Director
05-17-2004, 11:05 PM
Hello guys,
I was wondering if anyone here can help me? I’m currently trying to find out about the so-called Neo-Nazi ‘Foreign Volunteers’ that were said to have fought in the conflict in Croatia. Has anyone here heard about this before?
The Neo-Nazi’s were meant to have been German and Austrian, but I have since found out there were a few British and French.
I thought this would be the best place to find information due to most members being ex-military.
What I know so far is:
That between 150 – 200 German and Austrian Neo-Nazi’s were deployed to Croatia and then Bosnia. (And as said above, a few British and French ‘Volunteers’.
Croatian officials discreetly accepted an offer from Neo-Nazi ‘Führer’ Michel Faci, a Frenchman who orchestrates Europe’s extreme right, to deploy volunteers to help the cause of their white brothers. (As they said it) On a related note, Faci was said to have sent a small amount of these volunteers to Iraq during the gulf war. Rumours persist that he went to Baghdad at Saddam’s request to discuss this offer of sending the troops to help the Iraqi cause. This small group of volunteers was meant to have been seen around Baghdad in SS uniform, but as soon as the US missile strikes began, they fled the city. Neo-Nazi mercenaries are also said to be in Iraq at the present time. I find even fewer sources on this account.
Once the offer was accepted, Neo-Nazi publications began to send out the call to all willing Neo-Nazi’s to go and help their ‘Kameraden’ in the fight against Bolshevism. Unlike most of the foreign volunteers and mercenaries, the Neo-Nazi’s were there to kill, pure and simple.
The Croatian government supplied the Neo-Nazi volunteer’s of the Croatian Irregular Fascist forces with 6 T-55 tanks, along with small amounts of arms.
Most of the Neo-Nazi’s wanting to feel closer to their Nazi heroes, wore the uniforms of the Waffen SS into battle. This little known fact is what got me interested in finding out what the Neo-Nazi’s did during the conflict and what became of them. Imagine, almost 50 years after WWII ended, Nazi’s were once again waging a war in Europe, albeit a small part. Even going to the point of wearing the uniforms of one the world’s most notorious organisations.
As I have said, there are few details available on this and no photographic evidence. (Made public anyway, the Croat sources have said they’ve seen photos from locals and foreign mercenaries with the Neo-Nazi legion in full WWII period uniforms standing in front of their HQ, which was flying the Swastika.)
Here a some interesting excerpts from some publications…
A great source was the autobiography of Ingo Hasselbach, ‘Führer – Ex’. It tells of the part he played in the recruitment and deployment of the troops. –
Excerpt:
“The way it worked was first through a word-of-mouth network. We had to be careful about doing any advertising because hiring mercenaries was strictly illegal in the Federal Republic. It was simply known in the scene that you could go to Croatia, if fighting was your trip and that in Berlin I was one of the contacts. The other main contact people in Berlin were Arnulf Priem and Oliver Schweigert. Once we'd checked out recruits to make sure they weren't spies, we took them to a paramilitary camp to get tested and trained. We were mainly interested in whether they were physically fit to go down there. Mental fitness didn't interest us much.”
I also found this article in Searchlight magazine:
Excerpt:
In an article in the July-August ‘94 edition of the broadsheet: New Order, a US Neo-Nazi relates how the NSDAP-AO receives letters from German Nazi volunteers in Croatia who, according to the published letter, ‘belong to an independent unit’.
Also in on the act is the criminal Nazi Ewald Althans, who has set himself the role of fund raiser both to finance his leadership contest and to help publicize the Neo-Nazi involvement in Croatia.
Althans issued a press release in May ‘94 touting "spectacular action photos for sale". The photos on offer, more than 100 in all, "document Neo-Nazi volunteers fighting in Yugoslavia on behalf of Croatian forces as well as Neo-Nazi involvement in Iraq."
Althans asking price is $5000 and he further offers contacts with the Neo-Nazi involved as well as video footage. Althans fund raising stunt is clearly part of an international drive: the contact telephone and fax numbers on the press release belong to the Toronto based Auschwitz liar and criminal Ernst Zundel, with whom Althans was residing in May and June.
This excerpt is from an article printed in the San Francisco Chronicle in May 1994.
Volunteers sent back glowing reports about their enthusiastic reception in Bosnia by their comrades-in-arms of the HOS, a welcome complete with "Heil Hitler" salutes and the waving of swastika flags. Some also found their way to regular paramilitary units of the Bosnian/Croat army and were accorded an equally warm welcome.
Much of what is known has come from Wolfgang Niederreiter, a
23-year-old unemployed Austrian upholsterer and one time Neo-Nazi who until late last year fought as a volunteer with ‘irregular fascist Croatian forces’ in Bosnia. Now in hiding in the Alps, he is being hunted as a deserter and traitor by both his former comrades in Bosnia and Austrian/German Neo-Nazis.
"I know they are out to get me, and if either of them catch me, my life won't be worth a Croatian dinar," the slightly built Niederreiter said in a recent TV interview in his native Hallein, a small town near
Salzburg.
Niederreiter rounded out his TV appearance by passionately warning
Austrian youth from ever getting mixed up in the Neo-Nazi scene.
I’m trying to find out more on this report by contacting Austrian news stations, along with requesting from the BBC, a copy of a documentary originally screened in 1994 –
The Inside Story - ‘dogs of war’, which is said to have footage of the Neo-Nazi’s in battle.
This is all the information I have on the subject at the moment, but this is enough to make me believe that it’s much more than an ‘urban legend’ as some experts have told me. So I’m hoping someone on these boards can help me find out more. I’m always after more information about this subject, but what I’m really looking for is photographic evidence of the Neo-Nazi ‘Foreign Legion’ in WWII period uniforms. These are what I’m hoping to find. But any information will be greatly appreciated!
I hope you guys can help me out on this subject, I believe asking experts such as yourselves will lead to something interesting. Whew, that’s a long post…
I'll open another thread in the photos and video section for people to post their finds. But any information can be posted here. Thanks once again
I was wondering if anyone here can help me? I’m currently trying to find out about the so-called Neo-Nazi ‘Foreign Volunteers’ that were said to have fought in the conflict in Croatia. Has anyone here heard about this before?
The Neo-Nazi’s were meant to have been German and Austrian, but I have since found out there were a few British and French.
I thought this would be the best place to find information due to most members being ex-military.
What I know so far is:
That between 150 – 200 German and Austrian Neo-Nazi’s were deployed to Croatia and then Bosnia. (And as said above, a few British and French ‘Volunteers’.
Croatian officials discreetly accepted an offer from Neo-Nazi ‘Führer’ Michel Faci, a Frenchman who orchestrates Europe’s extreme right, to deploy volunteers to help the cause of their white brothers. (As they said it) On a related note, Faci was said to have sent a small amount of these volunteers to Iraq during the gulf war. Rumours persist that he went to Baghdad at Saddam’s request to discuss this offer of sending the troops to help the Iraqi cause. This small group of volunteers was meant to have been seen around Baghdad in SS uniform, but as soon as the US missile strikes began, they fled the city. Neo-Nazi mercenaries are also said to be in Iraq at the present time. I find even fewer sources on this account.
Once the offer was accepted, Neo-Nazi publications began to send out the call to all willing Neo-Nazi’s to go and help their ‘Kameraden’ in the fight against Bolshevism. Unlike most of the foreign volunteers and mercenaries, the Neo-Nazi’s were there to kill, pure and simple.
The Croatian government supplied the Neo-Nazi volunteer’s of the Croatian Irregular Fascist forces with 6 T-55 tanks, along with small amounts of arms.
Most of the Neo-Nazi’s wanting to feel closer to their Nazi heroes, wore the uniforms of the Waffen SS into battle. This little known fact is what got me interested in finding out what the Neo-Nazi’s did during the conflict and what became of them. Imagine, almost 50 years after WWII ended, Nazi’s were once again waging a war in Europe, albeit a small part. Even going to the point of wearing the uniforms of one the world’s most notorious organisations.
As I have said, there are few details available on this and no photographic evidence. (Made public anyway, the Croat sources have said they’ve seen photos from locals and foreign mercenaries with the Neo-Nazi legion in full WWII period uniforms standing in front of their HQ, which was flying the Swastika.)
Here a some interesting excerpts from some publications…
A great source was the autobiography of Ingo Hasselbach, ‘Führer – Ex’. It tells of the part he played in the recruitment and deployment of the troops. –
Excerpt:
“The way it worked was first through a word-of-mouth network. We had to be careful about doing any advertising because hiring mercenaries was strictly illegal in the Federal Republic. It was simply known in the scene that you could go to Croatia, if fighting was your trip and that in Berlin I was one of the contacts. The other main contact people in Berlin were Arnulf Priem and Oliver Schweigert. Once we'd checked out recruits to make sure they weren't spies, we took them to a paramilitary camp to get tested and trained. We were mainly interested in whether they were physically fit to go down there. Mental fitness didn't interest us much.”
I also found this article in Searchlight magazine:
Excerpt:
In an article in the July-August ‘94 edition of the broadsheet: New Order, a US Neo-Nazi relates how the NSDAP-AO receives letters from German Nazi volunteers in Croatia who, according to the published letter, ‘belong to an independent unit’.
Also in on the act is the criminal Nazi Ewald Althans, who has set himself the role of fund raiser both to finance his leadership contest and to help publicize the Neo-Nazi involvement in Croatia.
Althans issued a press release in May ‘94 touting "spectacular action photos for sale". The photos on offer, more than 100 in all, "document Neo-Nazi volunteers fighting in Yugoslavia on behalf of Croatian forces as well as Neo-Nazi involvement in Iraq."
Althans asking price is $5000 and he further offers contacts with the Neo-Nazi involved as well as video footage. Althans fund raising stunt is clearly part of an international drive: the contact telephone and fax numbers on the press release belong to the Toronto based Auschwitz liar and criminal Ernst Zundel, with whom Althans was residing in May and June.
This excerpt is from an article printed in the San Francisco Chronicle in May 1994.
Volunteers sent back glowing reports about their enthusiastic reception in Bosnia by their comrades-in-arms of the HOS, a welcome complete with "Heil Hitler" salutes and the waving of swastika flags. Some also found their way to regular paramilitary units of the Bosnian/Croat army and were accorded an equally warm welcome.
Much of what is known has come from Wolfgang Niederreiter, a
23-year-old unemployed Austrian upholsterer and one time Neo-Nazi who until late last year fought as a volunteer with ‘irregular fascist Croatian forces’ in Bosnia. Now in hiding in the Alps, he is being hunted as a deserter and traitor by both his former comrades in Bosnia and Austrian/German Neo-Nazis.
"I know they are out to get me, and if either of them catch me, my life won't be worth a Croatian dinar," the slightly built Niederreiter said in a recent TV interview in his native Hallein, a small town near
Salzburg.
Niederreiter rounded out his TV appearance by passionately warning
Austrian youth from ever getting mixed up in the Neo-Nazi scene.
I’m trying to find out more on this report by contacting Austrian news stations, along with requesting from the BBC, a copy of a documentary originally screened in 1994 –
The Inside Story - ‘dogs of war’, which is said to have footage of the Neo-Nazi’s in battle.
This is all the information I have on the subject at the moment, but this is enough to make me believe that it’s much more than an ‘urban legend’ as some experts have told me. So I’m hoping someone on these boards can help me find out more. I’m always after more information about this subject, but what I’m really looking for is photographic evidence of the Neo-Nazi ‘Foreign Legion’ in WWII period uniforms. These are what I’m hoping to find. But any information will be greatly appreciated!
I hope you guys can help me out on this subject, I believe asking experts such as yourselves will lead to something interesting. Whew, that’s a long post…
I'll open another thread in the photos and video section for people to post their finds. But any information can be posted here. Thanks once again