The Dual System of Communist ‘Party-States’
Inter-War treaties of Non-Aggression and/or Neutrality, 1925–39
1925 | USSR–TURKEY. | Paris, 17 December 1925, renewed 1929, 1931. |
1926 | USSR–GERMANY. USSR–AFGHANISTAN. USSR–LITHUANIA. | Berlin, 24 April 1926, renewed 1931. Pahgman, 31 August 1926, renewed 1931. Moscow, 28 September 1926. |
1927 | USSR–LATVIA. USSR–PERSIA. | Riga, initialled 9 March 1927. Moscow, 1 October 1927. |
1928 | GREECE–ROMANIA. ITALY–TURKEY. GREECE–ITALY. | Geneva, 21 March 1928. Rome, 30 May 1928. Rome, 23 September 1928. |
1929 | GREECE–YUGOSLAVIA. | Belgrade, 27 March 1929. |
1930 | GREECE–TURKEY. | Ankara, 30 October 1930. |
1932 | USSR–FINLAND. USSR–POLAND. USSR–LATVIA. USSR–ESTONIA. USSR–FRANCE. | Moscow, 21 January 1932. Moscow, initialled 25 January 1932, signed 25 July 1932, renewed 5 May 1934. Riga, 5 February 1932. Moscow, 4 May 1932. Paris, 29 November 1932. |
1933 | USSR–ITALY. ROMANIA–TURKEY. TURKEY–YUGOSLAVIA. | Rome, 2 September 1933. Ankara, 17 October 1933. Belgrade, 27 November 1933. |
1934 | GERMANY–POLAND. | Berlin, 26 January 1934. |
1939 | PORTUGAL–SPAIN. GERMANY–USSR. | Madrid, 18 March 1939. Moscow, 23 August 1939. |
General Pacts
1925 | THE LOCARNO TREATIES, 16 October 1925. (1) Treaties of Guarantee of the Franco-German and the Belgian-German Frontiers. (2) Arbitration Treaties between Germany and France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. (3) Treaties of Mutual Guarantee by France, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. |
1928 | TREATY FOR THE RENUNCIATION OF WAR AS AN INSTRUMENT OF NATIONAL POLICY (The Briand-Kellogg Pact), Paris, 27 August 1928: signed by Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, USA. GENERAL ACT FOR THE PACIFIC SETTLEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES: General Assembly of the League of Nations, Geneva, 26 September 1928 . |
1933 | LONDON CONVENTIONS DEFINING AGGRESSION: 3 July, Afghanistan, Estonia, Latvia, Persia, Poland, Romania, Turkey, USSR. 4 July, Lithuania, USSR. 5 July, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Yugoslavia, USSR (joined by Finland, 23 July 1933) |
1934 | BALKAN PACT OF MUTUAL GUARANTEE, Athens, 9 February 1934: signed by Greece, Romania, Turkey, Yugoslavia. |
The Rise of Nazi Power, 1933–43
The Spanish Civil War, 1936–39
The International Brigades in Spain, 1936–9
Formed | No. | Name | Battalions | Principal initial composition |
Oct. 1936 | XI | Hans Belmler (later Thaelmann) | 1 Edgar André 2 Commune de Paris (later transferred to IB XIV) 3 Dombrowsky (transferred to IB XII) | German Franco-Belgian Polish |
Nov. 1936 | XII | Garibaldi | 1 Thaelmann (transferred to IB XI) 2 Garibaldi 3 André Marty | German Italian Franco-Belgian |
Dec. 1936 | XIII | – | 1 Louise Michel (transferred to IB XIV) 2 Chapiaer (transferred to IB 129) 3 Henri Vuillemin (transferred to IB XIV) 4 Mickiewicz (Palafox) | Franco-Belgian Balkan French |
Dec. 1936 | XIV | Marseillaise | 1 Nine Nations Battalion (transferred to IB XI.2) 2 Domingo Germinal 3 Henri Barbusse 4 Pierre Brachet | Spanish Anarchist French French |
Dec.1937 | XV | Lincoln-Washington | 1 Dimitrov (transferred to IB 129) 2 British 3 Lincoln, Washington 4 Sixth of February (transferred to IB XIV) | British USA French |
June/July 1937 | ‘150’ ‘129’ | – – | 1 Rakosi 2 – (transferred to IB XIII) 1 Masaryk 2 Dajakovich 3 Dimitrov | Hungarian Czechoslovak Bulgarian Yugoslav/Albanian |
| –(attached to the 86th Brigade) | | Col. Morandi Battalion | Mixed |
The Waffen-SS Divisions, 1933–45
Number | Designation | Name | Formation | Recruitment |
I | SS-PD | Lelbstandarte Adolf Hitler | 1933– | SS Panzer Regt. 1 |
II | SS-PD | Das Reich (initially Deutschland) | 1939 | SS Verfügungsgruppe (Special task force) |
III | SS-PD | Totenkopf | 1939 | Totenkopfverbände (KL guards); Politische Bereitschafte (Political Readiness Group) |
IV | SS-PgD | Polizei | 1939 | Militarized Police |
V | SS-PD * | Wiking (initially Germania) | 1940 | Nordland Regt. (Danes and Norwegians); Westland Regt. (Flemings/Dutch; Finnish Battalion) |
VI | SS-GbD ** | Nord | 1941 | Kampfgruppe ‘Nord’ |
VII | SS-FGbD** | Prinz Eugen | 1942 | Balkan Volksdeutsche recruits |
VIII | SS-KD | Florian Geyer | 1941 | SS Totenkopf Reitenstandarte |
1X | SS-PD | Hohenstaufen | 1942 | German conscripts |
X | SS-PD | Frundsberg | 1943 | German conscripts |
XI | SS-FPgD* | Nordland | 1943 | Norwegian and Danish Legions; SS Wiking |
XII | SS-PD | Hitlerjugend | 1943 | 17-year-old Hitler Youth volunteers |
XIII | WGbD der SS* | Handschar | 1943 | Bosnian Muslims |
XIV | WGD der SS* | Galizien (Ukralnische 1) | 1943 | West Ukrainians |
XV | WGD der SS* | (Lettische No.1) | 1943 | Latvian Legion |
XVI | SS-PgD | Relchsführer-SS | 1943 | SS Escort Battalion |
XVII | SS-PgD | Götz von Berchlingen | 1943 | Wehrmacht (France) |
XVIII | SS-PgD** | Horst Wessel | 1944 | Hungarian Volksdeutsche + |
XIX | WGD der SS* | (Lettische No. 2) | 1944 | Latvian Legion |
XX | WGD der SS* | (Estnische No. 1) | 1943 | Estonian Legion |
XXI | WGbD der SS* † | Skanderbeg | 1944 | Albanian Muslims |
XXII | FKD der SS** | Maria Theresa | 1944 | Hungarian Volksdeutsche + Veterans of SS-VIII |
XXIII | WGbD der SS*† | Kama (Kroatische No. 2) (disbanded) | 1943 | Croatians and Bosnian Muslims |
XXIII | FPgD der SS* | Niederiand/Nederland | 1944 | Dutch Legion |
XXIV | WGbDt | Karstjäger | 1943 | Karstwehr Security Battalion (Italy) |
XXV | WGD der SS*† | Hunyadl (Ungarische No.1) | 1944 | Hungarians |
XXVI | WGD der SS*† | (Ungarische No. 2) | 1944 | Hungarians |
XXVII | SS-FGD*† | Langemarck (Vlanderen 1) | 1944 | Flemish Legion |
XXVIII | SS-FGD*† | Walloien | 1944 | Walloon Legion |
XXIX | SS-FGD* | (Russische No. 1) (disbanded) | 1944 | Kaminski Brigade; ex-Soviet POWs |
XXIX | WGD der SS*† | (Italienische No.1) | 1945 | Ex-Italian Army |
XXX | WGD der SS* | (Russische No. 2) | 1944 | Ex-Soviet POWs |
XXXI | SS-FPgD**† | Böhmen-Mähren | 1944 | Bohemia and Moravia |
XXXII | SS-FPgD* | 30 Januar | 1945 | Courland |
XXXIII | WKD der SS*† | (Ungarische No. 3) (disbanded) | 1944 | Hungarians |
XXXIII | WGD der SS* | Charlemagne (Französische No. 1) | 1944 | Lègion Volontaire Française |
XXXIV | SS-FGD*† | Landstorm Nederlands | 1944 | Dutch volunteers |
XXXV | SS-GD† | Polizei(No.2) | 1944 | (As SS-IV) |
XXXVI | WGD der SS | — | 1944 | Dirlewanger Brigade |
XXXVII | SS-FKD† | Lützow | 1944 | |
XXXVIII | SS-GD† | Nibelungen | 1945 | Bad Tölz Cadet School |
XXXIX | GbD der SS† | Andreas Hofer | 1945 | formation incomplete |
XL | SS-FPgD† | Feldhermhalle | 1945 | formation incomplete |
XLI | WGD der SS | Kalevala (Finnische No. 1) | 1945 | formation incomplete |
XLII | SS-D† | Niedersachsen | 1945 | formation incomplete |
XLIII | SS-D† | Reichsmarschall | 1945 | formation incomplete |
XLIV | SS-D† | Wallenstein | 1945 | formation incomplete |
XLV | SS-D† | Warager | 1945 | formation incomplete |