| Auxiliary volunteer | |
|---|---|
| Hilfswilliger, Hiwi | |
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-004-3632-24,_Russland,_einheimische_Freiwillige_der_Wehrmacht.jpg) Russia, January 1942, two former Soviet soldiers in the German Wehrmacht army, decorated with the General Assault Badge | |
| Active | 1941–1944 |
| Country | Occupied Soviet Union, Eastern Front (World War II), occupied Poland |
| Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
| Branch | &sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:War_Ensign_of_Germany_(1938%E2%80%931945).svg){kind=small} Wehrmacht &sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Flag_of_the_Schutzstaffel.svg){kind=small} Schutzstaffel |
| Type | Auxiliary forces |
| Size | 600,000 (in 1944) |
| Nickname(s) | Hiwi, Askari |
Hiwi ([ˈhiːviː]), the German abbreviation of the word Hilfswilliger or, in English, auxiliary volunteer, designated, during World War II, a member of different kinds of voluntary auxiliary forces made up of recruits indigenous to the territories of Eastern Europe occupied by Nazi Germany.[1] Adolf Hitler reluctantly agreed to allow recruitment of Soviet citizens in the Rear Areas during Operation Barbarossa.[2] In a short period of time, many of them were moved to combat units.
- ^ Grasmeder, Elizabeth M.F. "Leaning on Legionnaires: Why Modern States Recruit Foreign Soldiers". International Security. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Thomaswas invoked but never defined (see the help page).