Řád Azad Hind

Date of creation : 1942

Awarded by the indian volunteers fighting alongside the Axis powers. Gave her sahib Chandra Bose, which the Axis of the support.

Existed at the following levels :

Azad Hind "Martyr of the Fatherland" ("Märtyrer vom Vaterland" / "Shahid-e-Bharat") - bronze medal
Azad Hind "Martyr of the Fatherland" - stříbrnná medal
Azad Hind "Martyr of the Fatherland" - gold medal
Azad Hind "Hero of India" ("Held von Indien" / "Vir-e-Hind") - the star of the second class
Azad Hind "Leader in Battle" ("Führer des Schlacht" / "Sardar-e-Jang") - the star of the first class
Azad Hind "Tiger of India" ("Tiger von Indien" / "Sher-e-Hind") - a big star.

.

The indian legion is associated with the name of the revolutionary was Subhas Chandra Bare , a lawyer ( he studied at Cambridge ) and a certain time was also the mayor of Calcutta .

For Indians, however, in the "pure" germanic lordly companies certainly the place was not . Nevertheless , or just therefore , formed the unit called :

THE INDIAN LEGION .


Bose was the beginning of the war under house arrest , but 17 . January 1941 to him for the help of agents of the Abwehr managed to escape and move to Afghanistan . Here again, German agents helped to get Barefoot to the border with the Soviet union . Agents of the NKVD transported him to Moscow . Bose in Moscow for their unrealistic plans did not find understanding and was with the help of the German ambassador at Moscow ( count von der Schulenberg ) in April 1941 and sent a special courier letedlem from Moscow to Berlin and under the tacit approval of the Soviets .

In April 1941 Rommelův Africa-Korps in the battle of Mechili in Libya Cyrenaice captured a large part of the 3 . motorized indian brigade . On the use of prisoners considered by the Italians , but they failed .

The first attempt to own the recruitment , carried out by the Germans with the support of Barefoot has brought certain achievements because they signed up 27 officers and about 10 000 indian volunteers .

Communication and German arrogance , which the Germans showed to the people whose culture they did not understand has led only to the fact that the soldiers were undisciplined , unruly, and about the war in Europe on the German side interest definitely not .

Despite these problems, however, soldiers – volunteers 26 . August 1942 swore an oath to Adolf Hitler . The unit has received your war banner , which was decorated in orange color with white inscription "AZAD" , the bottom in the color green with the inscription "the HINDU" . The middle part of the battalion was white with a picture of a tiger in a jump . Such a label at the same time, members of the legion also wore on the sleeve of the uniform . Oath to, inter alia, participated in the Japanese military delegation , which followed with interest the possibility of using the Indian legion on the asian battlefield .

In August 1942, are members of the Indian legion included into the German army with the designation as the 950 . infantry regiment ( indian ) . All officers of the unit and most of the non-commissioned officers, however, are the Germans . In the final stage of the regiment 2593 men . Only at the end of October 1943, it is certain the indian soldiers recognized the officer's rank .
After the defeat at Stalingrad and the victory of the British in Africa the self-proclaimed indian "president" Bose disappearing from the political scene , but thousands of deceived the Indians fighting for their survival for your life .

Legion commander lieutenant colonel Kurt Krappe he was a former member of the German colonial troops , your Indy handled carefully and thoughtfully . In the autumn of 1944, however, Hitler transferred to Himmler command of all the immigration of the volunteer formations, and so the Indians officially on 8 . August 1944 in Heubergu became the Indian legion weapons the SS ( Waffen-SS ) , at the same time the commander of the unit becomes SS – Oberführer Heinz Bertling .

Even in march 1945 the unit has 2300 men and is very heavily armed . In April, the Indian legion very quickly and I gave up the american army and French troops . The French, however, correctly did not want to obey, and before the Indians gave the British command , a few dozen Indians without judgment shot . Those who survived were in 1946 in captivity , but already in the course of the year 1946 are released .

Indian soldiers may have been members of the SS , but never and nowhere is there a report about their brutality and violence ..

Subhas Boss personally planted on the establishment of the honours which were intended for soldiers of the Indian units and their officers , namely the Germans .

A decoration is based according to the model of the German medal and the order , which was founded in 1942 and it was called the order of the Azide Hindu . This interesting control further členil on the group , which was supplemented by the sword, and was intended as a medal for their bravery in the battles against the enemy .

Order without accessories of swords was designed to deserving volunteers , diplomats and other soldiers and officials who had the credit of the "Free India" , but were not directly involved in the fighting at the front .

The structure of the code :

The star of the order of AZAD HIND was divided into :

1 . class Sher-e-Hind – (Indian tiger )

2 . class Vir-e-Hind – (Battle commander )

3. medal of Vir-e-Hind ( Hero of India )

4 . medal of Shahid – e-Bharat ( Martyr of the motherland )


Medal of subdividing the silver , bronze and gold decoration . All embedded images of the order's decorations are just a copy ( COPY ) . These novoděly are offered for sale in auction houses . In respect of the products of the fifties, made for the needs of collectors. . The originals are rare , or have been destroyed . However, it is necessary to say , that there is no "crown jewels" for the award under the Indian legion was abundant, and it is possible to conclude what the legionnaire's two orders of Azad Hind .


Literature :
Von Fenstein : the Indian volunteer legion of the Waffen SS ( www.valka.cz )
Kurt G. Klietmann : Auszeichnung des Deutschen Reichs 1936-1945
Litlejohn :Foreign Legion of the Third Reich Vol.

Note:
Pictures from a sales catalog inserted with the consent of the owner. Prices on request I will provide ..