Ukraine on their way West and left a fair bit of culture behind.
@@iuriikoboziev6762 In the Habsburg Empire (from 1772 to 1918) the now Ukrainian territory was the heritage land 'Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria' (Königreich Galizien und Lodomerien). The people there and their language were called Ruthenians, which was seen as separated from Russians. This area belonged to Poland after WW1 and was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1939 according to the Hitler-Stalin Pact.
this is a great piece of history, and it is beautiful to read these comments about Spain. It is amazing and lovely what people think about us out of our borders, more than what people say inside (some people).
"Spanish is the strongest country on the world, they were trying to destroy themselves for centuries and they are failing" -Sentence that maybe Otto Von Bismark said
Ah yes, soviets interrogated some captured spanish soldiers about the new german secret weapon that obliterated their army... Spaniards answered "what?"
Gran video, sí señor. Y gran labor la tuya al hacer memoria de las hazañas de los divisionarios. Cuando tengas un rato no dejes de echar una ojeada a "la acción del lago Ilmen"... una misión de rescate llevada a cabo por 206 divisionarios españoles a -53 grados y que se llevó a cabo, sufriendo gravísimas bajas, para salvar a unos 500 militares alemanes que habían quedado cercados por más de 3000 soldados siberianos. Los pocos divisionarios que consiguieron llegar al lugar, tras una atroz travesía a temperaturas terribles, rompieron el cerco de los rusos y consiguieron rescatar a los camaradas alemanes. En aquella acción los divisionarios ganaron 32 Cruces de Hierro. Una hazaña legendaria.
Just to make it clear: Despite their uniform, Spanish Blue Division fought against Communism and the Soviet Union, not in favour of nazism. All respect to these brave men.
Has pronunciado demasiadas veces la palabra "fanático" para describir el comportamiento de los divisionarios. No olvides que muchos de ellos habían estado matándose en los campos de España durante tres años. Lo que pasó en Krasni Bor, no se diferencia demasiado de lo que pasó en la Sierra de Pandols o del Cavall durante la batalla del Ebro. El valor de los soldados españoles se ha demostrado desde la batalla de Lepanto hasta Rocroi, de Marruecos a Cuba en la colina de San Juan donde le zurraron la badana a los Rough Raiders de Roosvelt y Valer en Filipinas donde aguantaron un año bajo unas condiciones pésimas. La mejor infantería durante 3 siglos, los Tercios invencibles a los que ningún ejército pudo derrotar si no fue por superioridad numérica y a veces ni por eso. Pavía, Bicoca, Malta, Castelnovo, Breda y tantas batallas ganadas. La más antigua infantería de marina, "Los Tercios del Mar", La defensa de Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Salvador de Bahía, Cartagena de indias. Marinos ilustres enfrentados a la Marina Real británica y siempre caballerosos, excepto cuando les tocas las narices y deciden cortar orejas, como a un tal Jenkins. En fin, no quiero escribir un tratado, pero nadie puede dudar que los españoles encuadrados en los ejércitos, en tierra , mar o aire, son valerosos en extremo y no fanáticos sin cerebro. Hay que hacer esa distinción. Saludos.
I recommend you look for information about General Lecrerc's 9th company. Spanish Republicans who fought in the Spanish Civil War, North Africa and ended up in Normandy and liberating Paris. It is an incredible and bravery history too.
The Blue Division (Divisuón Azul) had both Spaniard and Portuguese soldiers, highly motivated and trained. And when a Portuguese officer was killed in action, the Germans gave him a funeral with full military honours (there are several photos of this), before transported the corpse to Portugal...
Many of those boys were veterans of the civil war, and they were tough tipis to beat. The Germans themselves were happy to fight with them, since they were resilient and brave. They themselves said that they fought while they sang so we could hear the bullets
I love spanish gestas, and their bravery is legendary. This being said, to honor the truth, during the Krasny Bor three things must be taken into account. First, the soviet propaganda for their own soldiers: They were told that the blue division was just a bunch of convicts forced to enlist and they would run as fast as they could. Basically they were told that they just have to walk into their positions after the artillery barrages. Secondly, the soviets at that time still used the old method of artillery preparation, first they were hammering with their cannons for long long time, but then they wait for the fog of war to dissapear before running to the front line, which gave time to Spanish soldiers to go back to their trenches. And third, they were experimented soldiers from the Spanish civil war, very motivated to fight comunism with a great desire to get it back at Stalin for interfering in their country. They would not back down.
The history of Spain is incredible, the Philippines, Cuba, the Canary Islands, the three kings against the Moors, Holland, etc., it's a shame that it wants to be erased and The independence of the United States was thanks to Spain Without a doubt the country that changed the world the most, perhaps another country having a greater number of historical battles but not as epic played in the same or inferior conditions.
I am from Spain and I have to say that the history of the blue division is not as beautiful as many believe. Almost 70% of the 40k men who formed it died or were seriously wounded or were prisoners of war in Russian concentration camps. To this day there are still cases of missing people who it is not known if they survived the end of the war. Wars have no winners.
The uncle of my grandfather, if I'm not wrong named Cristino, died in Russia, fighting in Krasny Bor. According to their brothers in arms, who survived this battle, he fell as following: His platoon ran out of ammo, and they had only close combat weapons to cope with the russians, like knifes and shovels. Even in such situation, they didn't intend to surrender, so they stand at their trenches, expecting to die killing. When russians started to assault on their positions, a wave of mortar grenades were launched and Cristino had his arm amputated. Wielding his missing arm with his other hand, he charged at the Russians assaulting his trench. The Russians reportedly fled, horrified at the sight of a phantom soldier screaming like a demon while trying to hit them with a severed arm. Cristino died there, bleeded out, but his action gave time to his comrades to withdraw to rear positions. Only one of them stood by his side till he died, also covering Spanish retreat. He buried Cristino there and then returned to Spanish rear positions at night. His body is resting somewhere in the steppe. Thank you very much for this great video, Sir Jelly Bean, it's a deserved tribute to this brave and unfairly forgotten men. I would like to end my post by expressing my enormous respect to every soldier who died in WWII. They were all heroes, regardless their country they were fighting for. Maybe enemies on Earth by doubtless brother in Heaven.
Imagine the level of additional hurt the Axis might have inflicted upon the Allies if Franco had joined Spain to the Axis and invested the entire Spanish military in the struggle. But I suppose there were still too many Spanish communists living in Spain that had to be kept in check after their defeat in the Spanish Civil War. But they still sent the Blue Division to give the Communists another swift kick in the nuts! I gotta admire that.
The Catholic church, believe it or not, alongside the connections from certain lodges, were the ones who influenced Franco's brain trust in making his decision to deter the Axis from occupying Spanish territory. Spain remained passive throughout the entire war and did not give a free hand to the Germans regarding Gibraltar thanks to these spheres of politics that suppressed the great endangerment of the Allied position by the Germans. Spaniards did prove themselves as class soldiers, even so strategists; but they were also traitorous, playing their own game and looking only at their self-interest.
The Axis had nothing to arm them with. Spain had been devastated by its 3-year civil war and the Spanish army had all its equipment very worn out and had very little capacity to replace it in the medium term. And Germany was not even capable of adequately equipping its own army, to the point that it requisitioned all the military equipment from the countries it invaded, both vehicles and weapons of all kinds that it ended up distributing among its own units. Where was it going to get the material to equip an entire army from another country? It could absorb more or less large units, but certainly not something on a large scale. When you look at the comparative figures for industrial production and oil refining of the Axis and the Allies, you see with total clarity the true reality that Germany never had the slightest chance of winning WWII, beyond the unreal mirage it produced during the first months of the war.
Spanish army was badly equipped and spanish economy was in the brink of disaster. There was a famine after the civil war so I guess they couldnt maintain an army outside their border.
That is on my me, couldn’t think of a good comment at the moment I had wrote it. Hope the edit can help in a way, I am sorry for this copying and changing of words.
![[Part 1] ทารกน้อยถูกทิ้ง👶 หญิงชราเก็บขวดขายเลี้ยงดูเขาจนโต #โลกการละคร](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nPTDvFCExks/mqdefault.jpg)
I was lucky enough to meet one of the last veteran of the blue division in 2014. I had to spend some days at hospital and we were in the same room. He was a very little man from the canary island of Lanzarote and also a veteran of the spanish civil war. It was amazing to hear his stories first hand, I shall never forget that experiencie.
His name was Basilio Brito, he died two years later...
@@AmadeusHortfrick that's very cool
Can you tell something about it?
Amazing experience to meet actual veterans, especially if they open up and tell their stories.
Dang, Brito is my father’s middle name. Never heard of anyone else with that name until now…
I grampa on my mother's side came back from Russia minus one eye and 3 fingers. Died back in '84, smoking rolled cigarettes in the hospital.
Spanish in general should be proud of their brave soldiers, sadly anglo saxons spreaded the black legend about Spain among allies,
Anglos rock lol
@@SirJellyBean you neeed to learn about "the spanish black legend" just saying...for real.
@@Luffy9o I shall investigate ps Anglos Rock haha
maybe not allies then.
@@SirJellyBean if you like masonry and liberalism, then yes…
On September 5, 1942. That day, the "Führer" said that Spain was "a country that is impossible not to love."
He even used "greatness" to refer to the peninsular people. «I don't know a single German who thinks differently. One of our first regional leaders in Hanover was returning from Spain. He had no other desire than to return there again. I have never found anyone who does not feel admiration for the Spaniards, ”
Hitler came to affirm that "one of our happiest initiatives was to allow a Spanish legion to fight by our side." He was so happy that day for the performance of the Blue Division, that he indicated that, as soon as he had occasion, “ I will decorate Muñoz Grandes with the Iron Cross with oak leaves and diamonds to motivate more and more men to join his ranks”. «When he returns to Spain, we will have to equip this legion from top to bottom (and in a magnificent way), give it part of the loot (of the occupation of Moscow) and some Russian generals as trophies. In this way they will make a triumphal entry into Madrid and their prestige will be invincible, ”he added.
Hitler explained to everyone willing to listen to him (he was famous for exhausting his guests with extensive monologues in which he barely let the rest speak) that the gallantry of the Spaniards was historical. «If Goeben's writings on the Spaniards are read, it is noted that they have not changed for a hundred years. Extraordinarily brave, hard for deprivation, but fiercely undisciplined. In them, the unfortunate thing is the difference in treatment between the officers and the troops. Spanish officers live beautifully, ”he said.
Although, emphasizing that their Latin character was a real drag Hitler praised the Spanish soldiers. “To troops, the Spaniards are a crew of ragamuffins. They regard a rifle as an instrument that should not be cleaned under any pretext. Their sentries exist only in principle. They don't take up their posts, or, if they do take them up, they do so in their sleep. When the Russians arrive, the natives have to wake them up. But the Spaniards have never yielded an inch of ground. One can't imagine more fearless fellows. They scarcely take cover. They flout death. I know, in any case, that our men are always glad to have Spaniards as neighbours in their sector”, Hitler explained.
When Hitler considered an invasion of Spain to remove Franco and replace him with Agustín Muñoz Grandes, he decided against it, saying "The Spaniards are the only tough Latins. I would have a guerrilla war in my rear".
This was also an objective of the Blue Division. To fight with courage against the communists in the Soviet Union, returning the visit made by them during the Spanish Civil War, to let the Germans know that invading Spain was not a good decision.
Fantastic information much appreciated
I knew a Blue Divisionary, he told me they were shocked in their way to Russia by the treatment nazis gave polish (catholics) and jews. They refused to collaborate with all that. They would not salute normally german officers, but only the spaniards. The germans went crazy about that.
They just wanted to combat communism.
Great read
It is unfortunate that Spain could not fight alongside the Fatherland arm in arm, but I guess it’s for the best now, knowing what happened to those who lost.
it seems you are proud of HITLER admiring us??
Don't mess with the Spanish infantry. It doesn't matter if you are an invincible samurai, the almighty Napoleonic army or a million Incas. And I won't even tell you about the Tercios...
@@draconisgubernator You don't have to mess with the Spanish infantry. If this high spirited bunch is partying on Madrid streets, this home team might cross Reproofs Valiant or Countercheck Quarrelsomes with you at Will. In a network of almost 3000 I discovered some 62 members of the ruling PP. A couple of them expressed heated disapproval of my use of emojis (!). I believe they see it as "unmanly." I posted on the ntwk Bulletin Board '"PP don't F' with your host!"" They complied, but not because they're afraid of me, they're not afraid of anything. It was a hot network, and they didn't want to be kicked out, which wouldn't have happened. Some are, yes, fascistic. I don't see it my job to change their minds about anything. That's a fools errand.
Big exaggeration right there, first of all in the battle of Cagayan is not even well recorded, but even for the sake of it, Spanish used indians in that fight, yeah sure they belonged to the Spanish rule but still in their blood was running native blood not Spanish, not only that but they didn't fought samurais, it was pirates and untrained folk who lived of robbing and highjacking ships, second, it's pretty well known that the diseases the Spanish brought did most of the work against the Aztecs and the empires, not only that but the Spanish used other tribes to help them fight against the empires, so they didn't do shit alone , but they for sure know how to come from hard situations such as taking Spain again from Napoleon and the Muslims
@@Bubububulu I would like you try to tell this to the Gran Capitan...hahaha
Did the vaunted Spanish infantry defeat the women and children at Guernica with Hitlers Luftwaffen?
It's true, but the spaniards kryptonite, are the portuguese 😅 saludos a nuestros bravos hermanos.
The Soviets were expecting the Spanish inquisition, but instead they got the Spanish Blue Division.
Assul
Lmao
No-one expects the Spanish inquisition!!!
Nun zumindest bin ich kein Freiwilliger für irgendwas Gaudillömässiges
the 47,000 Spanish men who served in the Blue Division, 22,000, or 47 percent, became casualties. A year after their return, Franco was writing them off, making the amazing remark to an American journalist that sending the Blue Division to Russia “implied no idea of conquest or passion against any country.” He added, “When the Spanish government realized that the presence of these volunteers could effect its relations with those Allied countries with which it had friendly relations, it took the necessary steps to make those volunteers return home.”
Metaförli is Ässli schiebä gäu
@@jurgschupbach3059🤣🤣🤣
A few years ago I saw a documentary on television about the recovery of human remains of soldiers of the Blue Division on Russian territory. I was struck by the fact that they interviewed descendants of Russian citizens living in the villages where the fighting took place and whose parents and grandparents had known Spanish soldiers and they recounted that they had left fond memories of the respectful and even friendly treatment they always had with the Russian civilian population, unlike the treatment given to them by many German soldiers. Some of them had even learned Spanish songs which they later taught to their grandchildren who now still remembered them to sing in front of the television cameras.
Thats awesome nice to know that these men held onto the humanity when so many did not .
Let's rejoice remembering that today Spain is an active member of NATO forces !
Yes , that is completely true. Specially the russian ladies :-)
@@rainbowseeker5930 NATO itself is now the menace. It has become the private ironfist of the globalist elites.
Vade Retro.
Bullshit. They were armed invaders who were welcomed by the occupied civilians? My arse.
My grandfather was a volunteer in the Flemish legion who were stationed in the same sector as the Blue division early 1943. As he spoke a little Spanish he was used as a dispatch and regularly came into contact with the Spaniards: brave and reliable soldiers he always used to say.
oo thats awesome dude very cool
Nothing impressive for the Spanish, simply showing traditional politeness we returned the visit to the communists and brought them a little present.
Dudo mucho yo de esa historia
If I were you, I would be embarrassed to say that your grandfather fought for the Nazis. I think your father would probably know that he should keep quiet at this point. But times change, unfortunately, such kinship is slowly becoming fashionable now.
@@Станислав-с6п8я you do realise not everyone who fought on the Axis side was a nazi just like not every soldier in the Soviet army was a communist.
The spanish Old Tercios blamed over 3:34 Europe during two centuries.
The toughest infantry in history
Stalin was furious when he heard of the failure of Operation Polar Star. He could not understand how a few Spaniards had decimated his best troops.
The prisoners of the Spanish Zulu Division (250th Division), who were taken prisoner along with their captain, Don Teodoro Palacios Cueto, were sent to the Siberian Concentration Camps from where they returned to Spain after the dictator's death. They were the only prisoners left, as they had already liberated all of them (including German Nazis).
Their return to Spain on the Red Cross ship "Semiramis" was quite an event.
Ooo what s cool twist of fate .
That is another incredible feat of those prisioners. The names of captains Palacios and Oroquieta comes immediately to my mind. What a heros they were.
He could not understand was spaniards are made of.
@@SirJellyBean Nowadays it's a little hard to find but there is a great book about it. It's called Embajador en el Infierno (Ambassador in Hell) and it's definitely worth a read.
Fueron repatriados en ese barco en 1954. Estalin murió en 1953.
Con los españoles NO! Son un pueblo que fue imperio debido a la capacidad y heroísmo de sus militares.
Grande España!
Abrazo a mis consanguíneos desde Chile
Gracias por tus amables palabras, amigo, pero eso ya es historia, los malditos políticos se han ocupado de cargarse la España que nos hizo grandes. Felipe II llegó a decir una célebre frase: “En España nunca se pone el Sol” debido a que teníamos territorios en todo el mundo.
Y todo eso se dio porque España era la espada de la Iglesia. Dios permitió que España sea su portaestandarte.
Y ahora simplemente nos dejamos invadir por los moros y nadie mueve ni un dedo...
Abrazo a mis consanguineos > es mapuche
@@elpibelol5005 Solo hace falta ver los test de ADN de los hispanoamericanos aquí, en youtube, para ver que la mayor parte sobremanera de Hispanoamérica es consanguínea con los españoles.
Saludos!
My grandpa was there, he was in the infantry military academy when he volunteered to fight against the communists. He was only 21 y.o. and went in the Blue Division like Second Lieutenant. He was injured in combat and named mutilated knight. I remember when I was a kid asking him about war but he never wanted to talk about it. He was a hero back then, during his life and he’s still my hero. He helps me to go forward. He died very young 69 y.o. He told me before dying he was ready to leave. He did everything he wanted to do in life.
Heroe de España ❤🫡
@@AppearDispairDisappear-xi1gt Lo fue. Gracias.
Thankyou for sharing dude
Que grande tu abuelo! Un saludo, paisano
Awesome what a hero 😎 viva la espana 🇪🇸
One of my elders fought in Russia, in the Blue Division, against comunism. Thank you very much for this video and the caring way in which you honored our soldiers. A warm hug from Spain.
Thankyou dude very kind love to Spain 🇪🇸
@@SirJellyBean 🇪🇦❤️🇺🇲
My grandfather was there. Came back with one eye blinded because of the cold. Fought in the11/J.R.262 That´s what his plate says. Anyone knows where may have been stationed or fought? He died when I was a child, and refused to talk about war when he returned. But he still kept his medals (was buried with them) and German documents. And by the way, he was neither a nazi or a fascist, he saw his father, a civilian, being killed by the communists during the Spanish Civil War just because he went to mass every sunday and read a "right wing" newspaper. My grandfather just wanted revenge against the communists, and probably took it. My mother used to talk about how emotioned my grandfather was when the last prisoners of the Division captured by Russia were returned to Spain after the war thanks to the mediation of the United Nations in the 50´s. He had no bad words for the Russian civilians, said the Spaniards were almost always welcome, as opposite to the Germans
Great info thankyou for sharing dude
Creo que te podrán informar en la Hermandad Nacional de la División Azul.
www.hermandadnacionaldivisionazul.es/
Un gran tipo tu abuelo, puedes sentirte muy orgulloso de él.
Un heroe tu abuelo. El libro de "embajadores en el infierno" deberia ser de lectura obligada para que se supiera en España que clase de heroes eran aquellos divisionarios. Un saludo, paisano
@@maurasi_maurano2107 Un héroe no lo sé. Un valiente, sin duda. Muchas gracias, un saludo
@@antoniolopez2322 Sin lugar a dudas.
Anothe epic battle was Las Lomas de San Juan, where 700 Spanish infantry troops resisted around 10000 US and cuban traitors in the Spanish American war. After 8 hours the Spaniards were all dead, but that epic battle is studied in all major military schools today. 🇪🇸
@@1guitarlover The Spanish soldiers can be daredevils, that you don't want to disagree with. It's not for me to ask the Spanish to tone down their military. The trajectory of the Goths is impressive. General Cniva destroyed a Roman army and two emperor's. Fritigern repeated the feat when the Goths crossed the Danube: Another Roman army destroyed, plus two more emperors. The Goth found DNA is varied, because they attracted other tribes people, the rulers were always found to be the Germanic🌿Military🌿Elites.
1:04 So you're telling me that 4900 Spaniards do not only resist but also counterattack on the Soviets while being outnumbered almost 1 to 10? Crazy stuff.
Yeah amazing stuff dude
You can check and recheck in any history book. Completely true.
No chauvinism here at all. In fact it is politically incorrect to even mention the unit.
Russians sure know how to take incredible L's, then and now
Worse apparently, 50% casualties after the initial barrage, means nearly 20:1!
in the second world war tjere is no never ever 6 100 soviet tanks= it is full bull sheet
Great video dude, just want to sort of clarify something about this fanatical morale that you mention for the people that doesn't know the story of those men in the blue division, si that fanatycal morale was not because they were followers or like they agree with the nazi ideology ( in fact they had numerous non friendly encounters with SS groups ) but because they were moved by the sheer hate against comunism and the USSR wich they made responsible for all the calamities of the spanish civil war and the state that Spain was after it.
Again great video, I just wanted to put my grain of sand to give some background for the people interested.
Good info dude
Correct
They didn't hate the state after the civil war. They supported it.
An international brigade to fight communism is nothing shameful.
When the Spanish Civil war started, Stalin told the Spanish Republicans, I will keep your Gold save.
They handed over +500 Million in Spanish Gold.
After the Spanish Civil war, Franco asked Stalin to return the Gold, Stalin said,:The Republicans used it all on weapons...
I do not generally disagree with you, yet there was a minority of them who were actually Nazi sympathisers. 3 years ago I had the chance to examine a portrait of Falange veteran partymember and lieutenant who had volunteered for the blue division, and who even after ww2 kept his Spanish fascist symbols removed from his uniform and exchanged instead with schvastikas that he had collected in the Eastern front.
The blue division are really underrated group in ww2 discussions. They were the only group of people, where Soviets found difficulties to make a atrocitie propaganda about them, because they treated pow's and civilians nicely.
Yeah I've heard excellent things about how they conducted themselves .
@@SirJellyBean I don't know if the book "Embajador en el infierno" has been published in English. If it is, I highly recommend it. The history of Captain Palacios. He was unfortunately taken prisoner after the battle. He spent many years in the gulag. His bravery was out of this world. Incredible people.
@@maurasi_maurano2107 ill have a look dude
Having Soviets Katyn and gulags behind them, it is an unlikely task to make any kind of atrocitie propaganda...
@@maurasi_maurano2107Precisamente por su valor y espíritu durante el cautiverio, sirviendo de ejemplo y velando para que no perdieran la moral y la esperanza sus compañeros fue recompensado a su vuelta con la Cruz Laureada de San Fernando.
Por cierto, basándose en el libro del capitán Palacios hay también una película, creo recordar de 1959, titulada como el libro, aunque pluralizando la primera palabra: Embajadores en el infierno.
Está en TH-cam. Un saludo.
Division Azul was a great unit. Unjustly hated by many in Spain because they're labelled as fascists, while they were just volunteers who hated communism. The horrors and brutality of Communism were felt in spain even before the civil war , many youngsters witnessed it first hand and so volunteers willing to put their life on the line is what it takes to fight communism, socialism and all sorts of unjustice. I have nothing but respect for them . My paternal grandfather knew many who fought in Division Azul , he was a military surgeon and treated many wounded from both sides . He helepd so many people that , people from his hometown (Motril) contacted me on Facebook recently, asking me if i was family of Doctor Segura (we carry the same name and last name), and i said yes and they had nothing but beautiful stories about how everyone was grateful to him. He died when i was very young, but i remember he told me the guys from division Azul were something else entirely. My maternal grandfather was a "guardia civil" , the armed police, he told me many republicans not suspicious of crimes were given the opportunity to enter the police after the war , including him. They were needed . He also respected the division azul as a heroic unit, and became friends with my ither grandfather even though they had been enemies at one point. There were also honest and hard working men on the red side. He blamed the bad apples for manipulating the honest ones . Unlike my grandmother, who voted red party even on the year she died when she was 92. Perhaps because she didn't witness first hand what her husband saw.
In recent years, unscrupulous politicians from the left are trying to convince us that both sides never made peace with each other ans that means, according to them, that we should hate Division Azul and anything related to Franco. I think that's a mistake. Our ancestors who lived in the time knew the truth and are trying to pass it on .
Great post massive respect
They still were facists mate
@@magnusthered4973 I don't deny there may have been some fascist among them, that was the society at the time in Europe
@@magnusthered4973 Yes, not good, and the side which they opposed were communists, which were even worse.
@@magnusthered4973Please describe what a “fascist” actually is
napolean could have told the soviets that spainards are TOUGH
I'm sure he could haha
@@SirJellyBean España siempre parió hombres duros , de estatura pequeña y escuálidos y tremendamente aguerridos al punto de tacharnos como fanáticos, en algunas ocasiones. Ahora no queda nada, solo niños mayores haciendo el subnormal en tik tok. Occidente no aguantará un " Lepanto 2".
Very tough. Spain defeat napoleon with the help of portuguese and english. Portuguese did help even after spain let the french army cross spain to attack portugal and later betrayed by the french. History is not forgotten.
NAPOLEON was busy losing 600k soldiers in Spain.. 😂😂😂
En una ciudad de 10.000 habitantes, ahora no recuerdo el nombre, entraron 1.100 soldados franceses y aún hoy los están buscando. Los hicieron desaparecer por completo. Nunca se sabrá el número real de bajas de los franceses en España. Como tampoco se sabrá el número real de españoles que perdieron la vida, porque fue una guerra de exterminio, sin cuartel, del pueblo traicionado por sus élites contra un invasor al que habían dejado entrar y tomar posiciones.
Blue Division was the best of Spanish armed forces already well experienced by a brutal Civil War just before WW 2. Division Azul (Blue, Blau) had veterans who saw the devastating Russian Communist & local presence cripple their Spanish homeland. They were ANTI COMMUNIST !! There was not racial animosity. Russian civilians often helped the Spaniards. Moral as in fighting for defense of one's country is often under rated. Spanish Civil War saw Communists burn down Churches & murder priests. Spanish patriotism & military traditions is often overlooked in English speaking lands.
Fair point
In fact it was not any unit of the Spanish army. It never was. But volunteers.
It was flooded with thousands of youngers from universities and the Falange.
Probably the military unit in history with more university students . Volunteers.
@@Genjuanpa The officers were professional soldiers.
Lo que creo que los anglosajones no entienden y a veces confunden con fanatismo; es el alto grado de sentimiento de honor individual, que no colectivo, que tenemos los pueblos Ibéricos. que hace que mantengamos muestra palabra hasta en situaciones que es incomprensible de entender para otros pueblos. Perdón por no escribir en Ingles, no tengo nivel suficiente para hacerlo.
@@miguelangelsaenzmedina1273 pardon mi Espanol, yo soy de EEUU. Mis abuelos son de Espana. Yo entiendo historia de Division Azul. Gracias por text. Yo creo muchas personas en Espana no quiero Communismo. Muchas personas aqui no quiero Communismo tambien. Saludos
I grew up in Spain. Our gardener, Lorenzo, had bright blue eyes and very fair skin, which isn't all that common in Spain. He was also missing his right arm from the elbow down. He was a member of the Blue Division. He told me as a child that when he threw a German-made hand grenade, it exploded prematurely, which caused him to lose his arm. Despite his handicap, he was able to work as a gardener. After he died, it became known that he was actually wealthy. He owned all the bars in the nearby village, owned a lot of land and rumour had it that he even owned a nearby gas station. During a history class in college (in the U.S.), a student asked the professor who were the members of the Blue Division (División Azul), but the professor had no clue. I raised my arm and explained who they were. When asked how i knew this, I mentioned our gardener's story. People looked at me as if i had arrived from planet Mars. I desrved an A in that class, but the professor gave me a B. He didn't like the idea of a student having to answer another student's question.
@antoniogarcialopezvazquez4806 I'm also a spaniard with blue eyes and fair skin. I was born and raised here. This is where I live. Yes, they exist here, but, again, it's not common to see them as in, say, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Holland, Finlandi, Russia, etc. I've flown all over the World (except Antarctica) as a pilot and lived in the Middle East, Russia, and Africa for several years. In the Middle East and even in Africa, one can see people there with green/ blue eyes and fair skin, too, but, again, it's not common. In Galicia and Asturias, as you know, it's more common to see Spaniards with light skin and green/blue eyes, but even there I personally wouldn't say is common. I think people looked at me in class (como si fuese un marciano) because of the fact that Lorenzo was as a gardener while having only one fully functional arm. Because he still had part of his arm below the elbow, this enabled him to use a wheelbarrel. Why he worked was/is a mystery because he had no financial need to work. I used to enjoy talking with Lorenzo, and I miss him. I'm an older retired person, so I suppose I'll cross paths with him soon (si Dios quiere).
@@jonathanjudeoneildelisle481 one thing is that in Germany or Scandinavian countries there are more persons with blue eyes and white skin (in fact, in Germany is because the very close Scandinavians there are, not for theirself, because the originals are like Spanish (R1b mitocondrial in their DNA´s, like English, French and all Center of Europe too)), and other thing is that in Spain there isn´t common this characteristic in the Spanish people, that is rotund false (fake news as Trump says XD).
The true is that the blue eyes and white skin is not from Scandinavian people either, but Caucasian people (originaly from South East between Europe and Asia). All Europeans are Caucasian in fact. All we are the same, whether you want to believe it or not. The unique differency is that in the North of Europe hardly any people lived in those times, meanwhile in the rest of Europe many more people lived and then the Caucasian conquerors couldn´t kill to all of them and at last they mix with the survivor as logical.
Mi madre tenía los ojos azules y mi abuelo era pelirrojo no debe ser tan raro y soy del sur de España en Murcia.
@@jonathanjudeoneildelisle481 El tío de mi padre por parte materna Francisco Muñoz combatió en la División Azul y su sobrino Francisco Muñoz fue corresponsal de guerra.
Lots of Spaniards with Blue eyes and fair skin from what I've seen.
Nice video!! I love that you tell things about my country, your video is also very well explained and very well done!! Congratulations and greetings from Spain!
Thanks dude i appreciate this and huge love to the Spanish people
The few Spaniards taken prisoner by the Soviets that day were all interrogated by the NKVD who only wanted to know “what secret weapons did you deploy against us?”
im sure more than one said something about their balls, classic spanish moment
Cojones that was the secret weapon
They employed competent well led troops against incompetently led troops who were poorly trained.
Cojones, cabrones!!!
@@OriginalSaklo🤣 soy de Nicaragua y tenemos una historia similar pero contra 🇺🇲, ocurrió en los años 20 y nosotros fuimos el primer Vietnam de los gringos. Un veterano de esas época me contó que en una campaña ellos implementaban o utilizaban el concepto de guerra de guerrillas( no se si fue que nosotros lo inventamos pero al menos fuimos los primeros en utilizarla en este lado del charco) y la división Yanki compuesta de 200 o 300 marines iban siendo arrasados de a poco hasta solo dejar vivo a uno, que lo dejaba ir en regreso a su cuartel con un montón de burros cargados con sacos llenos de las cabezas de sus compañeros marines. Una manera de hacer tortura psicologíca. 😬😬 Años después cuando cae la dictadura creada por ellos, escuché que se planteó en el Pentágono invadir Nica y los altos mandos del ejército dijeron que absolutamente No. Será que se acordaron de los años 20s??🤷
Spanish republican here. The Blue Division had balls 🔥🔥
Hell yeah they did
And i am not republican but need to notice about la novena o la nueve, 9th company, 2nd Armored Division of general Leclerc. They also have guts. The first to enter in Paris.
With 250th division, a fligth wing war also deployed. Initially, the were assigned to center sector, objetive Moscow. But in the way, it war supposed that Leningrad war about to fall and 250th were diverted to north sector. This wing war attached to JG27. So there were more spanish fighting against comunism.
La guerra es una mierda de tamaño colosal, donde nada se salva de la barbarie. Que se lo digan a los ucranianos que siguen en su país. Pero es una pena que, después de tanto tiempo, no seamos capaces de salir de las motivaciones pueriles políticas y destacar que, en todas esas unidades, nuestros compatriotas sirvieron con lealtad, honor y bravura, dejando el nivel bastante alto. No porque lo digamos nosotros, sino porque los que estuvieron allí bien que mencionaban que siempre era una seguridad tenerlos cerca. Y lo decía gente que se jugaba la vida.
Patético
Muy buen puestos. Ya que en Krasny Bor lucharon, según decían, por "vergüenza torera"... Ole sus cojones.
La herencia bélica española es relativamente infinita, gracias por el video 💪
Many years ago I read a book about the Blue Division, months later, while I was waiting at the dentist's office, it turned out that there was an old man telling to another old man how they had saved a group of Germans who were isolated and had to cross a frozen lake on skis.😅
@@AmiaireConmigesita lmao thats amazing dude best dentist trip ever
My uncle Ricardo Bautista of the ski company that accomplished this feat, he was a corporal, communications operator. Iron Cross
@@baut3150 holy shot that's cool would love to talk to you furthered about him if you ever have time
Look For Ilmen Lake… es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acci%C3%B3n_del_lago_Ilmen
@@baut3150
El abuelo de mi ahijado, Jorge Oriente Pastor, fue cabo de transmisiones en el 2° Batallón del 269.
I had a great gradfather who fought in the rif, Spanish Civil War and blue division, last one, as commander of 250 mobile reserve Wehrmacht division, he was granted 2 iron crosses 2nd and 1st class, he was very injured for stepping on a mine in the volchow, near Leningrad. He was a 66% war mutilated hero, and was promoted to Brigadier general in 1963.
The Battle of Cartagena de Indias is another great example of a Spanish victory at a clear numerical disadvantage
Great video.
Ill check it out thankyou
@@SirJellyBean
During the Spanish Empire, in the 15th, 16th, 17th and even 18th centuries, Spanish troops, on land and at sea, performed incredible feats, generally in inferiority:
Miracle of Empel (Old Third of Zamora in Flanders),
Cartagena de Indias,
Castinuovo,
The Glorious,
etc. etc. etc.
Spain, a small nation, at that time with about 7 million inhabitants (women, children, elderly people, among them)
- conquering America, arriving 200 years before the English. By the time the English achieved their first settlement (Jamestown), the Spanish had literally already founded and created more than a THOUSAND cities in America, they had universities, hospitals, ports, ...
- stopping the powerful Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean, practically alone and against French and English aid to the Ottomans,
- against Dutch, French, and English pirates and corsairs in all the seas of the world,
- fighting with France,
- with England,
- in Flanders, ...
At the same time that Australia was discovering 60% of all the seas on the planet, it was circumnavigating the world for the first time, its brilliant navigators were finding a way to return from China by boat to America,
It is incredible how a handful of men, with their high ideals, were capable of achieving impossible victories against much superior enemies, so numerous and disparate.
@@SirJellyBean
I'm recalling them from memory, now I've just remembered the English disaster of the counter-armada.
After the loss of the Felicísima Armada (renamed by the English as "invincible" to mock it) due to the harsh weather and sea conditions, the Spanish fleet with few casualties (there was no real military confrontation) returned almost entirely to Spain to repair.
The English queen sees the opportunity and a few months later sends a powerful squadron to destroy the Spanish ships in the port, while they are being repaired. And they head for La Coruña (at that time a small town of about 3,500 inhabitants, without a military garrison or defenses, the castle that protected the bay was under construction, not operational).
With everything against the civilian population, there is no military equipment, it resists a long bombardment by the English squadron that lands without opposition and its tens of thousands of soldiers crash against the walls and the civilians who defend them. The English place mines to destroy the walls. The people of A Coruña, warned of the manoeuvre, raise the streets, demolish houses and accumulate all the rubble and materials they find so that when the mine detonates, the shock wave does much more damage to the English. However, the wall gives way and there are breaches. The English, far superior in number and weaponry, try to penetrate the combat in hand-to-hand combat.
Maria Pita, a neighbour and a fisherwoman, sees her husband fall dead and picks up the lance that pierced her husband and attacks the invaders with it, shouting "Whoever has honour, follow me." The Spaniards, exhausted and with great losses, unexpectedly find a fresh force. The Spanish women attack the English as one. Maria Pita pierces the English captain with her lance and kills him. The English cannot believe the fury and drive unleashed by the women. They throw down their weapons and run towards the ships to escape certain death... so a few hundred Spaniards and their brave women cause thousands of casualties to the English and humiliate them, putting them in retreat, abandoning the wounded, the dead, weapons, ... and barely getting out in their ships to never return...
But curiously, in the "history" books of the whole world, including those of Spain, there is never any mention of anything other than the "defeat of the "invincible" but not that this war was won by Spain despite losing (by the temporary rather than by military action) the first battle...
@@SirJellyBean
Milagro de Empel, la primera y única vez que la infantería (española) derrota la marina (holandesa) en el agua al tomarla por asalto.
Miracle of Empel, the first and only time that the (Spanish) infantry defeated the (Dutch) navy on the water by taking it by storm.
th-cam.com/video/0BGCH0dFIPQ/w-d-xo.html
la batalla de Cartagena de Indias
The Battle of Cartagena de Indias
th-cam.com/video/I0nprTU8NcY/w-d-xo.html
La mayor catástrofe naval de Inglaterra
England's Greatest Naval Disaster
th-cam.com/video/-Sq4722iH7w/w-d-xo.html
El asedio de Castilnuovo, las termópilas de los españoles
The siege of Castelnuovo, the Thermopylae of the Spanish
th-cam.com/video/joUYSbh_RxY/w-d-xo.html
700 españoles salvan Viena
700 Spaniards save Vienna
th-cam.com/video/MG59K2ejoWc/w-d-xo.html
El desastre naval inglés, España captura el doble convoy
The English naval disaster, Spain captures the double convoy
th-cam.com/video/tNbonit4WZg/w-d-xo.html
etc. etc etc.
@@LuisRodriguez-xk1su even against Ronin Samurais in Filipina Islands - Cagayán Battle (the first Occidental Army against Samurais in the history). The Spanish forces: 7 small ships and 40 men (Spaniards and Tlaxaltecas the majority). Japanese forces: 18 sampans and 800 Ronin with katanas and Portuguese arquebuses.
Final Result: Spanish Victory with 10 Spanish deaths against more than 500 Japanese because at last they ran away in disband terrified with the Spanish soldiers killing most of them and others drowning when they jumped into the river to save themselves.
The Spanish took katanas, demonic masks, armor, etc from the fallen as exotic trophies and souvenirs (nowday there are some of them in a Spanish musseum dedicated to the Spanish History).
The impact of that battle in the Japanese memory was such that it was created a very popular legend about an other ignote island far away, there were a few strange underwater creatures, half man and half fish (because of the scales of their silver chainmails, armors and helmet called "morrión") who suddenly appeared and fought with great superhuman ferocity and defeated them mercilessly.
After that, no one else dared to go there anymore XD.
In this battle Krasny Bor fought my father with the Spanish Division. Very hard battle. They have to fight hand to hand all the time, very close with the Russians soldiers without Artillery support. The Russians fought with the best Infantry of the world. Thank you to publish this information
Thankyou dude
Legendary
Su padre es nuestro héroe ❤🫡
Thanks for this great video - indeed very little is known about this heavily underestimated yet elite force
@@johnwilhite6504 thankyou
Thanks for the video. Let me some small but important remarks for clarification: a) the "División Azul" was the one and only foreign force with full national officiality and command (division general), b) this allow them to organize the defensive lines according to their critera (V and U shape) very different to the german style (linear), c) Spaniards were fair (even nice, no nazis) to civil population and in return they got the info of the day and time of the russian artillery attack, d) this info allow them to hide in safe holes the medium machine guns, so effective against massive infantry advance, e) the Spanish forces to compensate german help in civil war were limited to one division (15,000 soldiers) but there were volunteers to kill communist for 3 divisions, so "Division Azul" soldiers were selected among these volunteers which were all participating in different turns, f) the return of "División Azul" was not because of this single battle (there were others with medals also), but because of Allies enormeus pressures for immediate disengage of combat on the nazi size, so the remaining "Legion azul" soldiers were figthing on their own, not officially.
Thankyou fantastic information
The Germans were not known for “linear defense”, they used elastic defense going all the way back to 1917
@@TheHistoricalReview aww like the fins did in the winter war I need to look into this more
@@TheHistoricalReview Well, during WWII Wehrmacht und SS forces were known at these days to dig ligth linear temporal defenses because they were focused in front advance. That was the doctrine those "conquering" days, but others (División Azul) more experienced in back and forth combat and free of ambition (only kill comunists soldiers) thought and act on their own for the good of the whole front. As many, germans and soviets understimated us, as usually.
@@joseignaciovivas4372 although they may have underestimated the Spanish, with few exceptions elastic defense was what the Germans used.
A curious fact, there were units formed by Spaniards on all sides of the war and all of them performed remarkable feats, apart from the blue division, there were the volunteers who fought with the Soviets (they participated in the siege of Leningrad and the attack on Berlin) and then there were those from "La Nueve" unit that fought for the allies and who were the first to enter Paris (in the images of the liberation of Paris you can see how the troops carry flags of the Spanish Republic and the names of Spanish cities on their vehicles)
O very cool info
@@SirJellyBean The reason of that is because both groups where formed by convinced guys. Volunteers who believe they where doing the right thing, Something to die for.
I am from Spain and I appreciate that vídeo. I want to say the in the 90's I met spanish relatives of spanish soldiers that died in Russia. Since they could not bring theirs bodies to Spain, they brought them soil from Spain to their tombs therefore they felt close to Spain.
Thankyou and cool comment dude
Osprey books has an excellent volume on the Blue Division. Highly motivated brave men. Many had never seen snow before they arrived in Russia.
I'll check it out thanks
Spain is not in Caribean Sea,on mountains every winter and on p most of high planes we have snow and ice snow enough,much more ice.One of my family was at Teruel battle at -40·C,mules didn´t survive,usual temperature in that places and season are -10-15·C,but in the war years winters were specially hard.Though in Canaries they see snow on Teide top.
@@alimanacumboina7850 top weather man
@@SirJellyBean hahaha,Though in this hot and dry southeast corner of Spain I can see from home snow on mountains,of course if down here we enjoy the rare rain.And russian winters are not so everlasting grizzly cold,by New Year sometimes in Moscow you can find pools of rain,of course a lot colder than our beachs.Curiously ,russians residents here complaint about our cold houses and schools,😂.
@@jesus45658
España es el país más montañoso de Europa después de Suiza. No sé si seguirá siendo así, pero hace años, los mejores pilotos del mundo eran los de esos dos países por los increíbles ejercicios que efectuaban en las montañas.
150 Portuguese fought in the Blue Division, Mostly in Stalingrad and leningrad, of 150, only 21 died in combat.
O nice very good info .
Did not know it
la division azul no participo en Estalingrado. Y la Division Azul no tenia soldados portugeses. de donde sacaste eso?
Luis camoes. Poeta portugués. Falai de castellanos e portugueses, pois espanlholes somos todos.
La DIVISIÓN AZUL nunca jamás luchó en Stalingrado (Frente Sur), dado que siempre lucharon en el Frente Norte y en Leningrado.
Most of the men in the Blue division were battle hardened troops because they were veterans of the Spanish Civil War. They were definitely an elite force to say the least.
Very true
Really non at all them, many were university students too young to be in SCW.
Eso es falso. Mi abuelo era zapatero y se fue de voluntario sin experiencia miliar. Regreso con dos Cruz de Hierro alemanas. Nadie en la familia supo que hizo allí pero todas las navidades le llegaba una carta de un alto mando del ejército preocupándose por él preguntado si necesitaba algo, una casa, empleo,… con doce hijos y al borde de la pobreza jamás aceptó nada. Eran otro tipo de personas que hoy en día somos incapaces de entender.
Many were normal people, who volunteered to save the family name because the Republican side had lost the civil war and the consequences for the family in which maybe your uncle, your grandfather, your cousin may have fought on the losing side, were discouraging. There was a very harsh repression by Franco's regime. But undoubtedly, there was everything in the ranks of the blue division. Yes, after the order to withdraw, only the most fervent anti-communists remained.
@@nada476 Cant be agree with you. Enlisted was made between Falange people with large historic in the party. Those who said later that enlisted because bla beacuse bla bla did if years passed when German lost the war and to be a falangist was not cool.
hey jelly, this video is really good - i love the mix of storytelling the historical occurrence while displaying it ingame! I love to do scenarios like this and i reckon if you get some graphics mods upon others which would really make it immersive (camera angles, downed soldier animations, better graphics/particle effects, tank decals and so on) this would look even better
@@aposts good idea dude ill do my best and thankyou for the kind comment
sir jelly bean ive never seen so many numbers in a veiw count before! Well done good sir! finally, recognition you deserve!!!
Thankyou dude it's been a great video for the channel
The father of an old friend of mine was in the Blue Division and he used to tell me tales about him, such as that they endured three days without eating little to nothing, being eaten alive by bugs and under heavy fire constantly until germans came to the rescue. Then he told me they had one of their best meals in days, hard bread kept in sawdust. These men were truly made of steel.
Very tough men a true warrior class
Hitler referred to the Blue division as "equal to the best German ones".
Very highly respected
This is a great video, sir !!!!! “Today is the day where the red wave will meet the blue wall”.
It sure did haha and thanks dude
And nothing has changed.
@@GregorSass-Ranitzmany things have changed
Con esa cara metido en estos temas, dale gracias a los Rusos que ganaron la guerra, Negro.
@@Blitz-jp3vn And they gave you Bolshevism, Atheism, Anarchy and general lawlessness. Now you can prepare to change your sex and learn the Koran. Become happy with your change of society, Camarada! No-passaran! 😂
I am from Argentina, My grandfather (Mothers father ) severed for Franco in the civil war and in the blue division during WW2 and in Morocco After the war 🇦🇷🇪🇦🐂
Very cool dude
Playing that mission in goh on Hardcore was a nightmare lol
@@xmjm0014x yeah proper tough
When Franco, partly in compensation for not allowing nazi Germany into Spain and not joining the war directly, called for the raise of a volunteers force to send to fight against the soviets, tens of thousands volunteered to form maybe an army corps. They selected the best and most experienced battle hardened Spanish civil war veterans, so it was a a first class infantry division, but a single division it is all they sent, the smaller the (volunteer) expeditionary corps the higher the quality of its troops, consequently
Good info
My grandpa was convinced to go there, he was only 19 and he didn't have any experience so that isn't fully true.
My great-grandfather volunteered to fight in the Blue Division to get better rations for him and his wife. We don't know nothing but that he came a drunkard from the East.
The Azul Division was equal to any of the Elite German divisions
Very true
On a defensive battle yes. However, it was a horse-driven division, useless for ofensive operations in WWII. The closest German equivalent would be a parachute division, also great in defense, useless in the ofensive with no armor.
They had no armour. The best infantry, for sure.
@@pepitopalotes5608 but it always happenned to us, the spanish are top tier when it comes to defense strategies but not with offensive ones, just remember blas de lezo
@@OriginalSakloAttack also, please remember i.e. Alhucemas.
Because in that time the spanish soldiers were the best around the world. All voluntaries against comunism and stalinism. That was the key, all of them came from their country to fight as voluntaries. VIVA ESPAÑA
Except they where also plenty of Spaniards fighting in the Red army, the Communist party was huge in Spain before the war and still worked clandestinely during the dictatorship off general Franco, the anarcho syndicalist were also pretty big.
Don't forget "La Nueve" who, under the French flag, were the first to enter Paris, participated in its liberation and fought in Germany, demonstrating great combat capability and very notable successes
Thank you very much for highlighting one of the many glorious moments in the history of the Spanish Army. ¡Viva España¡
Most welcome
The guys on the Blue division were very different from the germans.
-The field kitchen always gave the remnants of the ranch to the children that gathered around.
-The babushka what cleaned their uniforms was untouchable, some germans that disrespected her discovered it in a hard way, shaped into a fist.
-The time one german soldier ra*ed a girl, the same day all men from the blue division not on duty went to the town and simply give a beating to each and every german soldier they saw, I'm not sure if they were only a few of them and ended up more beaten than the germans but hell if that was going to stop them.
They had bad equipment, one german officer was horrified seeing one spanish soldier with a mg42 and a hammer, he needed the hammer to arm the gun as it was deformed and they were given no spare parts.
That was no stopper, that gun kept firing.
I don't know much about those details but the equipment one isn't true the Blue division was armed as well as some of the best German Divsions in terms of small arms .
@@SirJellyBean I'm sure this is true at least on paper, but the germans had and still have an enormous superiority complex with Spain, Blue division veterans without exception remember that germen intendence treated them like crap, if there were spare parts they will get them IF and only IF, each and every german unit in the whole army group did not needed them, and this happened with nearly everything.
Regarding the everyday stories, in Spain due to ideological circumstances the Blue division was seen in a very bad light for decades and still many people will consider the history taboo and "facha" (fascist), so no combat stories were widelly known, veterans mainly talked (if at all) about anecdotes more than other things. I bet less than 0'1% of the Spanish population will associate Spanish soldiers with the siege of Leningrad or Krasny Bor.
@@myvideosetc.8271
Mientes. Mientes tú y quien te lo manda. El abuelo de mi ahijado fue suboficial de transmisiones en el 2° Batallón del 269 y decía todo lo contrario de lo que dices.
@@9suizo Te falto llamarme "faaaaascha", creo qu el primo del sobrino del cuñao segundo de una divorciada amiga del vecino del quinto tambien decia lo mismo.
@@myvideosetc.8271
Con tu comentario me demuestras lo que eres. No voy a discutir contigo por que discutir con un inteligente asintomático es como hacer bicicleta estática : Uno se cansa, suda, acaba agotado, y no lleva a ninguna parte.
-Pacooooo -queeee quieres Juan??! -que vienen los ivanes -Eugenio espabila y pon esa MG42 en sus sitió
In 1943, Spain had gone through the most devastating war since its creation as a state, the Spanish Civil War, the bloodiest confrontation that the peninsula had experienced in the modern era, pitting the Republican side, supported by the Russians, against the Nationalist side, supported mainly by Italy and Germany to a lesser extent. For the men of the Blue Division, they were not fighting against the Russians, they were fighting against the communism that had brought destruction to their land, whether they were wrong or not, they fought so that the rest would not have to.
Great comment
Comunism never entered Spain. Fascism did. Later they put some religious-nationalist make up to it, after nazis defeat.
7:54 "it literally came down to a fanatical level of morale" loved it
Thanks
By fighting in Russia they made sure they wouldn't have to fight them in Spain!
Very good point
And the russians crushed the fascist beast
@@georgyzhukov6409 yes that's true in the end the Allies did win .
@@georgyzhukov6409 Franco never called himself a "Fascist" he called himself a Catholic. So Catholics stopped the Red Army from reaching the Atlantic/Mediterranean Ocean, hail Franco!
@@michaelsamuel9917 they have fighted already in Spain
My father fought in the Battle of Krasny Bor as a Second Lieutenant of the 9th Company of the 262nd Regiment of the Blue Division, being a veteran Officer of the Spanish Civil War, and at a very young age, since he was born in 1920, and being cited in the Order of the Day as "Very distinguished". He wanted to emulate his uncle José Cavalcanti de Alburquerque y Padierna, Marquis of Cavalcanti who obtained his Laureate Cross of San Fernando for the Cavalry Charge of Taxdirt in the Moroccan War.
Awesome info thankyou for sharing
La guerra civil empezó en 1936 y acabó en el 1939. Si nació en 1920, al inicio tenía 16 años y acabó con 18. ¿ como es posible que fuese oficial veterano de la guerra civil?
The Spanish blue division was the most rewarded international división, 2359 2nd Class cross iron, 138 1st class. When blue division was retired, still around 1500 volunteers remained fighting in what was called "blue legion" and formed part of the 121st Infantry div. Around 100-200 spanish volunteers fought till the end in Berlin (read Miguel Ezquerra memories).
RIP to all heroes in both sides.
Great comment buddy I appreciate the info
Gloria y Honor.
¡Presentes! 🇪🇦🇪🇦
Tengo entendido que Miguel Ezquerra, terminada la guerra, tuvo que volver andando a España.
My wife`s grandfather was a member of the Blue Division, but he died before I could know him because the shrapnel that was in his body was released in the blood and concentrated in his heart. One day, talking with my wife's mother, she told me that his father fought in the Spanish Civil War as a legionary and in the war in Russia... what? In Russia?
She didn't know any history, so she did not understand the implications. Also she didn't know what his father did between 1940 and 1953 when he started to work in the circus... Just at that time, the last prisoners of war of the Spanish divisions were released from Russia and returned to Spain. They give his father money, land, and a wife.
I don't know where he was fighting. I don't know how he survived the time in prison. I only saw an identification with the German/Nazi emblem and an old photograph with his uniform as blue division troops. Like him, most of the Spanish voluntary troops were veterans of the Spanish Civil War, with practical knowledge of how to fight tanks without armor on their side. The Russians thought that voluntary troops would be easily dispersed. They made a bad decision underestimating the enemy.
Thats amazing very kind of you to share the info buddy
Man, thats an awesome story, you need to pusblish his photo and try to get information about with whom and were could have been. This things cannot be forgoten!
Aún hay una Asociación de Veteranos, aunque ya no viva ninguno. Con la nueva ley de "memoria democrática" será disuelta y quién publique algo en España será denunciado por el actual gobierno Social-Comunista de España
Spain was the only country Napoleon could not subdue. Peasants held the country.
I need to look into that more
With a small help from the British and Portuguese armies and the Royal Navy.
- "Peninsula War"
@@toonmag50 That was BEFORE Brits rolled into Spain and had nothing to do with the Royal Navy as the navy weren't on those lines of comm. You have to study the history in DETAIL
@@Marcus-p5i5s without the Royal Navy there would be no British army in the Iberian peninsula.
You need to stop the broad sweeping statements.
The Spaniards used their knives, only weapons they had. Napoleon lost so many Frenchman to Spanish knives, he left Spain. As for the
British they are thiefs they took Gibraltar.
During interrogations by the Soviets, the Spaniards of the Blue Division were asked "what was the secret weapon that the Spaniards used."
Siempre orgullosos de nuestros heroicos soldados voluntarios de la división azul..tuve el honor de tener dos profesores que fueron a rusia a luchar por sus ideales..
Gracias por hacer visible otra azaña más de nuestros gloriosos soldados...💪
Theres a quote i find hilarious, German General Josef "Seep" Dietrich (general of Hitler's Waffen-SS) after krasny bor:
"When you see a scruffy, undisciplined and unshaven soldier, stand at attention.
He is a Spanish hero.
Haha very cool
My grandfather was a sanitary soldier in the blue division. He didn't liked to talk about his experience in the war, but sometimes he told us than, to the dismay of his superiors, he didn't made distinctions between the russian and spanish soldiers, treating always the one who was in worst shape.
You've certainly educated me, cheers pal, cracking video 😉👍🕊️
@@patrickrose1221 thankyou dude
I love info on the blue division, nice to see this well done and informative video pop up. Thanks!!!!
@@jacobYep-pi5su thankyou dude
R.I.P. ; Soldiers in both sides, yet 2024 and War again around the corner...
Respect to the fallen
We will neuer lernen.
Had a great uncle that fought in the Spanish Civil War on the Nationalist side and then volunteered with the Blue Division. He was tall (6ft5) and a handsome fella but he never came back from Russia. Not entirely sure if he was KIA at Krasny Bor (highly likely) or if he was injured, taken prisoner and then executed by the Soviets. Either way, he fought bravely and with honour at such a young age. The Spanish Blue Division’s heroics is as good as it gets for infantry in an outnumbered and outgunned situation, it doesn’t matter when you read this. Fighting initially 10:1 and then 20:1 after the Soviet mortar/artillery barrage and actually winning the battle severely under equipped is off-the-charts incredible.
I also had a great grandfather who was a colonel (doctor) with the Spanish Republican army, and thanks to his rank he managed to get on the last ship out of mainland Spain before the end of the Civil war, from Alicante to Oran, Algeria. The Stanbrook and its captain, Welshman Archibald Dickson, was the only ship brave enough to push through the Nationalist/Nazi blockade at Alicante and despite the ship being dangerously overcrowded, he allowed as many people as could physically fit aboard and then set sail for North Africa. Even so, thousands were still left stranded at the docks and the beach at Alicante. I remember my father telling me years ago that many people took their own lives then and there knowing that they had just missed their last chance to escape, and those who didn’t take matters into their own hands were bombed by the Luftwaffe just minutes after the Stanbrook had set sail. Apparently the ship was still close enough to the coast of Alicante for everyone onboard to hear the bombing of the docks. There’s a plaque now at the harbour there, both commemorating Archibald Dickson’s actions as Captain of the Stanbrook and also in memory of those who lost their lives unable to escape.
My great grandfather spent the rest of the WWII years and beyond practicing medicine in North Africa before finally being allowed back into Spain during the latter, more lenient half of the Franco regime. However, he was never able to officially retire in Spain as he was not allowed access to a state pension. He died just a few years after his return.
In short: Civil wars are brutal and never give Spanish soldiers a good reason to fight, because my word they are going to F I G H T, until they either run out of ammunition or enemies to take down with them.
Apologies for the novel-length comment but thanks for the video, anything highlighting the Blue Division’s heroics is much appreciated. You have a new sub here. 👍
Fantastic comment and amazing family history thankyou for sharing that good Sir very kind of you to do so .
@@SirJellyBean Thank you for the video and the reply!
Conocia la batalla de los 37? españoles en Paris, pero esta me ha sorprendido incluso más.
Estoy muy agradecida por el video. Gracias por el reconocimiento ❤
Thankyou and ill check it out
@@SirJellyBean se llama La batalla de Madeleine, en Paris. Supongo no es muy conocida
Los veteranos de la guerra civil de ambos lados tenían experiencia en una guerra reciente y por ser españoles demostraron su coraje, sea la 9 o sea la División Azul. La diferencia es que los alemanes siempre admiraron el valor de los divisionarios ( y no digamos las poblaciones rusas y judías ques sabían la diferencia con otras tropas SS) y luego fueron reconocidos por Franco.En cambio los republicanos de la 9 que recordemos son los primeros en entrar en Paris ,fueron totalmente obviados por Francia hasta tal punto que hasta hace poco la mayoría de franceses desconocían su heroísmo.
Cosas de la Grandeur y esconder la historia: el pueblo francés o bien era colaboracionista con el ocupante o de una gran tibieza cuando menos contra los alemanes, no estaban todos en la resistencia y necesitaron aportaciones como la de los españoles.
@@agarizax osea.......me vienes a explicar algo de la batalla que digo que SI CONOZCO.
mejor cuentame algo que no sepa hijo.....
Que afán tenéis algunos por demostrar algo
Digo: conocia la batalla de los 37 y la otra NO
Y me vienes a explicar la de los 37.
Muy bien hijo. En historia sacarás un 10. Pero en sumar 2 + 2.......
Casi prefiero que me des un dato que no salga en el video y que sea de la batalla que NO conozco
@@agarizax ah! Y perdoname si soy antipática pero a veces..... Nose. No entiendo bien si la gente habla para enseñar y aportar, o para que le des una medallita a cambio de nada. De verdad perdoname si soy una borde. Pero he tenido la necesidad de decírtelo ❤️
My great uncle was there. He was such a calm man.
Thats really intersting that Blue Division spaniards defending atacked soviet atacking lines, I wonder if that could be impacted by spanish civil war experience, as often germans often let the tanks pass first defense lines to let at placements deal whit them at further defensive lines..
I'm sure they learnt alot from the civil war.yeah
@@SirJellyBean Maybe, but I am sceptical that they had much experience against republican armor units in civil war, because if I am not mistaken not many existed amongst them, maybe they exploited the soviet mistake to disembark infantry when first bullets fly and tanks would still drive full speed leaving soldiers behind they're support the tanks became vulnerable against such atacks.
@@SirJellyBeanduring the civil war the soviet union sent a lot of advisors but also a enitre tank unit composed of t-26 tanks crew mostly by russians and ukrianians(pre-purges so they were good i belive there commander was arrested during the purges) and they preformed exceptionaly well the t-26 was highly resitant to most anti tank guns and the the time as well as restistant to the panzer 1 so the natonailst had to find imporvised ways of dealing with republican armour so im sure they had exprince in anti tank warfare.
@@historyisawesome6399
En la Spanish Civil War los republicanos usaron los carros de combate (tanques) soviéticos T-26 y BT-5
Thank you for sharing
Cheers dude
Interesting insight into the 'anti communist' Spaniards of WW2, the whole affair suffered from mixed loyalties as with the Ukrainians & Finns who ended up 'on the wrong side' because of the need of 'the Allies' to ally with the Soviet regime which in many aspects was just as bad as that of Hitler.
Good info
I have very warm memories about the Spanish teacher in Louisiana who came there from Galicia. We had several very exciting conversations with him. In particular, listening to his stories, I was impressed by how much Northern Spain and Western Ukraine share historically in term of choosing the part in a crazy complicated WW2 world. "Our grandfathers were not Nazis, they just wanted to protect the country from communism" he would say. How many Ukrainians would have signed up under these words. One of the most emotionally impressive part of this for me is a spooky toponimic similarity between the two far away lands of a similar fate. In Spain, it is Calicia. In Ukraine, we call it Halychyna, but the Russians and many others call it literally Galicia as as well. In the Wiki, for instance, it is called Galicia (Eastern Europe).
@@iuriikoboziev6762 Very cool comment
@@iuriikoboziev6762 It sounds similar because the origins are Celtic in both instances. Yep, Celts (Gaul -> Galicia/Galycina) passed through what is now Ukraine on their way West and left a fair bit of culture behind.
@@iuriikoboziev6762 In the Habsburg Empire (from 1772 to 1918) the now Ukrainian territory was the heritage land 'Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria' (Königreich Galizien und Lodomerien). The people there and their language were called Ruthenians, which was seen as separated from Russians. This area belonged to Poland after WW1 and was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1939 according to the Hitler-Stalin Pact.
this is a great piece of history, and it is beautiful to read these comments about Spain. It is amazing and lovely what people think about us out of our borders, more than what people say inside (some people).
Well said!
"Spanish is the strongest country on the world, they were trying to destroy themselves for centuries and they are failing"
-Sentence that maybe Otto Von Bismark said
Good quote
I thought that us,Greeks,were!!
Ah yes, soviets interrogated some captured spanish soldiers about the new german secret weapon that obliterated their army... Spaniards answered "what?"
No, they answered: "¿de que habla el vodka este de los cojones?" 😂😂😂
Gran video, sí señor.
Y gran labor la tuya al hacer memoria de las hazañas de los divisionarios.
Cuando tengas un rato no dejes de echar una ojeada a "la acción del lago Ilmen"... una misión de rescate llevada a cabo por 206 divisionarios españoles a -53 grados y que se llevó a cabo, sufriendo gravísimas bajas, para salvar a unos 500 militares alemanes que habían quedado cercados por más de 3000 soldados siberianos.
Los pocos divisionarios que consiguieron llegar al lugar, tras una atroz travesía a temperaturas terribles, rompieron el cerco de los rusos y consiguieron rescatar a los camaradas alemanes.
En aquella acción los divisionarios ganaron 32 Cruces de Hierro. Una hazaña legendaria.
Sound awesome
@@SirJellyBean
Increíble... pero real.
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acción_del_lago_Ilmen
4:19 that little voice "mama" in the background ....chills (just kidding no idea what that was)
That was my mother making silly noises to our two cats lmao good spot tho
@@SirJellyBeanthanks for the explanation it’s too late to be hearing unexplained sounds in recordings like that lol
Gracias por mantener viva la memoria histórica.
Most welcome
Loving these commentary videos like the at gun one
Thankyou dude your a real Jellybean
Dos victorias como esta, y se quedan sin divisón, es asombroso como se puede contar las historias.
In Madrid there is the Private museum of the blue división. Interesting place. Appointment only for visits.
Ooo maybe I'll be on holiday to it
excelente video, muchas gracias :)
Thankyou for the view good Sir .
Just to make it clear: Despite their uniform, Spanish Blue Division fought against Communism and the Soviet Union, not in favour of nazism. All respect to these brave men.
Same goes for the Finnish.
Mi abuelo fue veterano de la división azul y me contaba historias increíbles. Un saludo desde España 🇪🇸
Awesome and greetings from England buddy
Has pronunciado demasiadas veces la palabra "fanático" para describir el comportamiento de los divisionarios. No olvides que muchos de ellos habían estado matándose en los campos de España durante tres años. Lo que pasó en Krasni Bor, no se diferencia demasiado de lo que pasó en la Sierra de Pandols o del Cavall durante la batalla del Ebro. El valor de los soldados españoles se ha demostrado desde la batalla de Lepanto hasta Rocroi, de Marruecos a Cuba en la colina de San Juan donde le zurraron la badana a los Rough Raiders de Roosvelt y Valer en Filipinas donde aguantaron un año bajo unas condiciones pésimas. La mejor infantería durante 3 siglos, los Tercios invencibles a los que ningún ejército pudo derrotar si no fue por superioridad numérica y a veces ni por eso. Pavía, Bicoca, Malta, Castelnovo, Breda y tantas batallas ganadas. La más antigua infantería de marina, "Los Tercios del Mar", La defensa de Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Salvador de Bahía, Cartagena de indias. Marinos ilustres enfrentados a la Marina Real británica y siempre caballerosos, excepto cuando les tocas las narices y deciden cortar orejas, como a un tal Jenkins. En fin, no quiero escribir un tratado, pero nadie puede dudar que los españoles encuadrados en los ejércitos, en tierra , mar o aire, son valerosos en extremo y no fanáticos sin cerebro. Hay que hacer esa distinción. Saludos.
Good comment a fair point
I recommend you look for information about General Lecrerc's 9th company. Spanish Republicans who fought in the Spanish Civil War, North Africa and ended up in Normandy and liberating Paris. It is an incredible and bravery history too.
Thanks for the recommendation
The Blue Division (Divisuón Azul) had both Spaniard and Portuguese soldiers, highly motivated and trained. And when a Portuguese officer was killed in action, the Germans gave him a funeral with full military honours (there are several photos of this), before transported the corpse to Portugal...
BLAU DIVISION:
+47.000 Spaniard.
150 Portuguese.
Thank you this account of forgotten battle.
Most welcome dude
Many of those boys were veterans of the civil war, and they were tough tipis to beat. The Germans themselves were happy to fight with them, since they were resilient and brave. They themselves said that they fought while they sang so we could hear the bullets
Very cool
I love spanish gestas, and their bravery is legendary. This being said, to honor the truth, during the Krasny Bor three things must be taken into account. First, the soviet propaganda for their own soldiers: They were told that the blue division was just a bunch of convicts forced to enlist and they would run as fast as they could. Basically they were told that they just have to walk into their positions after the artillery barrages. Secondly, the soviets at that time still used the old method of artillery preparation, first they were hammering with their cannons for long long time, but then they wait for the fog of war to dissapear before running to the front line, which gave time to Spanish soldiers to go back to their trenches. And third, they were experimented soldiers from the Spanish civil war, very motivated to fight comunism with a great desire to get it back at Stalin for interfering in their country. They would not back down.
All points valid most likely why such a small force could withstand such a larger one.
Learned something new today.
Awesome
The history of Spain is incredible, the Philippines, Cuba, the Canary Islands, the three kings against the Moors, Holland, etc., it's a shame that it wants to be erased and The independence of the United States was thanks to Spain Without a doubt the country that changed the world the most, perhaps another country having a greater number of historical battles but not as epic played in the same or inferior conditions.
Very good history and a beutifull people I agree.
I met one of these men when I visited Spain in1967. He was a relative of my father. In Spain they were called la Legión Azul.
I am from Spain and I have to say that the history of the blue division is not as beautiful as many believe. Almost 70% of the 40k men who formed it died or were seriously wounded or were prisoners of war in Russian concentration camps.
To this day there are still cases of missing people who it is not known if they survived the end of the war.
Wars have no winners.
More than 40k thee max strength was 50700 and they severed many years I believe around 200000 serves in there ranks altogether
Excellent video! You did a superb job of lining the victory to 'fanatical morale'
Thankyou dude
Well narrated
Thanks
The uncle of my grandfather, if I'm not wrong named Cristino, died in Russia, fighting in Krasny Bor. According to their brothers in arms, who survived this battle, he fell as following: His platoon ran out of ammo, and they had only close combat weapons to cope with the russians, like knifes and shovels. Even in such situation, they didn't intend to surrender, so they stand at their trenches, expecting to die killing. When russians started to assault on their positions, a wave of mortar grenades were launched and Cristino had his arm amputated. Wielding his missing arm with his other hand, he charged at the Russians assaulting his trench. The Russians reportedly fled, horrified at the sight of a phantom soldier screaming like a demon while trying to hit them with a severed arm.
Cristino died there, bleeded out, but his action gave time to his comrades to withdraw to rear positions. Only one of them stood by his side till he died, also covering Spanish retreat. He buried Cristino there and then returned to Spanish rear positions at night.
His body is resting somewhere in the steppe. Thank you very much for this great video, Sir Jelly Bean, it's a deserved tribute to this brave and unfairly forgotten men.
I would like to end my post by expressing my enormous respect to every soldier who died in WWII. They were all heroes, regardless their country they were fighting for. Maybe enemies on Earth by doubtless brother in Heaven.
Fantastic comment and thankyou for sharing god bless Cristino and all who fought in ww2 .
Imagine the level of additional hurt the Axis might have inflicted upon the Allies if Franco had joined Spain to the Axis and invested the entire Spanish military in the struggle. But I suppose there were still too many Spanish communists living in Spain that had to be kept in check after their defeat in the Spanish Civil War. But they still sent the Blue Division to give the Communists another swift kick in the nuts! I gotta admire that.
Yeah Spain joining the war fully its an interesting issue .
The Catholic church, believe it or not, alongside the connections from certain lodges, were the ones who influenced Franco's brain trust in making his decision to deter the Axis from occupying Spanish territory.
Spain remained passive throughout the entire war and did not give a free hand to the Germans regarding Gibraltar thanks to these spheres of politics that suppressed the great endangerment of the Allied position by the Germans.
Spaniards did prove themselves as class soldiers, even so strategists; but they were also traitorous, playing their own game and looking only at their self-interest.
The Axis had nothing to arm them with. Spain had been devastated by its 3-year civil war and the Spanish army had all its equipment very worn out and had very little capacity to replace it in the medium term. And Germany was not even capable of adequately equipping its own army, to the point that it requisitioned all the military equipment from the countries it invaded, both vehicles and weapons of all kinds that it ended up distributing among its own units. Where was it going to get the material to equip an entire army from another country? It could absorb more or less large units, but certainly not something on a large scale.
When you look at the comparative figures for industrial production and oil refining of the Axis and the Allies, you see with total clarity the true reality that Germany never had the slightest chance of winning WWII, beyond the unreal mirage it produced during the first months of the war.
@@jaxric8518 true it would of take master tactician and future knowledge to ever pull of a victory for the axis
Spanish army was badly equipped and spanish economy was in the brink of disaster. There was a famine after the civil war so I guess they couldnt maintain an army outside their border.
When the spanish thirds faced armies superior to them, they were happy, since the glory conquered would be greater.
We shall be gaining victories and defeats shall not be known with this Unit of Azul with Sir Jelly as our leader.
That is on my me, couldn’t think of a good comment at the moment I had wrote it. Hope the edit can help in a way, I am sorry for this copying and changing of words.
Now now men were all friends here haha 😂
Desde España con amor. No se crean que porque nuestro país no esté en su mejor momento vamos a bajar el nivel