Free Belgian Forces
Encyclopedia
The Free Belgian Forces were members of the Belgian armed forces
in World War II
who continued fighting against the Axis after the surrender
of Belgium
and its subsequent occupation by the Germans
. The Belgians fought in several theaters of the war, including Great Britain
, East Africa
, the Mediterranean
, and Northwestern Europe
.
The decision of King Léopold III
to surrender on May 28, 1940 was not accepted by members of the Belgian government-in-exile (under Prime-Minister Hubert Pierlot
), who had fled first to Paris
and later to London
. Under the auspices of this government, Belgian armed forces were organized to continue military operations as part of the Allies
, and existing Belgian colonial troops in the Belgian Congo
were made available to the Allied war effort.
in the Congo, expatriate Belgians in Great Britain and Canada
, and after September 1944, Belgians liberated by the Allied campaign in Northwestern Europe.
s of infantry
were mobilized from the "Public Force" (Force Publique
) in the Belgian Congo
to fight with the Allies
in Africa
. In 1940 and 1941, the "Belgian Expeditionary Forces" fought in the British and Commonwealth campaign to defeat the Italian troops in East Africa
(East African Campaign
). In late May 1941, Belgian Major-General Auguste-Éduard Gilliaert
cut off the retreat of Italian General Pietro Gazzera
in Ethiopia and accepted the surrender of 7,000 of his troops.
After the successful conclusion of these campaigns, the 1st Belgian Colonial Brigade was redesignated the Belgian Colonial Motor Brigade Group and served in a garrison and rear-area security role in Cairo
, Egypt
and in British Palestine during 1943 - 1944.
The Force Publique had older weapons and equipment such as the Stokes Mortar
and the St Chamond 75 mm gun
.
The Force Publique also sent the 10th Belgian Congo Casualty Clearing Station (CCCS) to the battle zone. Between 1940 and 1945 some 350 Congolese and twenty Belgians, under the command of Medical Colonel Thomas, worked together with the British medical services in Abyssinia, Somalia, Madagascar and Burma.
Belgians and some Luxembourg
ers in Great Britain and Canada, including 163 rescued from Dunkirk
, were recruited from May 25, 1940 to form the 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade
. The commander of the Belgian ground troops in Great Britain was Lieutenant General van Strydonck de Burkel
. Because of the shortage of Belgian manpower, the unit grew slowly, first formed as a battalion, and finally as a brigade in January 1943. Initially, for operations in northwestern Europe, the brigade had three motorized rifle companies, an artillery battery (of which one troop (four guns) was Luxembourgian), an engineer company, an armored car squadron, and combat support units. The brigade landed at Arromanches in Normandy
on August 8, 1944 and fought for the next month on the Normandy coast of France, within the 1st Canadian Army. It was reassigned to the 2nd British Army at short notice and moved to Belgium on September 3 and this allowed the Brigade to assist the liberation of its home country and southern Netherlands
. In November 1944, it returned to Belgium and reorganized. The reorganized brigade had three infantry battalions, an artillery regiment of six batteries, and an armored car regiment. Returning to combat in the Netherlands in April 1945, the brigade's units fought at Nijmegen and Walcheren
. Also known as Brigade Piron (for its commander, Colonel Jean Piron), the Belgian Brigade was equipped with British weapons and material.
s (assigned as 4 Troop, No. 10 Inter-Allied Commando). The Belgian commandos fought in Norway
, France
, Madagascar
, Italy
, Yugoslavia
, on Walcheren
, and in Germany. In late 1944, two other troops of commandos were formed from liberated manpower who had been members of the Belgian resistance. Belgium also contributed a battalion-sized regiment to the Special Air Service
, fighting in northern France, occupied Belgium, and the Netherlands during 1944 - 1945.
Liberated manpower was used to form 57 fusilier
(infantry) battalions, four engineer and four pioneer battalions, and 34 motor transport battalions from October 1944 until June 1945. The bulk of the Fusilier battalions were used to secure rear areas. This task grew demanding as large areas of Germany were overrun in 1945 and the presence of the lightly equipped Belgian units allowed better equipped units of the major allies to pursue combat operations and not have to detach elements for security of their lines of communication. However, some 20 of the Fusilier battalions were used in combat in the Ardennes Offensive, in the Netherlands, at the Remagen
Bridgehead, and in Czechoslovakia
at Pilsen. Among Belgians today, the 5th Fusilier Battalion is particularly remembered for its service with the U.S. Army
during the Ardennes Offensive.
operated two corvettes and a group of minesweepers. The Navy participated in the Battle of the Atlantic, and had 350 men by May 1943.
were individual members of British squadrons. Belgium contributed 29 pilots to Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain
. Although usually randomly posted to various RAF fighter squadrons, No. 609 Squadron
had enough Belgian pilots to form a flight. Later, some of the Belgian pilots were organized into two all-Belgian squadrons, the No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron (formed November 1941) and No. 349 (Belgian) Squadron (formed November 1942). By June 1943, some 400 Belgian pilots were serving with the RAF. Initially part of the air defense of Great Britain, both squadrons later served in the campaign in northwestern Europe supporting 21st Army Group with No. 83
and No. 84 Groups of the R.A.F. The British air raid on Gestapo
headquarters in Copenhagen
on March 22, 1945 was led by a Belgian Wing Commander, Michael Donnet. Altogether, some 1,200 Belgians served in the R.A.F. The Belgian Squadrons flew Spitfires
operationally with the RAF. No. 350 Squadron claimed some 51 kills during its existence.
in 1945. After the war, five of the brigades mobilized by Belgium with liberated manpower and the Brigade Piron formed two divisions of the new Belgian Army and were used in the occupation of Germany. The Belgian commandos and S.A.S. troops were ultimately used to form the Belgian Paracommando Regiment
, and 349 and 350 Squadrons of the RAF formed the postwar Belgian Air Force.
Military of Belgium
The Belgian Army is the national military of Belgium. The Belgian Army was established after Belgium became independent in October 1830...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
who continued fighting against the Axis after the surrender
Battle of Belgium
The Battle of Belgium or Belgian Campaign formed part of the greater Battle of France, an offensive campaign by Germany during the Second World War...
of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and its subsequent occupation by the Germans
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. The Belgians fought in several theaters of the war, including Great Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, East Africa
East African Campaign (World War II)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
, the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Theatre of World War II
The African, Mediterranean and Middle East theatres encompassed the naval, land, and air campaigns fought between the Allied and Axis forces in the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and Africa...
, and Northwestern Europe
Western Front (World War II)
The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...
.
The decision of King Léopold III
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
to surrender on May 28, 1940 was not accepted by members of the Belgian government-in-exile (under Prime-Minister Hubert Pierlot
Hubert Pierlot
Hubert Marie Eugène, Count Pierlot was a Belgian Walloon politician and jurist, the 32nd Prime Minister of Belgium between 1939 and 1945 .-Biography:He was a representative of the Catholic Party Hubert Marie Eugène, Count Pierlot (23 December 1883, Cugnon (Bertrix) – 13 December 1963, Uccle)...
), who had fled first to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and later to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Under the auspices of this government, Belgian armed forces were organized to continue military operations as part of the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
, and existing Belgian colonial troops in the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
were made available to the Allied war effort.
Free Belgian Forces: Army
The ground troops of the Free Belgian Forces were drawn from three main sources during the course of the war. These were the Force PubliqueForce Publique
The Force Publique , French for "Public Force", was both a gendarmerie and a military force in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885, , through the period of direct Belgian colonial rule...
in the Congo, expatriate Belgians in Great Britain and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and after September 1944, Belgians liberated by the Allied campaign in Northwestern Europe.
The Force Publique in Africa
Three brigadeBrigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s of infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
were mobilized from the "Public Force" (Force Publique
Force Publique
The Force Publique , French for "Public Force", was both a gendarmerie and a military force in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885, , through the period of direct Belgian colonial rule...
) in the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
to fight with the Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. In 1940 and 1941, the "Belgian Expeditionary Forces" fought in the British and Commonwealth campaign to defeat the Italian troops in East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
(East African Campaign
East African Campaign (World War II)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
). In late May 1941, Belgian Major-General Auguste-Éduard Gilliaert
Auguste-Éduard Gilliaert
Auguste Gilliaert was an officer in the Belgian Army during World War II.Lieutenant-General Gilliaert was the commander of the "Belgian Expeditionary Forces" in East Africa during the East African Campaign...
cut off the retreat of Italian General Pietro Gazzera
Pietro Gazzera
Pietro Gazzera was an officer in the Italian Royal Army during World War II, as well as a prewar Italian politician....
in Ethiopia and accepted the surrender of 7,000 of his troops.
After the successful conclusion of these campaigns, the 1st Belgian Colonial Brigade was redesignated the Belgian Colonial Motor Brigade Group and served in a garrison and rear-area security role in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and in British Palestine during 1943 - 1944.
The Force Publique had older weapons and equipment such as the Stokes Mortar
Stokes Mortar
The Stokes mortar was a British trench mortar invented by Sir Wilfred Stokes KBE which was issued to the British Army and the Commonwealth armies during the latter half of the First World War.-History:...
and the St Chamond 75 mm gun
St Chamond 75 mm gun
The Saint Chamond-Mondragón 75mm gun was designed in the 1890s by Mexican arms designer General Manuel Mondragon and produced by the French arms manufacturer St Chamond. It was widely used by different forces during the Mexican Revolution....
.
The Force Publique also sent the 10th Belgian Congo Casualty Clearing Station (CCCS) to the battle zone. Between 1940 and 1945 some 350 Congolese and twenty Belgians, under the command of Medical Colonel Thomas, worked together with the British medical services in Abyssinia, Somalia, Madagascar and Burma.
Brigade Piron
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
ers in Great Britain and Canada, including 163 rescued from Dunkirk
Operation Dynamo
The Dunkirk evacuation, commonly known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, code-named Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and the early hours of 3 June 1940, because the British, French and Belgian troops were...
, were recruited from May 25, 1940 to form the 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade
1st Belgian Infantry Brigade
The Belgian 1st Infantry Brigade, also known as the "Brigade Piron", after its commander, Jean-Baptiste Piron, was a Belgian and Luxembourger army unit which fought in World War II...
. The commander of the Belgian ground troops in Great Britain was Lieutenant General van Strydonck de Burkel
Victor Strydonck de Burkel
Victor Baron Strydonck de Burkel ) was a general of the Belgian Army and the primary architect of the formation of the Free Belgian Forces after Belgium's surrender on May 28, 1940.-Service in the 1930s and 1940s:A cavalry officer, Van Strydonck de Burkel...
. Because of the shortage of Belgian manpower, the unit grew slowly, first formed as a battalion, and finally as a brigade in January 1943. Initially, for operations in northwestern Europe, the brigade had three motorized rifle companies, an artillery battery (of which one troop (four guns) was Luxembourgian), an engineer company, an armored car squadron, and combat support units. The brigade landed at Arromanches in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
on August 8, 1944 and fought for the next month on the Normandy coast of France, within the 1st Canadian Army. It was reassigned to the 2nd British Army at short notice and moved to Belgium on September 3 and this allowed the Brigade to assist the liberation of its home country and southern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. In November 1944, it returned to Belgium and reorganized. The reorganized brigade had three infantry battalions, an artillery regiment of six batteries, and an armored car regiment. Returning to combat in the Netherlands in April 1945, the brigade's units fought at Nijmegen and Walcheren
Walcheren
thumb|right|250px|Campveer Tower in Veere, built in 1500Walcheren is a former island in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Oosterschelde in the north and the Westerschelde in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus...
. Also known as Brigade Piron (for its commander, Colonel Jean Piron), the Belgian Brigade was equipped with British weapons and material.
Belgian Special Forces
Belgian soldiers in Great Britain also contributed a troop (company) to the British commandoCommando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
s (assigned as 4 Troop, No. 10 Inter-Allied Commando). The Belgian commandos fought in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, on Walcheren
Walcheren
thumb|right|250px|Campveer Tower in Veere, built in 1500Walcheren is a former island in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Oosterschelde in the north and the Westerschelde in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus...
, and in Germany. In late 1944, two other troops of commandos were formed from liberated manpower who had been members of the Belgian resistance. Belgium also contributed a battalion-sized regiment to the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
, fighting in northern France, occupied Belgium, and the Netherlands during 1944 - 1945.
The Fusilier Battalions
Fusilier
Fusilier was originally the name of a soldier armed with a light flintlock musket called the fusil. The word was first used around 1680, and has later developed into a regimental designation.-History:...
(infantry) battalions, four engineer and four pioneer battalions, and 34 motor transport battalions from October 1944 until June 1945. The bulk of the Fusilier battalions were used to secure rear areas. This task grew demanding as large areas of Germany were overrun in 1945 and the presence of the lightly equipped Belgian units allowed better equipped units of the major allies to pursue combat operations and not have to detach elements for security of their lines of communication. However, some 20 of the Fusilier battalions were used in combat in the Ardennes Offensive, in the Netherlands, at the Remagen
Ludendorff Bridge
The Ludendorff Bridge was a railway bridge across the River Rhine in Germany, connecting the villages of Remagen and Erpel between two ridge lines of hills flanking the river...
Bridgehead, and in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
at Pilsen. Among Belgians today, the 5th Fusilier Battalion is particularly remembered for its service with the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during the Ardennes Offensive.
In the Far East
The Belgian 10th Casualty Clearing Station supported operations in Burma and Indonesia.Free Belgian Forces: Navy
During the war, the Belgian NavyBelgian Navy
The Marine Component of the Belgian Army, formerly the Belgian Naval Force, is the naval service of Belgium.-Early history:The Belgian Navy was created as the Marine Royale in 1831. This force has operated in various forms throughout Belgian history.When after the Belgian Revolution, the country...
operated two corvettes and a group of minesweepers. The Navy participated in the Battle of the Atlantic, and had 350 men by May 1943.
Free Belgian Forces: Air Force
The initial Belgian fliers with the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
were individual members of British squadrons. Belgium contributed 29 pilots to Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. Although usually randomly posted to various RAF fighter squadrons, No. 609 Squadron
No. 609 Squadron RAF
No. 609 Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, originally formed as a bomber squadron and in World War II active as fighter squadron, nowadays provides personnel to augment and support the operations of the Royal Air Force. The squadron is no longer a flying Squadron, but instead has the role...
had enough Belgian pilots to form a flight. Later, some of the Belgian pilots were organized into two all-Belgian squadrons, the No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron (formed November 1941) and No. 349 (Belgian) Squadron (formed November 1942). By June 1943, some 400 Belgian pilots were serving with the RAF. Initially part of the air defense of Great Britain, both squadrons later served in the campaign in northwestern Europe supporting 21st Army Group with No. 83
No. 83 Group RAF
No. 83 Group was a group within the Royal Air Force's 2nd Tactical Air Force during the Second World War and the post-war era. In 2006, the group was re-established as No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group.-History:...
and No. 84 Groups of the R.A.F. The British air raid on Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
headquarters in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
on March 22, 1945 was led by a Belgian Wing Commander, Michael Donnet. Altogether, some 1,200 Belgians served in the R.A.F. The Belgian Squadrons flew Spitfires
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
operationally with the RAF. No. 350 Squadron claimed some 51 kills during its existence.
Postwar
Ultimately, Belgium mobilized some 100,000 men under arms between the time Belgium surrendered in 1940 and VE DayVictory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
in 1945. After the war, five of the brigades mobilized by Belgium with liberated manpower and the Brigade Piron formed two divisions of the new Belgian Army and were used in the occupation of Germany. The Belgian commandos and S.A.S. troops were ultimately used to form the Belgian Paracommando Regiment
Immediate Reaction Cell
The Immediate Reaction Cell was an elite fighting force in the Belgian Land Component, consisting of three Paracommando battalions plus several support units...
, and 349 and 350 Squadrons of the RAF formed the postwar Belgian Air Force.
Article sources
- La Chronique des 53.000, Lucien Champion, Bruxelles: Pierre de Meyere, 1973.
- Commonwealth Divisions 1939-1945, Malcolm A. Bellis, U.K.: John Rigby, 1999.
- Foreign Volunteers of the Allied Forces 1939-45, Nigel Thomas, London: Osprey, 1998.
- Forgotten Allies Vol. 1, J. Lee Ready, Jefferson: McFarland and Co., 1985.
- Victory in the West Vol. II, L. F. Ellis, London: HMSO, 1968.
- World Armies, John Keegan, New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1979.