[Above: German American Bund parade in New York City on East 86th Street, October 30, 1939.]
[Above: German American Bund rally poster. This rally was held on February 20, 1939, in Madison Square Garden. Approximately 20,000 Americans attended this rally!]
[Above: German American Bund functionary salutes his audience in 1938. George Washington, America's first president, was hailed as 'the first Fascist'. Sound strange to you?
Take a look around America's court rooms and other government buildings, even the Oval Office, you'll find 'fasces' (the symbol of Fascism) aplenty, usually carved into marble nearly
a century ago. There is even a fasces on an American dime.]
[Above: This is a rally at Camp Seigfried, Long Island.]
[Above: This picture is of an American organization called 'Americans for Hitler'. It predated the German American Bund.]
[Above: An extravagant German American Bund rally.]
[Above: Letters from Americans not wanting to get involved in a European war poured into the senate mail room at a rate of more than 200,000 a day! Americans were overwhelmingly pro-neutrality during the first years of WW2. In 1940 president Roosevelt won reelection on the promise: "While I am talking to you mothers and fathers, I give you one more assurance. I
have said this before but I shall say it again and again and again. Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars." But he lied. The powers-that-be wanted nothing more than to destroy Germany. Like usual, the American government and media did everything they could
to get America involved in the war, eventually instigating the bombing of Pearl Harbor (which it is now admitted the president knew about before hand.)]
[Above: Here a giant postcard bears the peaceful sentiments of 700 Iowans who signed it and sent to their senator.]
[Above: Ezra Pound (October 30, 1885 – November 1, 1972). Often called the 'Father of Modern Poetry', although born in the territory of Idaho, Pound lived in England during WW1,
where he was outraged and disgusted by the millions of senseless deaths of the war. He blamed the war on usury and international capitalism. He moved to Italy in 1924 and throughout the 1930s and 1940s he supported Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. He also
wrote articles for the publication 'Action' which was owned by British Fascist Oswald Mosley. In Mosley's newspaper he wrote that the English were a slave race governed by the
Rothschilds since Waterloo.
Pound got a job as a broadcaster working for the Italian government during WW2, where he made hundreds of broadcasts. Pound wrote in 'The Japan Times' that 'Democracy is now
[Above: Ezra Pound's mugshot after being arrested by the Americans.]
Pound was arrested for treason by the United States after the war. He spent many months in detention in a U.S. military concentration camp in Pisa, where for twenty five days he was
locked in a 6X6 foot outdoor steel cage lit up all night by floodlights. There in what was known as the 'death cells' he endured isolation in the unrelenting heat, denied exercise, his
eyes inflamed by dust and dirt, no bed, no belt or shoelaces, and no communication with anyone, not even the guards. This barbarous treatment triggered a mental breakdown and he
was deemed unfit to stand trial. He would spend the next twelve years locked away in St. Elizabeths psychiatric hospital, released in 1958.
On May 8, 1945, the day Germany surrendered, while in captivity, he told the Philadelphia Record that Hitler was 'a Jeanne d'Arc, a saint'...
One cannot sum up the life and doings of Ezra Pound in a few paragraphs, volumes and volumes would be needed. But I'll end this with a quote from Ernest Hemingway about
[Above: Ezra Pound, free from the American dungeon.]
+ AUSTRALIA & SOUTH AFRICA +
[Above: Australian-German club in Adelaide South Africa celebrate the 50th birthday of Adolf Hitler, circa 1939.]
[Above: Sir Oswald Mosley]
The British Union of Fascists, founded in the early 1930's by Sir Oswald Mosley. He left his postitions as a member of British parliment and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to
form the B.U.F., which became a popular and formidable party. Quite a few notable personalities of Britain joined him, among them:
Major General J.F.C. Fuller, historian; Francis Yeats-Brown, the author; Lord Rothermere, the publisher of popular newspaper the Daily Mail; Sir Willian Morris, owner of Morris Motors; Sir Henry Deterding, chairman of the Dutch Oil Company; Viscount Lymington; Admiral Sir Barry Domville; B. Philby, a famous explorer; the Earl of Glasgow and Walter
Runciman, both brothers-in-law of Sir Thomas Inskip the Minster of Defense. Not to mention the great William Joyce, who became his propagandist.
Mosley met with various heads of state, including Adolf Hitler.
It is said that King Edward the VIII was a large financial supporter of the British Union of Fascists.
'Not on grounds of race or religion, but on the fundamental principal of Fascism, we declare that we will not tolerate an organized community within the state which owes allegiance not to Britain, but to another race in foreign countries... We shall not fight Germany again in a
Jewish quarrel.' -Oswald Mosley, October 1934, at Albert Hall
[Above: Sir Oswald Mosley addresses a meeting held in Albert Hall April 22, 1934. Approximately 10,000 attended, which at the time was one of the largest indoor political
[Above: Sir Oswald Mosley in Italy meeting Benito Mussolini.]
[Above: The British Union of Fascists march in London, circa 1939.]
[Above: William Joyce, propagandist for the B.U.F., was put to death for treason after the war even though he lived in Germany and had given up his British citizenship.
For what you ask? For a radio program!]
[Above: Margaret Joyce, William Joyce's wife and comrade. She did several programs for the German 'Reichsfundfunk' with her husband. Although Margaret was arrested by the British
after the war she was not charged with a crime.]
[Above: Diana Mosley, Oswald Mosley's wife]
[Above: Unity Valkyrie Mitford, Diana Mosley's sister. Unity was a friend of Adolf Hitler and a staunch supporter]
Click here to see more photographs of Oswald Mosley
Click here to see more photographs of Diana Mosley
Click here to see more photographs of Unity Mitford.
Click here to see more photographs of the British Union of Fascists
+ SWEDEN +
There are several different estimates by historians regarding the numbers of Swedish volunteers to the Axis war effort. Most estimates place the number between 150 and 330. These brave men, leaving behind the safety of their neutral country, served in the 5th SS- Panzer Division Wiking, the 11th SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division Nordland and
the 23rd SS-Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division Nederland. Valiant Swedes were even amongst the last defenders of Berlin.
[Above: Heinrich Himmler during a visit to the Sennheim camp inspecting Swedish volunteers. Circa Autumn 1943.]
[Above: Sven-Olov Lindholm, leader of the 'Swedish National Socialistiska Arbetare Partiet', or NSAP.]
[Above: Indoor NSAP meeting]
Click here to see more pictures of the NSAP
+ SWITZERLAND +
Between 700 and 800 Swiss volunteers served in the Waffen-SS, approximately 300 of them being killed in action. Most served in the SS-Panzer Division Wiking and SS-Standarte
their respective national kinsmen. Kurt Eggers was a former editor of the famous SS magazine 'Das Schwarz Korps' who was killed in action in 1943 while serving in Wiking.
[Above: Even Switzerland had its own Nazi party, the NSSAP. Here is an postcard of the NSSAP with governmental swastika ban stamps. The Swiss government banned the use of
swastikas and other political group's symbols. Here stamps have been applied by the authorities to block the swastika imagery. They basically say that the 'hakenkreuz' is
forbidden.]
[Above: Purchasing these 'Spende' stamps benefited the NSSAP.]
[Above: As above, but a different denomination. Purchasing these 'Spende' stamps benefited the NSSAP.]
[Above: Postage stamp from 1940.]
[Above: Polish volunteers from the General Government.]
[Above: Polish volunteers somewhere on the Eastern Front mourn the loss of a comrade, who gave his life for Europe's freedom.]
[Above: Pre-war Poland. Nationalist groups using the 'stiff-arm' or Roman salute.]
[Above: Pre-war Poland.]
[Above: Polish women wearing national costumes saluting officers in a parade.]
[Above: This poster was released in 1942 for Poland - it roughly states- 'In the fight against Bolshevism the German soldier fights to save Europe.']
[Above: Postage stamp from 1940.]
Click here to see pictures of Polish currency, newspapers and ration cards from the era
Click here to see pictures of Polish postcards, stamps and envelopes of the era
+ ALBANIA +
Over six thousand Albanian volunteers made up the 21st SS Division Skanderbeg. This division was a Waffen SS division set up by Heinrich Himmler in March 1944, officially under the title of the 21st Waffen-Gebirgs Division der SS Skanderbeg (Albanische Nr. 1). It
was named after Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, the national hero of Albanian who resisted Ottoman invasion for 25 years.
[Above: Albanian recruits at an SS training center for the Skanderbeg-SS Division, circa 1944.]
[Above: Gjon Marka Gjoni (August 28, 1888 - April 28, 1966), fascist leader of Albanian Roman Catholics, whose followers were in the Skanderbeg SS division.]
+ BULGARIA +
[Above: German postcard depicting Adolf Hitler and Bulgaria's Minister-President.]
[Above: The short-lived Bulgarian SS.]
+ GEORGIA +
Note: Soviet leader Josef Stalin was born in the country of Georgia. The Waffen-SS Georgian Legion was composed of at least 12 infantry battalions. The 822nd Georgian Infantry Battalion served on the Atlantic Wall during the Allied invasion of Normandy.
[Above: Soldiers of the Waffen-SS Georgian Legion in training, circa 1943. They are armed with captured Russian Degtyarev DP light machine guns.]
[Above: Soldiers of the Waffen-SS Georgian Legion on parade.]
+ IRAQ +
[Above: Rashid Ali al-Gaylani]
Iraq was an Axis ally led by Rashid Ali al-Gaylani, who was first appointed Prime Minister in 1933, and again on March 31, 1940, and yet again in 1941, after a successful coup d'état
against the British puppet government. The Iraqi people fought the British but were unsuccessful and the puppet government was returned to power. Rashid Ali al-Gaylani fled to
Persia (Iran), which was also soon invaded by Britain and the Soviet Union, whom were intent on removing the pro-German government there as well. Eventually al-Gaylani fled with his family to Berlin, where he was received by Adolf Hitler and was recognized as the
[Above: Hitler and his foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop (left) recieve Rashid Ali al- Gaylani at the Fuhrer's East Prussian headquaters.]
[Above: Rashid Ali al-Gaylani and the Grand Mufti al-Husseini]
[Above: Rashid Ali al-Gaylani the Grand Mufti al-Husseini at an anniversary of the 1941 coup in Iraq. The two men were good friends.]
+ TURKEY +
Turkey was an ally to Germany in World War One, and was an important raw materials trade partner with Germany during World War Two, only stopping after being threatened repeatedly by the Allies in 1944. Turkey and Germany signed a Treaty of Friendship in June
[Above: WWI patriotic donation stamp from the 'Bund der Deutschen in Nieder Osterreich' (Organization of German Needy in Austria). It features an image of the leader of Germany, Austria, Turkey and Bulgaria, whom were allies in WWI. The bottom of the stamp pledges
their enduring alliance.]
+ BRAZIL +
The Fascist movement in Brazil was founded by Plínio Salgado and had widespread support from not only Italian immigrants and the large Portuguese community, but also from
lower and middle class Brazilians and the military. The movement's paramilitary arm wore green shirts and conducted highly organized marches and demonstrations. The Roman salute
was accompanied by the word 'Anauê', which means 'you are my brother'. The Greek letter sigma was the movement's official symbol.
[Above: Plínio Salgado (2-22-1895 – 12-8-1975) was a Brazilian politician, journalist, writer, and theologian. He founded and led an organization called the 'Brazilian Integralist Action' a political party inspired by the Italian Fascist movement. Salgado was active in politics until a year before his death. He wrote several books, including a novel in 1926 titled 'The Stranger'
and 'Literature and Politics' shortly after.]
[Above: The 'Congresso Integralista'. Circa 1935.]
+ PHILIPPINES +
It is little known that there were many Filipino people who welcomed Japan as liberators. There were popular movements for Filipino independence from American colonial rule, of
[Above: Benigno Ramos (1893–?) headed the Sakdalista movement and in May of 1935 he led over 20,000 of his followers in a revolt against the Quezon puppet government. The uprising ended in failure and Ramos went into exile in Japan. He returned to the Philippines
in 1938 and became the leader of the Ganap Party. After the Japanese liberated the Philippines from American rule he formed the Makapili, a militant youth movement. One of the aims of Makapili was to provide Filipino soldiers for Japan. In late December of 1944 his followers and those of his ally Artemio Ricarte were armed by the Japanese. Unfortunately it
is not known how, when or where Ramos' died. Some say he died in a plane crash with retreating Japanese soldiers.]
+ CHILE +
In 1932 Jorge González von Marées founded the 'Movimiento Nacional Socialista de Chile' (National Socialist Movement of Chile). On September 5, 1938 Marées organized a failed coup attempt which ended in 58 young people being shot to death by police. This was later
known as the 'Seguro Obrero Massacre'. National Socialists in Chile today, and those worldwide remember these young National Socialists as martyrs. Famed Chilean author Miguel Serrano speaks reverently of these martyrs in his books. Marées was sentenced to 20
years imprisonment for his role in the coup attempt, but was later pardoned by President Aguirre.
[Above: Born in Santiago, Jorge González von Marées (April 5, 1900 – March 14, 1962) was a Chilean political figure and author.]
+ CANADA +
Canada had a considerable Fascist movement during the years proceeding WW2. The most notable figure is Adrien Arcand, a journalist and leader of a series of Fascist political movements. On May 30, 1940 he was arrested in Montreal as a 'security threat' and detained for the duration of the war. Arresting and detaining anyone with an opposing viewpoint was
very common amongst the Allied nations during World War Two, and in the case of the Japanese in America, an entire race was sent to concentration camps. As per usual in the democratic Allied nations, Arcand's organization, the 'National Unity Party' was banned.
[Above: Adrien Arcand (October 3, 1899 - August 1, 1967). After the war Arcand ran in several elections, garnering 39% of the vote in one. It is said that he was a mentor of the highly persecuted Canadian author Ernst Zündel. On November 14, 1965, just two years before his death, Arcand gave a speech before a crowd of 650 people from all over Canada at
the Centre Paul-Sauvé in Montreal. Arcand was a fervent supporter of Adolf Hitler, never wavering in his beliefs.]
[Above: A swearing in ceremony of The National Unity Party, circa 1939. Before official party meetings, the following oath was proclaimed:
'Moved by the unshakable faith in God, a profound love for Canada, ardent sentiments of patriotism and nationalism,
a complete loyalty and devotion toward our Gracious Sovereign who forms the recognized principle of active authority,
a complete respect for the British North America Act, for the maintenance of order, for national prosperity, for national unity, for national honour, for the progress and the
happiness of a greater Canada,
I pledge solemnly and explicitly to serve my party. I pledge myself to propagate the principles of its program. I pledge myself to follow its regulation.
I pledge myself to obey my leaders. Hail the party! Hail our Leader!']
Click here to see more pictures Adrien Arcand and the National Unity Party