PITIFUL FLOP

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 April 1942, Page 4

PITIFUL FLOP

FRENCH ANTI-SOVIET LEGION. MAGNIFICENT BALLYHOO. The raising of a legion of French volunteers to fight the Soviets was announced with much drum-beating by the Nazi-controlled Paris press a week after Germany invaded Russia. General Hassler, a veteran of the last war and who had commanded the 22nd and later the 236th French division in this war, was to be its commander. This was a bad start, for it was discovered the general was a Freemason, and Freemasons and Jews were barred, so he was persuaded to retire. The ballyhoo was magnificent. “Paris-Soir” announced on July 27 that 600 officers of the “Rassemblement National Populaire” had joined the Legion. This was followed by wireless broadcasts designed to work up enthusiasm. Obviously exaggerated figures of enlistments followed. The Legion’s numbers grew with surprising alacrity—on paper. The “Oeuvre” announced 10,000 volunteers and forecast the departure of a first contingent for the front early in August last. A few days later the force —still on pa-per-had grown to 25,000. When the first contingent assembled at Versailles it numbered 1,200, which rather discredited the figure of 25,000.

Then 400 airmen were announced by Radio-Paris on August 29 as having joined the Legion to fight against the Soviets. They were to form two squadrons, fighters and bombers. Hard as it had been in the occupied zone to whip up recruits, it was harder still in the unoccupied zone, where a recruiting centre had been set up at Lyons. The hirelings of the Nazis in the occupied zbne began to quarrel with the organisers in the unoccupied zone. Deat, in the “Oeuvre,” admitted the French were not giving full support to the anti-Soviet Legion and complained that although Petain had given his approval Vichy had refused to provide either arms or munitions. Doriot also complained in the “Cri du Peuple” that in spite of the Marshal’s approval nothing had been done to assist the Legion. At Besancon, with a population of 65,000, the recruiting office for the Anti-Soviet Legion was able to enrol only eight volunteers! In the beginning of September a train transporting the first contingent of the Legion arrived at a German frontier station simultaneously with a train repatriating French prisoners of war. On learning the destination of the Legionaries, the returning prisoners of war attacked them with violence, calling them traitors. When the prisoners of war reached their homes the story became known everywhere. Meanwhile Radio-Paris broadcast no more fanciful figures but painted favourable conditions under which the anti-Soviet Legion would serve. Volunteers were to have ten times the ordinary soldier’s pay, with generous allocations for wives and dependents. But the cruellest blow of all was to come. Promises that French volunteers of the anti-Soviet Legion would wear French uniforms and bear French arms were not kept. The “Pariser Zeitung” brutally revealed that the volunteers were incorporated into German regiments, wore German uniforms, and, greatest of indignities, had been compelled to take the oath of allegiance to Hitler.