Among the approximately one million foreign volunteers and conscripts who served in the Wehrmacht during World War II were ethnic Belgians, Czechs, Dutch, Finns, Danes, French, Hungarians, Norwegians, Poles, Portuguese, Swedes, Swiss along with people from Great Britain, Ireland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Balkans. At least 47,000 Spaniards served in the Blue Division.
Some estimates state anywhere between 600,000 and 1,400,000 Soviet citizens (Russians and other non-Russian ethnic minorities) joined the Wehrmacht forces as Hiwis (or Hilfswillige). The Ukrainian collaborationist forces were composed of an estimated number of 180,000 volunteers serving with units scattered all over Europe. Russian émigrés and defectors from the Soviet Union formed the Russian Liberation Army or fought as Hilfswillige within German units of the Wehrmacht primarily on the Eastern Front. Non-Russians from the Soviet Union formed the Ostlegionen (literally "Eastern Legions"). The East Battalions comprized a total of 175,000 personnel. These units were all commanded by General Ernst August Köstring (1876−1953). A lower estimate for the total number of foreign volunteers that served in the entire German armed forces (including the Waffen SS) is 350,000.
These units were often under the command of German officers and some published their own propaganda newssheets.
List of units
Soviet Union
Croatia
Middle East
Legion Freies Arabien (Arab volunteers) Deutsch-Arabische Lehr-Abteilung (Arab volunteers) Deutsch-Arabisches Bataillon Nr. 845 (Arab volunteers) Freiwilligen-Stamm-Regiment 1 (Turkish volunteers)
Azerbaijani, Georgian and Armenian volunteers
Armenische Legion (Armenian volunteers) Aserbaidschanische Legion (Azerbaijani volunteers) 30. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (Russische Nr. 2) Georgische Legion (Georgian volunteers) Freiwilligen-Stamm-Regiment 1 (Georgian volunteers) Freiwilligen-Stamm-Regiment 2 (Armenians & Azerbaijanis) Sonderverband Bergmann (Georgian and Azerbaijani volunteers) I. Sonderverband Bergmann Battalion (Georgian volunteers) III. Sonderverband Bergmann Battalion (Azerbaijani volunteers) SS-Waffengruppe Georgien (Georgian volunteers) SS-Waffengruppe Armenien (Armenian volunteers) SS-Waffengruppe Aserbaidschan (Azeri volunteers)
North Caucasian volunteers
Kaukasisch-Mohammedanische Legion (Azerbaijani, Circassian, Daghestani, Chechen, Ingush, and Lezghin volunteer units) Kaukasischer-Waffen-Verband der SS or Freiwilligen Brigade Nordkaukasien (volunteers from the North Caucasus region) Nordkaukasische Legion ("North Caucasian Legion" volunteers from the North Caucasus region) Freiwilligen-Stamm-Regiment 1 (North Caucasian volunteers) Sonderverband Bergmann (North Caucasian volunteers) II. Sonderverband Bergmann Battalion (North Caucasian volunteers) SS-Waffengruppe Nordkaukasus (North Caucasian volunteers; Chechens, Ingush & Dagestani)
Central Asian volunteers
162. (Turkistan) Infanterie-Division (Turkestani volunteers) Muselmanischen SS-Division Neu-Turkistan (Turkestani volunteers) Turkistanische Legion (volunteers from Central Asia; Uzbeks, Kazakhs & Turkmen) Böhler-Brigade (Turkestani volunteers) 1. Turkestanisches-Arbeits-Battalion (Turkestani volunteers) 2. Turkestanisches-Arbeits-Battalion (Turkestani volunteers) 3. Turkestanisches-Arbeits-Battalion (Turkestani volunteers) Osttürkischer Waffen-Verband der SS or 1. Ostmuselmanisches SS-Regiment (Central Asia volunteers) Turkestanisches-Arbeits-Ersatz-Battalion (Turkestani volunteers) Waffen-Gruppe Turkistan (Central Asian volunteers)
Kalmykian volunteers
Kalmüken Verband Dr. Doll (Kalmykian volunteers) Abwehrtrupp 103 (Kalmykian volunteers) Kalmücken Legion or Kalmücken-Kavallerie-Korps (Kalmykian volunteers)
Tatar volunteers
Tatar Legion
SS-Waffengruppe Idel-Ural (Turkic volunteers from Volga/Ural area) Waffen-Gebirgs-Brigade der SS (Tatar Nr. 1) (Tatar volunteers) 30. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (Russische Nr. 2) (Armenian & Tatar volunteer units) Wolgatatarische Legion (Volga Tatars but also other volunteers from the region) Tataren-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment der SS (Crimean Tatar volunteers) Waffen-Gruppe Krim (Crimean Tatar volunteers) Schutzmannschaft Battalion (Crimean Tatar volunteers)