Türkçe TercümeThis week I share with you a selection of works about the Caucasian Volunteer Units in the German Armed Forces during the Second World War and their forced repatriation to the Soviets after the war. I believe that these works, published in English, Russian, German, and Turkish and from different perspectives with different writing styles, will give the reader sufficient insight into this critical episode of the Second World War, which has been deliberately ignored.
Since these works were published within the last 60 years period, most of them are still copyrighted, and to lead the reader to have access to these works, we can make them available to our members through the ‘borrowing’ model, where a maximum of one reader can access the work at a time just as you borrow a book when you physically visit the public library. We aim to prevent the mass distribution of copyrighted works on the internet by providing this opportunity in the electronic environment. Our initiative is purely for cultural and educational development and is a non-profit. Thus, we aim to create a physical public library-like environment in the virtual environment.
I am sharing brief information and access links about the 34 works in this context below.
Cem Kumuk
Istanbul, 14 December 2024
- Kazakov A., Dissertation, Деятельность органов безопасности Кабардино-Балкарии по нейтрализации подрывных акций эмигрантских организаций в 20-х-50-х гг. XX века, Akademiya Federalnoy Sluzhby Bezopasnosti Rossii, 2005. (Russian)
The work analyses the anti-Soviet movements in the Kabardino-Balkaria region of the Caucasus during the Second World War based on the archival sources of the Russian Federal Security Service.
- Munoz J.A., Scientific Article, The Kaukasicher-Waffen-Verbänd der-SS, 1944-1945, Hitler’s Eastern Legions, Volume II – The Osttruppen. Europa Books, Bayside, 1997, s.24. (English)
The work provides information about the establishment and activities of the Caucasian Independence Army, which was planned to be established within the German Armed Forces in the last stages of the Second World War.
- Munoz J.A., Book, The East Came West, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist Volunteers in the German Armed Forces (1941-1945), Axis Europa, 2001. (English)
The work analyses the Volunteer Legions formed within the German Armed Forces from representatives of the Soviet Eastern peoples.
- Abramian E., Book, Кавказцы в Абвере, Yauza, 2006. (Russian)
The work is about the Caucasian legionaries in the German Armed Forces.
- Mamulia G., Book, Грузинский легион вермахта, Veche, 2011. (Russian)
The work analyses the Georgian Volunteer Legions created within the German Armed Forces.
- Arzamaskin Yu., Book, Тайны советской репатриации, Veche, 2025. (Russian)
The work examines the forced repatriation of the volunteers captured by the Red Army and Allied troops in Eastern and Western Europe to their homeland from the perspective of Soviet ideology.
- Motadel D., Book, Islam and Nazi Germany’s War, Harvard University Press, 2014. (English)
The work is about the legionaries of the Islamic faith in the German Armed Forces, including representatives of Caucasian Muslim peoples.
- Dallin A., Book, German Rule in Russia (1941-1945), Westview Press, 1981. (English)
The work analyses the invasion of the Soviet Union by the German Armed Forces on the Eastern Front of the Second World War.
- Booker C., Book, A Looking-Glass Tragedy, Duckworth, 1997. (English)
The work was written with the concern of finding legal justifications for the surrender of the Soviet-origin legion members of the German Armed Forces to the Soviets by the British at the end of the war.
- Epstein J., Book, Operation Keelhaul, The Devin-Adair Co., 1973. (English)
The book, which bears the code name of the operation to hand over the Soviet-origin volunteer legion members of the German Armed Forces to the Soviets at the end of the war, examines the facts behind this tragedy.
- Tolstoy N., Book, Жертвы Ялты, Russkiy Put, 1996. (Russian)
The work describes in detail the Yalta Conference, where the decision was taken to hand over the members of the Soviet-origin volunteer legions within the German Armed Forces to the Soviets at the end of the war, and the events that took place during the return of the victims.
- Tolstoy N., Book Victims of Yalta, The Secret Betrayal of the Allies (1944-1947), Open Road, 1977. (English)
The work describes in detail the Yalta Conference, where the decision was taken to hand over the members of the Soviet-origin volunteer legions within the German Armed Forces to the Soviets at the end of the war, and the events that took place during the return of the victims.
- Mikhaylov I., Book, Оккупация, Или 160 Дней По Германскому Времени, Servisshkola, 2007. (Russian)
The work depicts the days under German occupation during the Second World War from the Soviet perspective.
- Ramazan M., Book, Bir Kafkas Göçmeninin Anıları, Şamil Eğitim ve Kültür Vakfı , 1997. (Turkish)
The book presents the memoirs of Musa Ramazan, a member of the Caucasian legions of the German Armed Forces, and information about the Drau massacre through the eyes of a witness.
- Sotskov L., Book, Неизвестный Сепаратизм, На службе СД и Абвера, Pipol Klassik, 2003. (Russian)
Based on Soviet sources, the work analyses the activities of Soviet Eastern Peoples in the German Armed Forces.
- Kumuk C., Scientific Article, Predecessors & Consequences of a Tragedy: May 28 – June 01, 1945, Drau Massacre, Istoricheskiy Vestnik No.34, 2020, s.96-135. (Turkish)
The work examines the anti-Soviet activities of the North Caucasian political emigrants in Europe before the Second World War and the alliance with Nazi Germany during the war. The consequences of this alliance, Nazi Germany's loss of the war, and the tragic events in the Drau Valley of Austria at the end of the war are monitored.
- Kumuk C., Book, General Sultan Kılıç Girey, Bir Hanzadenin Kafkasya'dan Moskova'daki Darağacına Uzanan Trajik Yaşam Öyküsü, Kafkas Vakfı Yayınları, 2023. (Turkish)
The book analyses the activities and tragic life story of General Sultan Klych Girey, one of the cult figures of the history of the North Caucasus, within the volunteer legions established among the German Armed Forces based on archival documents.
- Natkho K., Book, Memoirs, Xlibris, 2010. (English)
The book presents the memoirs of Kadir Natkho, a member of the Caucasian legions of the German Armed Forces, and information about the Drau massacre through the eyes of a witness.
- Tutaeff D., Book, The Soviet Caucasus, Harrap, 1942 (English)
The work analyses the Caucasus under German occupation in the Second World War in line with Soviet ideology.
- Guirei C., Book, The Shadow of Power, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1953. (English)
The work describes the events witnessed by the author of Caucasian origin US Military Intelligence officer, who took part in the forced repatriation of the volunteer legionnaires to the Soviets at the end of the Second World War.
- Gilyazov I., Легион «Идель-Урал», Veche, 2009. (Russian)
The work focuses on the legions of Idel-Ural Turks operating within the German Armed Forces but also contains information about the Caucasian legions.
- Botash Kh., Book, Проклятая Поляна, Aktsent, 1993. (Russian)
The work presents the memoirs of Hamit Botas, who took part in the Caucasian legions of the German Armed Forces, and information about the Drau massacre from the perspective of a witness.
- Bethell N., Book, The Last Secret, Futura Publications, 1976. (English)
The work describes in detail the Yalta Conference, where the decision was taken to hand over the members of the Soviet-origin legionnaires within the German Armed Forces to the Soviets at the end of the war, and the events that took place during the return of the victims.
- Huxley-Blythe J., Book, The East Came West, The Caxton Printers, 1968. (English)
The work examines the Volunteer legions formed within the German Armed Forces from representatives of the Soviet Eastern Peoples.
- Naumenko V., Book, Великое Предательство, Vseslavyanskoe Izdatelstvo, 1970. (Russian)
The work conveys the memoirs of Viacheslav Naumenko, who commanded the Cossack legions within the German Armed Forces, and information about the Drau massacre through the eyes of a witness.
- Von zur Mühlen P., Book, Gamalıhaç ile Kızılyıldız Arasında, İkinci Dünya Savaşı'nda Sovyet Doğu Halklarının Milliyetçiliği, Mavi, 1971. (Turkish)
The work is the first fundamental work prepared by studying archival sources about the volunteer legions formed from the Soviet Eastern peoples within the German Armed Forces during the Second World War.
- Ülküsal , Book, İkinci Dünya Savaşında Berlin Hatıraları (1941-1942) ve Kırım'ın Kurtuluş Davası, Emel Yayını, 1976. (Turkish)
The work includes the Memories of a Turkish opinion leader who conducted alliance negotiations in Berlin with German politicians during the Second World War.
- Doğan İ., Book, Mülteci Kamplarından Karaçay-Malkar Türkçesi Mektuplar, Ülkü Basımevi, 1992. (Turkish)
The work consists of translations of correspondence between Karachay-Balkar Caucasians who were held in refugee camps during the Second World War.
- Samoylov S., Book, Борьба с бандитизмом на Северном Кавказе, Nadyrshin, 2022. (Russian)
The work examines the events in the North Caucasus during the Second World War based on Soviet sources.
- Johnson I., Book, A Mosque in Munich, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. (English)
The work examines the work of anti-Soviet Muslim groups operating in Germany after the Second World War and their links with Western intelligence organizations.
- Neulen W.H., Book, An Deutscher Seite - Internationale Freiwillige von Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS, Universitas, 1992. (German)
The work examines the invasion of the Soviet Union by the German Armed Forces on the Eastern Front of the Second World War and the formation of volunteer legions of the Soviet Eastern peoples.
- Hoffmann J., Book, Kaukasien 1942/43, Das Deutsche Heer und die Orientvölker der Sowjetunion, Rombach Druck- und Verlagshaus, 1991 (German)
The work is one of the most important studies published based on archival sources on the operation of the German Armed Forces in the Caucasus in the period 1942-1943 and the Volunteer Legions formed by the representatives of the Caucasian peoples.
- Jeloschek A., et al, Book, Freiwillige vom Kaukasus, Leopold Stocker, 2003 (German)
As a product of the joint work of 4 historians, the work scientifically analyses the Volunteer Legions formed within the German Armed Forces from the representatives of the Caucasian peoples.
- Abramian E., Book, Forgotten Legion: Sonderverbaende Bergmann, Europa Books, 2007 (English)
The book analyses the formation and activities of the Bergmann Special Units, which was formed within the German Armed Forces on the initiative of German academician Theodor Oberlander from representatives of the Caucasian peoples.