Blue Division

The Blue Division (Spanish: División Azul, German: Blaue Division, officially designated as División Española de Voluntarios by the Spanish Army and 250. Infanterie-Division in the German Army) was a unit of Spanish volunteers that served in the German Army on the Eastern Front of the Second World War.

Origins

Although Spanish dictator Francisco Franco did not bring Spain into World War II on the side of Nazi Germany, he permitted volunteers to join the German Army (Wehrmacht) on the clear and guaranteed condition they would fight against Bolshevism (Soviet Communism) on the Eastern Front, and not against the Western Allies or any Western European occupied populations. In this manner, he could keep Spain at peace with the Western Allies, while repaying German support during the Spanish Civil War and providing an outlet for the strong anti-Communist sentiments of many Spanish nationalists. Spanish foreign minister Ramón Serrano Súñer suggested raising a volunteer corps, and at the commencement of Operation Barbarossa, Franco sent an official offer of help to Berlin.

Blue Division (disambiguation)

Blue Division may refer to one of the following:

Blue Division (Second French Empire)

Created during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the Blue Division is the name given to the division d'Infanterie de Marine which - for the first time in the history of the marines - joined 'marsouins' or marine infantry (4 regiments) and 'bigors' or marine artillery (1 regiment).

Commanded by general de Vassoigne, it was made up of two brigades :

The Blue Division formed part of the 12th Army Corps under the command of Barthélémy Louis Joseph Lebrun, which was the last unit to arrive at Sedan after having made a last attempt to retreat with general de Wimpffen. It fought at Bazeilles on 31 August and 1 September 1870. The town was retaken and abandoned four times, with 2,655 French and 5,200 Bavarians dead, inspiring the patriotic painting Les dernières cartouches (The Last Cartridges) by Alphonse de Neuville. Each year the marines celebrate the anniversary of the battle, ending the ceremonies with the unit's battle cry, "Au nom de dieu, vive la coloniale" ("In God's name, long live La Coloniale") - the unit had God Himself as its patron saint.