American Free Corps
Encyclopedia
The American Free Corps, also called the George Washington Brigade, was a unit of the Waffen-SS
. It was composed of recruits, mostly United States prisoner of war.
The most famous propagandist associated with the American Free Corps was Second Lieutenant Martin James Monti, who defected from the US Army Air Corps on 13 October 1944, and worked as a broadcaster under the pseudonym Martin Wiethaupt, his mother's maiden name. After the war he was sentenced to 25 years for treason but was released in 1960.
Pierre de La Ney du Vair, a Frenchman born in Holcomb, Missouri, was a Captain in the French anti-Bolshevik Légion des Volontaires Français contre le Bolchevisme. He arranged for Monti to be released from jail by the Germans. He was killed in an allied air-attack on a train bound for Mehltheur, Vogtland, Germany on April 11, 1945.
in his novels Slaughterhouse Five and Mother Night
. Vonnegut had been a prisoner of war in Dresden
and had seen, or heard of, recruiting efforts by members of the British Free Corps
who were based in the city at that time. The unit also appears in the novels The Eagle Has Flown
and The Valhalla Exchange by Jack Higgins
.
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
. It was composed of recruits, mostly United States prisoner of war.
History
In reality, the German authorities made no effort to create an exclusive unit of American volunteers, although a plan to do so was on the drawing board. Nevertheless, it is certainly the case that a small number of United States nationals did serve in the German Armed Forces in various units, including the Waffen-SS. Information about them remains fragmentary and no real effort was made by the US authorities to investigate the matter and trace the volunteers after the war, as opposed to the efforts by other countries like Britain. It is documented that around eight Americans serving in the German armed forces were killed in action by May 1940.The most famous propagandist associated with the American Free Corps was Second Lieutenant Martin James Monti, who defected from the US Army Air Corps on 13 October 1944, and worked as a broadcaster under the pseudonym Martin Wiethaupt, his mother's maiden name. After the war he was sentenced to 25 years for treason but was released in 1960.
Pierre de La Ney du Vair, a Frenchman born in Holcomb, Missouri, was a Captain in the French anti-Bolshevik Légion des Volontaires Français contre le Bolchevisme. He arranged for Monti to be released from jail by the Germans. He was killed in an allied air-attack on a train bound for Mehltheur, Vogtland, Germany on April 11, 1945.
American Free Corps in popular culture
This unit was cited by the author Kurt VonnegutKurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
in his novels Slaughterhouse Five and Mother Night
Mother Night
Mother Night is a novel by American author Kurt Vonnegut, first published in 1961. The title of the book is taken from Goethe's Faust....
. Vonnegut had been a prisoner of war in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
and had seen, or heard of, recruiting efforts by members of the British Free Corps
British Free Corps
During World War II, the British Free Corps was a unit of the consisting of British and Dominion prisoners of war who had been recruited by the Nazis. The unit was originally known as The Legion of St...
who were based in the city at that time. The unit also appears in the novels The Eagle Has Flown
The Eagle Has Flown
The Eagle Has Flown is a book by Jack Higgins, first published in 1991. It is a quasi-sequel to The Eagle Has Landed, with a similar plot structure, but an arguably weaker storyline.-Plot summary:...
and The Valhalla Exchange by Jack Higgins
Jack Higgins
Jack Higgins is the principal pseudonym of UK novelist Harry Patterson. Patterson is the author of more than 60 novels. As Higgins, most have been thrillers of various types and, since his breakthrough novel The Eagle Has Landed in 1975, nearly all have been bestsellers...
.