British Free Corps - Revision history

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	[[File:British Free Corps II.~~jpg~~\|right\|310px]]		[[File:British Free Corps II.png\|right\|310px]]
	The '''British Free Corps''' or BFC ({{lang-de\|Britisches Freikorps}}) was a unit of the [[Waffen-SS]] in [[World War II]] consisting of [[British]] and [[Dominion]] [[prisoners of war]] who had been recruited by the Germans. [[Adrian Weale]]'s research has identified about 59 men who belonged to this unit at one time or another, some for only a few days, and at no time did it reach more than 27 men in strength — smaller than a contemporary German platoon. These numbers are highly underestimated by modern-day historians. Other sources, like author and historian Robert A. Best, claim around 1,500 men, including 400 Irish of a SS Irish Brigade.<ref>Robert A. Best ,in his book from 2010 ''The British Free Corps: The Story of the British Volunteers of the Waffen SS'' (ISBN 978-1904911906), lists the names of 165 known BFC members and their fates. He also quotes a source which indicates that by January 1945, some 1,100 Britons had applied to join the formation. Additionally, there was also an SS Irish Brigade, which was about 400 men strong. The British were succesful in hiding the true numbers of the BFC after WWII.</ref> After the war, there were several court-martials and at least one death sentence.		The '''British Free Corps''' or BFC ({{lang-de\|Britisches Freikorps}}) was a unit of the [[Waffen-SS]] in [[World War II]] consisting of [[British]] and [[Dominion]] [[prisoners of war]] who had been recruited by the Germans. [[Adrian Weale]]'s research has identified about 59 men who belonged to this unit at one time or another, some for only a few days, and at no time did it reach more than 27 men in strength — smaller than a contemporary German platoon. These numbers are highly underestimated by modern-day historians. Other sources, like author and historian Robert A. Best, claim around 1,500 men, including 400 Irish of a SS Irish Brigade.<ref>Robert A. Best ,in his book from 2010 ''The British Free Corps: The Story of the British Volunteers of the Waffen SS'' (ISBN 978-1904911906), lists the names of 165 known BFC members and their fates. He also quotes a source which indicates that by January 1945, some 1,100 Britons had applied to join the formation. Additionally, there was also an SS Irish Brigade, which was about 400 men strong. The British were succesful in hiding the true numbers of the BFC after WWII.</ref> After the war, there were several court-martials and at least one death sentence.

	==History==		==History==
	[[File:British SS-Volunteer during World War II.~~jpg~~\|thumb\|300px\|British SS-Volunteers during World War II]]		[[File:British SS-Volunteer during World War II.png\|thumb\|300px\|British SS-Volunteers during World War II]]
	===Founding and structure===		===Founding and structure===
	[[File:An 1944 poster promoting the British Free Corps unit of the Waffen SS.~~jpg~~\|right\|310px]]		[[File:An 1944 poster promoting the British Free Corps unit of the Waffen SS.png\|right\|310px]]
	[[File:Britisches Freikorps - British Volunteers of the Waffen-SS.~~jpg~~\|right\|310px]]		[[File:Britisches Freikorps - British Volunteers of the Waffen-SS.png\|right\|310px]]
	The German Waffen-SS "British Free Corps" was the creation of [[John Amery]], the son of the serving British Secretary of State for India, [[Leo Amery]]. John Amery was a staunch [[anti-Communist]] and came to embrace the National Socialist doctrines of [[Germany]]. Confronted with money problems, he left [[Britain]] and met the French fascist leader [[Jacques Doriot]]. Following the [[Spanish Civil War]], Amery and Doriot travelled together to [[Austria]], [[Czechoslovakia]], [[Italy]] and Germany before residing in Vichy [[France]]. He pretended to have joined Franco's Fascists during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, and awarded a medal of honor while serving as an military intelligence officer with Italian volunteer forces. Displeased with their mindset, Amery ran afoul of the Vichy government. He made several attempts to leave France, but was unsuccessful until September 1942, when Hauptmann Werner Plack brought Amery to Berlin to speak to the German English Committee. It was at this meeting that Amery suggested that the Germans form a British anti-[[Bolshevik]] [[legion]]. [[Adolf Hitler]] was impressed by Amery and allowed him to remain in Germany as a guest of the [[Third Reich]], where he made a series of pro-German radio broadcasts to Britain.		The German Waffen-SS "British Free Corps" was the creation of [[John Amery]], the son of the serving British Secretary of State for India, [[Leo Amery]]. John Amery was a staunch [[anti-Communist]] and came to embrace the National Socialist doctrines of [[Germany]]. Confronted with money problems, he left [[Britain]] and met the French fascist leader [[Jacques Doriot]]. Following the [[Spanish Civil War]], Amery and Doriot travelled together to [[Austria]], [[Czechoslovakia]], [[Italy]] and Germany before residing in Vichy [[France]]. He pretended to have joined Franco's Fascists during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, and awarded a medal of honor while serving as an military intelligence officer with Italian volunteer forces. Displeased with their mindset, Amery ran afoul of the Vichy government. He made several attempts to leave France, but was unsuccessful until September 1942, when Hauptmann Werner Plack brought Amery to Berlin to speak to the German English Committee. It was at this meeting that Amery suggested that the Germans form a British anti-[[Bolshevik]] [[legion]]. [[Adolf Hitler]] was impressed by Amery and allowed him to remain in Germany as a guest of the [[Third Reich]], where he made a series of pro-German radio broadcasts to Britain.

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	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist\|2}}		{{reflist\|2}}




	~~[[Category:Legion]]~~

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	~~[[Category:Waffen-SS Divisions]]~~

	[[Category:Legion]]		[[Category:Legion]]

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	[[Category:Waffen-SS Divisions]]		[[Category:Waffen-SS Divisions]]
	~~[[Category:Foreign volunteer units of the Waffen-SS]]~~
	[[Category:Legion]]		[[Category:Legion]]

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	In reality, Brown had been setting up a black market scheme, smuggling in contraband to give to his men and also to buy off the guards. Later Brown learned the POW message codes created by [[MI9]] and began to operate as (in his words) a "self-made spy". Once he understood his role concerning the "holiday camps", he determined that he was in a unique position to both hinder the formation of this unit and to obtain intelligence — while also making sure the men who came to the camp actually got a holiday.		In reality, Brown had been setting up a black market scheme, smuggling in contraband to give to his men and also to buy off the guards. Later Brown learned the POW message codes created by [[MI9]] and began to operate as (in his words) a "self-made spy". Once he understood his role concerning the "holiday camps", he determined that he was in a unique position to both hinder the formation of this unit and to obtain intelligence — while also making sure the men who came to the camp actually got a holiday.

	At this time, another Briton, Thomas Cooper (who used the German version of Cooper – Boettcher – as his last name), arrived at the camp. Cooper, unable to obtain public service employment in Britain due to his mother's German nationality, joined the BUF and during a visit to Germany in 1939 was trapped there by the war, and joined the Waffen-SS. He was posted to the [[SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler]] (LAH), where he eventually was transferred to the [[SS-Totenkopfverbände\|SS "Totenkopf"]] infantry training battalion, and became a machine-gun instructor with the 5th Totenkopf Regiment and was made an NCO. Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union, he was assigned to the Wachbattaillon Oranienburg outside Kraków in [[Poland]], where he allegedly told BFC men that he committed atrocities against Soviet POWs, Polish civilians and ~~Jewish~~ prisoners. Later, he served as transport driver in the SS-Polizei-Division, which was posted to Schablinov, a town on the Leningrad front, replacing the mangled forces of the [[Spanish Blue Division]]. The division was subjected to a Soviet attack on 13 February 1943, Cooper was hit in the legs by shell splinters, evacuated, and awarded the Wound Badge in Silver, becoming one of the only Englishman to obtain a German combat decoration.		At this time, another Briton, Thomas Cooper (who used the German version of Cooper – Boettcher – as his last name), arrived at the camp. Cooper, unable to obtain public service employment in Britain due to his mother's German nationality, joined the BUF and during a visit to Germany in 1939 was trapped there by the war, and joined the Waffen-SS. He was posted to the [[SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler]] (LAH), where he eventually was transferred to the [[SS-Totenkopfverbände\|SS "Totenkopf"]] infantry training battalion, and became a machine-gun instructor with the 5th Totenkopf Regiment and was made an NCO. Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union, he was assigned to the Wachbattaillon Oranienburg outside Kraków in [[Poland]], where he allegedly told BFC men that he committed atrocities against Soviet POWs, Polish civilians and jewish prisoners. Later, he served as transport driver in the SS-Polizei-Division, which was posted to Schablinov, a town on the Leningrad front, replacing the mangled forces of the [[Spanish Blue Division]]. The division was subjected to a Soviet attack on 13 February 1943, Cooper was hit in the legs by shell splinters, evacuated, and awarded the Wound Badge in Silver, becoming one of the only Englishman to obtain a German combat decoration.

	Besides Cooper and the young Berry, a handful of other Britons had drifted into this group. Most notable was Roy Courlander, who also used the pseudonym of Reg. The son of a Lithuanian ~~Jew~~ and an English woman, he was serving in the [[New Zealand]] army in [[Greece]] when captured in 1941. He expressed extreme anti-Russian views, and had participated in German broadcasts for England before he joined.		Besides Cooper and the young Berry, a handful of other Britons had drifted into this group. Most notable was Roy Courlander, who also used the pseudonym of Reg. The son of a Lithuanian jew and an English woman, he was serving in the [[New Zealand]] army in [[Greece]] when captured in 1941. He expressed extreme anti-Russian views, and had participated in German broadcasts for England before he joined.

	When the first batch of 200 POWs arrived in the camp, Brown and his men did their best to entertain the prisoners while Cooper and other pro-National Socialist men worked the crowd, seeking ex-BUF members or other ex-Fascist group members as well as finding out attitudes about the Communists. This treatment displeased many of the POWs, who demanded to be sent back to their camps. To try and calm this, the most senior British POW, one Major-General Fortune, was asked to send a representative to the holiday camp to inspect it; he selected Brigadier Leonard Parrington, who inspected the facilities, and reported it was indeed a holiday camp and the POWs should not worry. Brown did not feel safe in informing Parrington of the purpose of the camp. While Parrington's visit was successful in calming the POWs, this recruiting effort gained only one confirmed recruit, Alfred Vivian Minchin, a merchant seaman whose ship, the SS Empire Ranger, was sunk off Norway by German bombers. Brown, following the first batch, learned of the full scope of the project from Carl Britten, who said he'd been forced into the BFC by Cooper and Leonard Courlander. Brown was unable to persuade Britten to quit the BFC, but MI9 got a very revealing transmission from Brown.		When the first batch of 200 POWs arrived in the camp, Brown and his men did their best to entertain the prisoners while Cooper and other pro-National Socialist men worked the crowd, seeking ex-BUF members or other ex-Fascist group members as well as finding out attitudes about the Communists. This treatment displeased many of the POWs, who demanded to be sent back to their camps. To try and calm this, the most senior British POW, one Major-General Fortune, was asked to send a representative to the holiday camp to inspect it; he selected Brigadier Leonard Parrington, who inspected the facilities, and reported it was indeed a holiday camp and the POWs should not worry. Brown did not feel safe in informing Parrington of the purpose of the camp. While Parrington's visit was successful in calming the POWs, this recruiting effort gained only one confirmed recruit, Alfred Vivian Minchin, a merchant seaman whose ship, the SS Empire Ranger, was sunk off Norway by German bombers. Brown, following the first batch, learned of the full scope of the project from Carl Britten, who said he'd been forced into the BFC by Cooper and Leonard Courlander. Brown was unable to persuade Britten to quit the BFC, but MI9 got a very revealing transmission from Brown.

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	{{reflist\|2}}		{{reflist\|2}}

	~~[[Category:British]]~~
	[[Category:Waffen-SS Divisions]]		[[Category:Waffen-SS Divisions]]
	[[Category:Foreign volunteer units of the Waffen-SS]]		[[Category:Foreign volunteer units of the Waffen-SS]]
	[[Category:Legion]]		[[Category:Legion]]

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	[[File:An 1944 poster promoting the British Free Corps unit of the Waffen SS.jpg\|right\|310px]]		[[File:An 1944 poster promoting the British Free Corps unit of the Waffen SS.jpg\|right\|310px]]
	[[File:Britisches Freikorps - British Volunteers of the Waffen-SS.jpg\|right\|310px]]		[[File:Britisches Freikorps - British Volunteers of the Waffen-SS.jpg\|right\|310px]]
	The German Waffen-SS "British Free Corps" was the creation of [[John Amery]], the son of the serving British Secretary of State for India, [[Leo Amery]]. John Amery was a staunch [[anti-Communist]] and came to embrace the National Socialist doctrines of [[Germany]]. Confronted with money problems, he left [[Britain]] and met the French fascist leader [[Jacques Doriot]]. Following the [[Spanish Civil War]], Amery and Doriot travelled together to [[Austria]], [[Czechoslovakia]], [[Italy]] and Germany before residing in Vichy [[France]]. He pretended to have joined Franco's ~~Nationalists~~ during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, and awarded a medal of honor while serving as an military intelligence officer with Italian volunteer forces. Displeased with their mindset, Amery ran afoul of the Vichy government. He made several attempts to leave France, but was unsuccessful until September 1942, when Hauptmann Werner Plack brought Amery to Berlin to speak to the German English Committee. It was at this meeting that Amery suggested that the Germans form a British anti-[[Bolshevik]] [[legion]]. [[Adolf Hitler]] was impressed by Amery and allowed him to remain in Germany as a guest of the [[Third Reich]], where he made a series of pro-German radio broadcasts to Britain.		The German Waffen-SS "British Free Corps" was the creation of [[John Amery]], the son of the serving British Secretary of State for India, [[Leo Amery]]. John Amery was a staunch [[anti-Communist]] and came to embrace the National Socialist doctrines of [[Germany]]. Confronted with money problems, he left [[Britain]] and met the French fascist leader [[Jacques Doriot]]. Following the [[Spanish Civil War]], Amery and Doriot travelled together to [[Austria]], [[Czechoslovakia]], [[Italy]] and Germany before residing in Vichy [[France]]. He pretended to have joined Franco's Fascists during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, and awarded a medal of honor while serving as an military intelligence officer with Italian volunteer forces. Displeased with their mindset, Amery ran afoul of the Vichy government. He made several attempts to leave France, but was unsuccessful until September 1942, when Hauptmann Werner Plack brought Amery to Berlin to speak to the German English Committee. It was at this meeting that Amery suggested that the Germans form a British anti-[[Bolshevik]] [[legion]]. [[Adolf Hitler]] was impressed by Amery and allowed him to remain in Germany as a guest of the [[Third Reich]], where he made a series of pro-German radio broadcasts to Britain.

	The idea of a British force to fight the Communists languished until Amery met with two Frenchmen, who were part of the [[LVF]] (Légion des Volontaires Français) in January 1943. The two LVF men lamented the situation on the [[Eastern Front]], where only Germany was battling the [[Soviet Union]]. They felt that they should lend support with their LVF service. Amery rekindled his idea of a British unit and aimed to recruit fifty to a hundred men for propaganda purposes. He wanted to seek out a core of men with which to gain additional members from British POWs. He also suggested that such a unit could provide more recruits for the other military units made up of foreign nationals. (However, the Germans had already raised a number of such units, which were operating under the command of the [[Waffen-SS]].)		The idea of a British force to fight the Communists languished until Amery met with two Frenchmen, who were part of the [[LVF]] (Légion des Volontaires Français) in January 1943. The two LVF men lamented the situation on the [[Eastern Front]], where only Germany was battling the [[Soviet Union]]. They felt that they should lend support with their LVF service. Amery rekindled his idea of a British unit and aimed to recruit fifty to a hundred men for propaganda purposes. He wanted to seek out a core of men with which to gain additional members from British POWs. He also suggested that such a unit could provide more recruits for the other military units made up of foreign nationals. (However, the Germans had already raised a number of such units, which were operating under the command of the [[Waffen-SS]].)

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	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist\|2}}

	[[Category:British]]		[[Category:British]]