Die hier gezeigten Abzeichen sind zu edukativen Zwecken dargestellt, aus diesem Grund sind sie nicht abgedeckt. Weiterhin möchte ich auf den folgenden Discliamer aufmerksam machen:
Disclaimer: Die hier gezeigten Abbildungen aus der Zeit des "Dritten Reiches", u.a. mit dem damals obligatorischen "Hakenkreuz", dienen der Berichterstattung über Vorgänge des Zeitgeschehens, der staatsbürgerlichen Aufklärung sowie Forschung und Lehre (§ 86a, 86 StGB)
Here is a list of books published over the last 60 years about the British Free Corps which have come to my attention. It contains both fiction and factual accounts, the main theme being that the BFC are mentioned.
Disclaimer: I may not agree with all of the authors views, but they are all listed anyway.
Any additional information from readers would be most welcome.
1. The meaning of treason by: Rebecca West 1949 (reprinted 1952)
A very unsympathetic account and West has changed some of the names of the people going to trial, which make research difficult. The book goes into some detail about the trial of Thomas Cooper. Rebecca West knew that Cooper´s German mother had put a spell on her son, she even did the "unbritish" thing of filling her windows with large amounts of flowers and huge plants!
2. Akin to treason by: John Bulloch 1966 (Sorry no image available)
The author has a tendency to mix fact and opinion with speculation, but to be fair he was writing before most of the information was available in the public domain.
If anyone could scan the original cover I would be most interested
3. Yeomen of Valhalla by: de Slade 1970
No further details known to me.
4. Jackals of the Reich by: Ronald Seth 1972
The first full account of Hitler´s British Free Corps.
5. The eagle has landed by: Jack Higgins 1975 (Only the first edition).
A member of the British Free Corps joins the group in the attempt to kidnap Churchill, but he is murdered by a mentally retarded villager in the church. NOTE: This only happens in the first edition, in the re-write this BFC person is written out of the story and does not play in the film of the same name.
6. Bellona - Manual of the Waffen-SS by: Walther-Karl Holzmann 1976
Contains drawings of the insignia and the following regarding the BFC unit:
"Alleged to have worn British uniforms with German badges. In January* 1945 the British Army occupied Spiedelberg Kaserne at Lemgo. British personnel clearing out the attic of the barrack block in 1945 found a number of uniforms, some leather equipment, miscellaneous daily orders, etc. One of the uniforms had a Union Jack arm shield on the left sleeve. It had the Wehrmacht National Emblem on the right breast and army style collar badges."
*January 1945 is obviously a mistake and should read April or May 1945, also elsewhere in the book the insignia is refered to as the "Legion of St. George", this was very common in the 1970s.
When I purchased this Bellona book in the late 70s at the "Plymouth Model Centre" it was my very first introduction to the fact that a BFC actually existed and planted the seed for my future interest in the British Free Corps.
7. Foreign Legions of the Third Reich Vol.2 by: David Littlejohn 1981
David Littlejohn´s works are factual and contain charts and lists of the most interesting subjects, always recommended.
8. Osprey Men-at-Arms series Nr.34 by: Martin Windrow & Jeffrey Burns 1982
Perhaps the first illustration ever of a BFC soldier, although the insignia was faulty, Union Jack shield rounded at the bottom and the cuff-title written in German instead of English. The text is almost as a footnote and is very unsympathetic as Windrow refers to the BFC as "near-morons" yet nowhere in the whole book is there a mention of the mental state of the members of other foreign units, so why was that?
9. Hitlers Samuri (Revised Second Edition) Bruce Quarrie 1984
A little faulty but fair and objective, the trend had now been set and the BFC would now get a mention in most books dealing with the history of the Waffen-SS, even if only as a small footnote, the general readers were now aware of the existence of a BFC even if still refered to as the BFK.
Bruce Quarrie´s book was the book I took with me during an RAF Regiment tour of the Falkland Islands in 1985-86, I purchased it at the airport.
10. Europäische Freiwillige im Bild - Munin Verlag 1986
A several page mention of the BFC, although faulty because they give the impression that the BFC fought at the front and mention Reginald Leslie Cornford died fighting in berlin! Still, publicity and the first account of the BFC in the German language to my knowlege.
German Language Edition Cover
11. Die Waffen-SS Hitlers Instrument der Macht by: Gordon Williamson 1999 German language edition.
Our English readers will know that it was first released in the UK in 1994.
Another new trend and Waffen-SS books like this one are being translated into German and placed in the General readers sections at kiosks in railway stations and international airports, something unknown more than a decade ago.
The BFC gain a "footnote" in the book and a photo of John Amery. But unlike the Munin Verlag publications, Williamsons book, and others like it, are on sale to the German mainstream readership and they are reading about the BFC for the first time.
12. Die Kollaboration 1939-1945 by: Franz W. Seidler 1999 (German language)
Special section dedicated to William Joyce and John Amery, with some mention of Amery´s involvement with the BFC. The book further states that 125 british citizens went up before the courts for collaboration after the war and 35 of those served in the Wehrmacht or Waffen-SS. (A Wehrmacht member would have been Frank Becker for example).
I am a big fan of Franz W. Seidler and I always enjoy reading his books.
13. Siegrunen Issue 63 Richard Landwehr 2001
Postscript to the BFC - What happened to some of the BFC volunteers.
14. Siegrunen Issue 71 - Richard Landwehr 2001
Title page contains a picture of SS-Rottenführer William Charles Britten.
15. Renegades Hitlers Englishmen by: Adrian Weale 2002
A very factual and detailed account of the BFC and a book everyone should own if they are interested in the British Free Corps.
I always thought that two BFC soldiers died during the bombing of Dresden, but Weale makes it clear in his account that two BFC members fled and escaped during the bombing. The Germans probably wrote them off as missing presumed dead after the bomb raids, thus causing this confusion.
The first book about the BFC where I recieved a signed copy by the author.
16. The traitor by: Guy Walters 2002
Fiction, the hero of the plot is set to run the British Free Corps.
17. Hitlers Bastard By: Eric Pleasants 2003
I have been informed that Eric Pleasants was always one for a tall story and he well may have brought one or two into his account, but nevertheless he is the only member of the British Free Corps to write about his time in the BFC.
18. Letting the side down by: Sean Murphy 2003
I do not own this book, but I have read the introduction online and it does seem to be a book for the wants list. The forward has been written by Adrian Weale.
19. Snides by: Tony Walker 2004
Fiction, a militaria dealer obtains a BFC photograph album and the plot then adds an unknown war criminal who is in the photo album.
20. Posters of World War II by: Peter Darman 2008
A large format book showing some really good posters, some of them I am seeing for the first time. One of the posters is the well known BFC poster "Our flag is going forward too" and a small footnote about the BFC.
21. Osprey Men-at-Arms Series Nr 420 The Waffen-SS (4) by: Gordon Williamson and Stephen Andrew 2008
The details in the illustration were spot on this time, although with the rank of an SS-Rottenführer, the illustration was clearly based upon the famous photograph of Alfred Minchin. Again as in 1982, the information about the BFC is contained within the colour plates information at the end of the book.
Once again Osprey are very unsympathetic towards the British Free Corps. They are refered to as a tawdry little group of very low intelligence, once again there is no reference to the intelegence IQ of other foreign volunteers from other nationalities, just the English ones!
I get the impression that Osprey find it painful to write about the BFC in their publications, but the unit existed and therefore Osprey are forced to do so.
22. Britisches Freikorps by: Richard Landwehr 2008
Some of the information is faulty, Landwehr continues to mention Reginald Leslie Cornford died fighting in berlin! It is now recognised that only Bob Rössler fought in Berlin and he survived the war. Eric Pleasants was also in Berlin, but for different reasons.
23. SS-Englander by: Eric Meyer 2010
Said to be based on a true account, sadly Meyer has changed all of the names, making further enquiries difficult.
24. The British Free Corps by: Robert Best 2010
This publication was only released in April and I have not been able to obtain it yet.
25. Hitlers Renegades by: Christopher Ailsby 2004
General information about foreign volunteers in German service with about ten pages covering the British Free Corps, some new details and several interesting pictures of BFC members.
26. The traitor by: Guy Walters with a different cover
See number 16 above.
27. The SS: Hitlers instrument of terror by: Gordon Williamson 1994
English language version of number 11, see above for write up. (image sent in by Cameron).
28. The Black Angels by: Rupert Butler 1978
No details known, image sent in by Cameron
29. The Judas Battalion by: Peter MacAlan 1983
Another image sent in by Cameron.
30. Waffen SS - The Asphalt Soldiers by: John Keegan 1978
A brief mention of the British Free Corps at the end of page 99
