Norwegian SS-volunteers from the Freiwilligen Legion Norwegen at the Leningrad front in 1942.

The Norwegian Legion numbered 1900 men and had a total of 180 casualties at Leningrad.

Leningrad

Soldiers of the Emperor Haile Selassie's Imperial Guard on parade, c. 1935.  In the midst of the fractious tribal/regional patchwork of regional and tribal rivalries in the Abyssinian Empire, the Imperial Guard was a vital focus of stability.  It was in effect the Emperor's personal military corps, a (relatively) well-equipped and well-trained force that had a crucial role in preserving Haile Selassie in power in the face of numerous palace coups and regional uprisings in the years leading up to the Italian invasion.  It did provide a solid loyal core for the somewhat ramshackle Abyssinian Army - but not remotely sufficient to counterbalance the overall deficiencies of the Abyssinian forces in facing the Italian invaders.  Best regards, JR.

Haile Selassie's élite.


Belgian soldiers surrender to the Germans at the bridge at Veldwezelt,Belgium 11 May 1940.
Bundesarchiv