On the Eastern Front of World War II, German military identification badges were removed from Croats of the Croatian Legion who were killed in action and on the ground during the German siege of Stalingrad. The Croats fought as part of the 100th Jaeger Division as a non-German unit. The Croatian Legion was the only foreign unit to fight with the Germans in the Battle of Stalingrad.
The Independent State of Croatia (NDH) was established on April 10, 1941, in the ruins of the destroyed Kingdom of Yugoslavia under German and Italian patronage. Two months later, shortly after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the Kingdom of Croatia was not involved in the war. On June 23, the day after the start of Operation Barbarossa, Croatian fascist Ustaše leader Ante Pavelić (Ante Pavelić) officially informed Führer Hitler that he would send troops to the Eastern Front, which was accepted. The bulk of the Croatian Independence Army remained on Croatian territory to fight Tito's partisans.
The Ustashe unit sent to fight the Soviet Red Army consisted of Croatian volunteers. To fight the Soviet Red Army, the Croatian Legion's 369th Reinforced Infantry Regiment of up to 4,000 men was formed. The core consisted of Croats, including many Bosnian Muslims. in early October 1941, the Croat Legion arrived in Ukraine and joined the Soviet offensive of the Southern Army Group. on September 27, 1942, the Croat Legion invaded Stalingrad as part of the German 100th Jäger Division. invaded Stalingrad.
The Croatian Legion invaded toward the regiment's positions, crawling through the huge trenches that remained after the bombing. Soviet bombers dropped phosphorus bombs and many soldiers were burned alive. The invasion was carried out while sweeping through each building one by one. After a fierce winter battle, the Croatian Legion was virtually obliterated, and those who survived were taken prisoner by the Soviets.
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