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Axis Allied Nations in WWII
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Much like the foreign volunteers that fought as an internal part of the
German Wehrmacht during WWII, a great number of Axis Allied units fought
along side Germany between 1939 and 1945. Some Axis Nations were
reluctant partners, such as the Bulgarians, while others, such as the
Slovaks and Italians, initially took up arms very willingly and
fought well at the side of Germany. As the war played itself out and Axis
fortunes began to make a turn for the worse, many former enthusiastic
Allies began to opt out of the Axis camp. Before the end of
WWII, all the major Axis Allies either capitulated to the Allies or
actively surrendered and changed sides. This interesting paradox doesn't
obscure the fact that initially, many Axis Allies fought well along side
their German partner. The distinction between "foreign volunteers" and
"Axis Allies" was that foreign volunteers actually joined the German
military - either alone or in large groups - and became an internal part
of Germany's fighting forces, while Axis Allies were distinct independent
Countries who joined the Axis cause and mustered their forces to fight
along side Germany. America had its Allies during WWII - Britian, France,
the Soviet Union, etc. Germany, too, had its share of Allied Nations -
their unique and often neglected stories will be told within this section.
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