Max von Mad's WWII Repository

3:15 PM

It took me a very long time to prepare myself for this review. Maybe it's a Xmas magic that let me cover thoughts about this site in a humble review. Where to start? History, I presume. Few Steel Panthers game enthusiasts felt uneasy sharing their thoughts about the game at Matrix Games Forums, and one brave warrior, Bernie, started this project as a independent platform for sharing opinions. It was over 5 years ago and since then, Forums became most visited and renowned site for Steel Panthers and finally it was rewarded by Matrix Games,a status of official game site.

Even though, game might look outdated for some, it's community is one of the liveliest I've ever seen, and The Depot is definietely the den of good, bad and evil dawgs. It offers very warm welcome to newbies along with advice on any topic SPWAW related, and very often, much more. Anyone is allowed to join Depot Academy for free. That's a learning facility with several levels of proficiency to improve your gameplay. Instructors are always there to answer questions and provide you with their broad tactical knowledge. The Depot is also a place for exchanging thoughts on how to improve the game itself. Specialist of many different sorts are working there to make SPWAW even better. Members are welcomed to participate in this process, creating new maps, scenarios, campaigns and also correcting units database (OOB). Many of Depot's members also take part in SPWAW ENHanced project, new mode with many important updates. More info at ENH Forums.

Another great advantage of this community is ability of joining League Divisions that allows you to play friendly Play By E-Mail (PBEM) campaigns with other members.

Last but not least to mention, is an atmosphere of friendship, where no question is too stupid, and no topic is concidered taboo. It went to such an extent, that members are exchanging holiday postcards and gifts.

No matter if you are yet unfamiliar with SPWAW or already an experienced commander, The Depot is a place for you to be.

This short review I've prepared for three reasons: first - I admire author's scenario design skills, second - he is a member of SPWAW Depot Forum and he is well known there for being extremely friendly and helpful. Third reason - exchange of favours, he placed Repository's banner in his blog, thank you Henk.

Now to the merit. This blog is a an offspring of previous SPWAW Fort site that I didn't have luck to see before it was shut down. But now Fort has a form of blog and I hope it will be kept updated (not really worried since Dutchiexx is a very active designer).

Few words of explanation here: SP:WaW - Steel Panthers World at War is a turn based, tactic level, military WW II game. World at War version was designed by Matrix Games on the base of previous SP versions. It has a big and productive community involved in improving the game and creating new scenarios and campaigns. IMO best place to start is SPWAW Depot.

But coming back to the SP:WaW Fort, its main contents are SPWAW scenarios including newest - "Wiking At Mius". There are links placed to offsites for quick download of scenarios. I might be wrong, must consult it with Henk, but I think he created much more great scenarios than those placed in a Fort. I hope those would find a place there as well. Except for scenario files with descriptions there is a place for author's favourite war books and movies, also some with review.

So If you are looking for exciting, new scenarios for SPWAW, you need to search no more, you'll find them in Fort's downloads section. Keep observing the blog because every so often there's a new goodie posted.

This topic is of a kind that is not only interesting but also controversial, foreign volunteers in Nazi Germany Army, mostly in Waffen SS Corps. Those of Ostlegion were probably most colourful part of Nazi German army. For further research check: vikipedia and feldgrau.com

Here you have lots of shields belonging to different countries, ethnic and religious groups that participated in Waffen SS Corps. Please help me to identify unknown ones and send me links to the ones that you know about, not listed here. All below pictures are published in Russian Imperial Awards website.

Wallons

Russian Liberation Army

Unknown 9

Unknown 7

Unknown 6 (Russia?)

Unknown 5 (France?)

Unknown4

Unknown3

Unknown 2

Unknown 1

Ukrainian UWW?

Ukrainian

Turkistan

Terek Cossacks

Tatars

Russia

PSW? Cossacks

Norway

North Caucasus

Latvia

Lappland (part of Finland)

Kuban Cossacks

Russian National Liberation Army (Russkaya Osvoboditelnaya Narodnaya Armiya, RONA)

India

Hungary

Georgia

Free Arabs

France

Estonia

Don Cossacks

Bulgaria

Berg Kaukasien (Caucasian Highlanders?)

Azerbaijan

Armenia

More shields (replicas this time) from www.historama.com :

RONA

Denmark

Walons

Albania

Flanders

Croatia

ROA

Finnland

Hungary

More shields replicas from www.epicmilitaria.com :

Byelarus

Belgium

Estonia

Italy

Turkistan

Terek Cossacks

Don Cossacks

Ukraine

Lithuania

Spain

Hungary

Galicia

Dutch (Flanders)

Dutch

British

Few posters inviting to join Frei Korps, from Wikipedia:

More posters taken from: http://www.frontkjemper.info

Video -WWII Norwegian Police joining Waffen SS HERE

Video -Waffen SS Viking HERE

Slideshow -anthem of Norldand Division HERE

Slideshow -Estonian Narwa Battalion HERE

Slideshow -Danish Waffen SS HERE

Slideshow - The Flandern Legion HERE

Here's a list of volunteer units that took part in Waffen SS (with amount of people in each unit), all data from polish Vikipedia :

Albania - 3000 - 21 Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS "Skanderbeg

Belgium (Flemish) - 23 000 - 5. SS-Panzer-Division „Wiking“, 27. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division „Langemarck“

Belgium (Wallons) - 15 000 - 5. SS-Panzer-Division „Wiking“, 28. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division „Wallonien“

British - 50 - Britisches Freikorps

Bulgaria - 200-1000 (?) - Panzer-Zerstörerbrigade (bulgarian)

Croatia - 30 000 - 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division „Prinz Eugen“, 13. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS „Handschar“, 23. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS „Kama“

Denmark - 10 000 - Dänische SS-Einheiten, 5. SS-Panzer-Division „Wiking“, 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division „Nordland“

India - 3500 - Indische Legion

Estonia - 20 000 - 20. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (estnische Nr. 1)

Finland - 1000 - Finnisch Freikorps

Hungary - 15 000 (?) - 22. SS-Freiwilligen-Kavallerie-Division (ungarische Nr. 1), 25. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS „Hunyadi“, 26. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (ungarische Nr. 2)

Latvia - 39 000 - 15. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (lettische Nr. 1), 19. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (lettische Nr. 2)

Netherlands - 50 000 - 5. SS-Panzer-Division „Wiking“, 23. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division „Nederland“, 34. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division „Landstorm Nederland“

Norway - 6000 - Freiwilligen Legion Norwegen, 5. SS-Panzer-Division „Wiking“, 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division „Nordland“

France - 8000 - 33. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS „Charlemagne“

Italy - 20 000 - 29. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (italienische Nr. 1)

Ukraine (Galitzie) - 25 000 - 14. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (galizische Nr. 1)

USSR (Russians, Belyarussians) - 12 000 - 29. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS „RONA“, 30. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (weißruthenische Nr. 1)

USSR (Cossacks) - 40 000-50 000 (?) - XV. Kosaken-Kavallerie-Korps

USSR (Tatars, Azers, Turkmens, Kirgizis, Uzbeks) - 8000 - Waffen-Gebirgs-Brigade der SS (Tatarische Nr 1), Osttürkischen Waffen-Verbände der SS

Romania - 3000 - 103 Tank Destroyer Battalion

Serbia - 15 000 - 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division „Prinz Eugen“, 21. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS „Skanderbeg“, Serbisches Freiwilligenkorps

Spain - 1000 - 101 SS Volunteer Company, 3 Com-1 Bat-28. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division „Wallonien“

Sweden - 100-130 - 5. SS-Panzer-Division „Wiking“, 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division „Nordland“

Switzerland - 700-800 - 5. SS-Panzer-Division „Wiking“, 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division „Nordland“

This data does not cover smaller contingents form: Slovenia, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and few dozens of thousands of Polish volksdeutch (Polish citizens that declared to be Germans)

And here are shields of those divisions that were made of foreign volunteers, taken from www.germanmilitariacollectibles.com

A- 34th SS Gren Div "Landstorm Nederland"

B- 23rd Volunteer Panzer Gren Div. "Nederland"

C- 24th Waffen SS Mountain Div. "Karstjager"

D- 25th Waffen SS Gren Div. "Hungarian No. 2"

E- 26th Waffen SS Gren Div. "Hungarian No. 3"

F- 15th Waffen SS Gren Division "Latvian No. I"

G- 35th Pol Gren Division "Polizei Division 2"

H- 31st SS Frw Gren Division

I- SS Frw Gren Division "Bohmen-Mahren"

J- 32nd SS Volunteer Gren Division "January 30"

K- 33rd Waffen SS Gren Division "Charlemagne"

L- 11th Frw Panzer Gren Division "Nordland"

M- 5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking"

N- 36th Waffen SS Gren Division "Dirlewanger"

O- 19th Waffen SS Gren Division "Latvian No. II"

P- 20th Waffen SS Gren Division "Estonian No. I"

Q- 21st Waffen Geb Div der SS "Skanderbeg"

R- 22nd WW Frw Kav Division "Maria Theresa"

S- 6th SS Mountain Division "Nord"

T- 37th SS Vol Cavalry Division "Lutzow"

U- 27th SS Vol Gren Division "Flemish No. I"

V- 28th SS Vol Panzer Gren Division "Wallonie"

W- 29th Waffen SS Gren Division "Italian No. I"

X- 30th Waffen SS Gren Division "Russian No. II"

Y- 7th SS Vol Mountain Division "Prinz Eugen"

Z- 10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg"

AA- 38th SS Panzer Gren Division "Nibelungen"CC- 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" (Hitler Youth)

DD- LSSAH

EE- Liebstandarte SS

FF- 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen"

GG- 16th SS Panzer Gren Division "Reichsfuhrer SS"

HH- 17th SS Panzer Gren Division "Gotz von Berlichingen"

JJ- 18th SS Vol Panzer Gren Division "Horst Wessel"

KK- 13th SS Mountain Division "Handschar"

LL- 14th SS Waffen Gren Division "Galizische No. I"

MM- 8th SS Cavairy Division "Florian Geyer"

NN- 1st SS Panzer Division "Liebstandarte"

OO- 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich"

PP- 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf"

QQ- 4th SS Panzer Division "Polizei Division"

RR- Gross Deutschland Division