Blue Division
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250. Infanterie-Division (span.) 250th Infantry Division (Spanish) División Española de Voluntarios Spanish Volunteer Division |
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|---|---|
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| Active | June 24, 1941 – March 21, 1944 |
| Country |
 Spanish State
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| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany
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| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 45,482 troops (total) |
| Nickname(s) | División Azul |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Agustín Muñoz Grandes Emilio Esteban Infantes |
The Blue Division (Spanish: División Azul, German: Blaue Division, officially designated as División Española de Voluntarios by the Spanish Army and 250. Infanterie-Division in the German Army was a unit of Spanish volunteers that served in the German Army on the Eastern Front of the Second World War.
Although Spanish dictator Francisco Franco did not officially bring Spain into World War II on the side of Nazi Germany, he permitted volunteers to join the German Army (Wehrmacht) on the condition they would only fight against the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front, and not against the Western Allies or any Western European occupied populations. In this manner, he could keep Spain at peace with the Western Allies, while repaying German support during the Spanish Civil War and providing an outlet for the strong anti-Communist sentiments of many Spanish nationalists. Spanish foreign minister Ramón Serrano Súñer suggested raising a volunteer corps, and at the commencement of Operation Barbarossa, Franco sent an official offer of help to Berlin.
Hitler approved the use of Spanish volunteers on June 24, 1941. Volunteers flocked to recruiting offices in all the metropolitan areas of Spain. Cadets from the officer training school in Zaragoza volunteered in particularly large numbers. Initially, the Spanish government was prepared to send about 4,000 men, but soon realized that there were more than enough volunteers to fill an entire division: 18,104 men in all, with 2,612 officers and 15,492 soldiers.
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