Hitler's Jihadis: Muslim Volunteers of the Waffen-SS (Hitler's Legions)

By the end of the Second World War there were soldiers of more than thirty different nationalities in the Waffen-SS, and Reich Germans themselves were in the minority. How did a regime that believed so completely in the racial superiority of its population come to welcome hundreds of thousands of foreigners into its military elite? Who were these foreign SS men, and why did they fight so long and so hard for such a murderous regime? Hitler’s Jihadis provides an analysis of some of the most intriguing and controversial of these foreign volunteers – the thousands of Muslims, from as far away as India who wore the SS double lightning flashes alongside their erstwhile conquerors. Jonathan Trigg gives an insight into the pre-war politics that inspired these Islamic volunteers, who for the most part would not survive. Those who did survive the war and the bloody retribution that followed saw the reputation of the units in which they had served berated as militarily inept and castigated for atrocities against unarmed civilians. Using first-hand accounts and official records, Hitler’s Jihadis peels away the propaganda to reveal the complexity that lies at the heart of the story of Hitler’s most unlikely ‘Aryans’. As the West finds itself embroiled in conflict with radical Islam at home and abroad it is fascinating to hear the echoes of militant Islam from the Second World War, and the Nazis attempt to preach 'Jihad' against the British Empire and Stalin.Hitler's Jihadis tells the story of the tens of thousands of Muslims, from as far away as India who volunteered to wear the SS double lightning flashes and serve alongside their erstwhile conquerors. Jonathan Trigg gives insight into the pre-war politics that inspired these Islamic volunteers, who for the most part did not survive. Those who did survive the war and the bloody retribution that followed saw the reputation of the units in which they served in berated as militarily inept and castigated for atrocities against unarmed civilians. Using first hand accounts and official records Hitler's Jihadis peels away the propaganda to reveal the complexity that lies at the heart of the story of Hitler's most unlikely 'Aryans'. The story of tens of thousands of Muslims from as far away as India who volunteered to wear the SS double lightning flashes and serve alongside their erstwhile conquerors As the West finds itself embroiled in conflict with radical Islam, it is fascinating to hear the echoes of militant Islam from World War II. This history gives insight into the prewar politics that inspired these Islamic volunteers, who for the most part did not survive. Those who did survive the war and the bloody retribution that followed saw the reputation of the units in which they served berated as militarily inept and castigated for atrocities against unarmed civilians. Firsthand accounts and official records peel away the propaganda to reveal the complexity that lies at the heart of the story of Hitler's most unlikely "Aryans."

As the West finds itself embroiled in conflict with radical Islam at home and abroad, it is fascinating to hear the echoes of militant Islam from World War II. Jonathan Trigg gives insight into the prewar politics that inspired these Islamic volunteers, who for the most part did not survive. Those who did survive the war and the bloody retribution that followed saw the reputation of the units in which they served berated as militarily inept and castigated for atrocities against unarmed civilians. Firsthand accounts and official records serve to peel away the propaganda to reveal the complexity that lies at the heart of the story of Hitler’s most unlikely "Aryans."

As the West finds itself embroiled in conflict with radical Islam at home and abroad it is fascinating to hear the echoes of militant Islam from the Second World War, and the Nazis' attempt to preach 'Jihad' against the British Empire and Stalin. Hitler's Jihadis tells the story of the tens of thousands of Muslims, from as far away as India who volunteered to wear the SS double lightning flashes and serve alongside their erstwhile conquerors. Jonathan Trigg gives an insight into the pre-war politics that inspired these Islamic volunteers, who for the most part did not survive. Those who did s