flak helpers in Germany

[maxpower]

Did Germany recruit Romanians for flak defenses in the defence iof the Reich?

[Dénes]

Rumanians certainly not. Perhaps ethnic Germans (Volksdeutsche) from Transylvania.

Gen. Dénes

[sid guttridge]

Hi Maxpower,

Romania already had the third highest concentration of German flak in Europe around the Ploiesti oil fields. (Only Berlin and the Ruhr apparently had more). The Germans therefore had a strong interest in deploying Romanian flak inside Romania. In fact by 1944 there were at least as many German-supplied Romanian-manned flak guns around the Ploiesti oil fields as there was German-manned flak.

Other countries were involved in supplying Germany with flak crews. The Croats sent a brigade. The Slovaks were contracted to do the same in late 1943, but the men proved so reluctant that the plan had to be abandoned in late 1943 after a virtual mutiny. Italian crews continued to man their own flak in Northern Italy to the end of the war and Vichy French flak was co-opted to defend their own turf in southern France in 1943. However, when the Germans tried to move ex-Vichy flak to northern France they faced such lack of co-operation that they disbanded the batteries concerned.

Cheers,

Sid.

[maxpower]

Thank you so very very much! The info is very exciting & interesting!
Sincerly Thanx a million
John