The 361st Africa Infantry Regiment (Infanterie-Regiment Afrika 361) was a unit of the German Army (Wehrmacht) which served with the 90th Africa Division of the Africa Corps in the Western Desert campaign. It was constituted from Germans who had formerly been members of the French Foreign Legion before the Battle of France (1940).
In the aftermath of the Battle of France in May–June 1940, the German Armistice Commission exercised pressure on Vichy France to repatriate Germans serving in its forces in French North Africa. Although the Legion established significant obstacles to prevent repatriation, some Germans did volunteer out of fear of incurring worse sanctions from the Nazi regime if they refused.[1] According to the historian Douglas Porch, "most of these men must have been legionnaires of fairly ancient vintage, as those Germans coming into the Legion after 1934 were increasingly Jews and other political refugees who would not have risked repatriation".[2]
Initially formed as the 361st Africa Regiment and used for military labour, it was armed and re-designated as an infantry regiment in April 1942 and was close to the fighting at the Battle of Bir Hakeim in which the 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion (13 DBLE) fought for the Free French.[2]
References[]
- ↑ Porch 1991, p. 489.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Porch 1991, p. 490.
Bibliography[]
- Porch, Douglas (1991). The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-43427-7.
The original article can be found at 361st Infantry Regiment (Wehrmacht) and the edit history here.