LAST BLOOD ON POMERANIA. LEON DEGRELLE AND THE WALLOON WAFFEN-SS VOLUNTEERS, FEBRUARY-MAY 1945.pdf

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The 28th
SS
Volunteer Grenadier Division ‘Wallonien’, which consisted
mostly of French-speaking citizens of the Kingdom of Belgium – first as part
of the
Wehrmacht
and later in the ranks of the
Waffen-SS
– fought as one of
the national legions against the Red Army on the Eastern Front in February
1942. The Walloons gained fame during the legendary resistance in the
Cherkassy Pocket, where in early 1944 they lost more than 50 percent of their
strength. In the summer of the same year they fought a defensive battle in
Estonia in the region of Dorpat, and in February 1945 were directed to
Western Pomerania, where until the last days of the war they put up a
stubborn resistance to the armies of Stalin.
This book, which was originally published in Polish, is based on the
unpublished memoirs of participants of these events, and is the first account
to describe the Walloons’ participation in the mysterious Pomeranian
campaign in such a detailed manner. It tells the tragic story of the Walloon
volunteers, who at all costs tried to stop the onrush of the enemy standing at
the gates of the Third Reich. The Pomeranian odyssey, led by the
controversial and infamous
Volksführer
Leon Degrelle, went on for three
months, and the trial meant death and courage. Stargard, Altdamm, Neu-
Rosow – these are locations, that became synonyms for unconditional
sacrifice. They are also a symbol of
kameradschaft,
of a group of tough guys
and dare-devils, who were determined to stake everything on one throw of
the dice.
The book is illustrated with unique photographs, known so far only to a
small group of people. These are complemented by a special comic created
by the French artist Godus and with images made with great attention to
detail, which were produced for historical reconstruction, showing silhouettes
of the Walloon soldiers. It is worth noting that some of these were made in
the same location where the fighting raged in April 1945.
Tomasz Borowski has been interested in history since childhood and for
many years has been studying the actions of foreign volunteer formations of
the
Waffen-SS
– especially Scandinavian, French and Walloon troops, which
were involved in bloody battles in the final stages of the Second World War.
His fascination arose when he realised how much influence these small, but
extremely valiant and brave, troops had on the fate of the fronts on which
they had to fight. They fought hard even though the cause for which they
shed blood was practically lost.
Through contact with many authors and historians he has access to little-
known archives, both of memoirs and of photographic material. In his
publications, he tries not to repeat the well-known facts, but each time to
bring closer and reveal to readers the mysteries and curiosities that are the
symbols of the tragic last weeks of the greatest existing armed conflict, which
for many has become a mythical ‘Twilight of Gods’. He writes from a desire
to tell stories. He believes that reading should primarily be a pleasure. If a
story supposes to be boring, better not to show it to the world at all.
In his spare time the author watches criminal movies and good TV
dramas such as ‘Millennium’, ‘Sherlock’ or ‘True Detective’. Besides that he
likes bikeriding, walking, spending time with his family and enjoying a glass
of fine wine. He is also a cat enthusiast.
LAST BLOOD ON POMERANIA
LEON DEGRELLE AND THE WALLOON WAFFEN-
SS
VOLUNTEERS, FEBRUARY–MAY 1945
Tomasz Borowski
Translated by Monika Klimczak
Helion & Company Limited
26 Willow Road
Solihull
West Midlands
B91 1UE
England
Tel. 0121 705 3393
Fax 0121 711 4075
Email:
info@helion.co.uk
Website:
www.helion.co.uk
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@helionbooks
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Published by Helion & Company 2016
Designed and typeset by Farr out Publications, Wokingham, Berkshire
Cover designed by Paul Hewitt, Battlefield Design (www.battlefield-design.co.uk)
Printed by Henry Ling Limited, Dorchester, Dorset
Text © Tomasz Borowski 2015
Front cover: Ida Kozłowski
Images © as individually credited
ISBN 978-1-910294-48-2
eISBN 978-1-912174-48-5
Mobi ISBN 978-1-912174-48-5
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written consent of Helion &
Company Limited.
For details of other military history titles published by Helion & Company Limited contact
the above address, or visit our website:
http://www.helion.co.uk.
We always welcome receiving book proposals from prospective authors.

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