Topic: CANADIANS WHO SERVED IN THE GERMAN ARMED FORCES DURING WORLD WAR 2

[watchdog811]

After reading the well-researched non-fiction account of the Waffen SS unit entitled â Å“British Free Corpsâ ? entitled  â Å“Renegadesâ ? by Adrain Weale.  I was troubled to learn that two Canadians served in this controversial unit.

Pte. Edwin Barnard Martin, of the Essex Scottish Regiment; who attained the rank in the Waffen SS of SS-Rottenfuhrer (corporal); and

Cdn Rank unknown; Arthur James Cryderman who took the alias of Tilbury; of the Saskatoon Light Infantry; who attained the rank in the Waffen SS of SS-Strumann (Lance-Corporal).

I also recently read the unit history of the 33. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS "Charlemagne" (Franz.Nr.1) a French unit serving in the Waffen SS; in this book the following quote was made â Å“Another interesting fact is that 3 French Canadians fought with the Charlemagne Division as well as a 17 year old Vietnamese soldier Lucien Kemaratâ ? The Canadian were not named in the book.

Here are my questions;

What actions were taken against these five Canadians after the war?

Who were the three â Å“French Canadianâ ? who served with 33 Waffen SS Division?  Were they serviceman like the two who served with the â Å“British Free Corpsâ ?? 

Were there any other Canadians that served in the German Armed Forces during WW2? If yes what actions â “ if any, were taken against them?

[Michael Dorosh]

Adrian Weale posts quite frequently, or used to, at the message board at www.feldgrau.net - this was the board for www.feldgrau.com

You could probably ask him, but if it wasn't mentioned in the book (an excellent book, I hope you read the recently updated version, I've only seen the original version several years ago) it may be that his research didn't uncover the answer.

But you never know.   I'd be   interested in what you find out.

I'd be careful with the SS rank designations also - Sturmann and Rottenführer were not NCO ranks, they were simply pay grades for Private soldiers, so these two Canadians would not have been in command of troops the way a Canadian Corporal would have been.  In the SS, you weren't considered a true NCO until you wore tress on your shoulder and collar - ie attained the rank of SS-Unterscharführer.  The stripes on the sleeves of a Sturmann or Rottenführer were roughly equivalent to a modern day private (trained) and corporal in the Canadian Forces - ie a private with a pay raise who did not yet have the training or experience to command troops.  The difference being that the CF calls a corporal an NCO whereas in the SS, you would have had to be what we call a Sergeant before being so considered.

[gmckenzi]

Cryderman was taken prisoner in Italy and suffered some hardship in being transported to prison in Germany. He was coerced into becoming part of the British Free Corps and when he found out he had been lied to he somehow got out of the British Free Corps.

[Tavor]

From following link:  http://oshawaremembers.wordpress.com/page/2/

In 1944 the Nazi created the Britisches Freikorps or British Free Corps which was the brainchild of John Amery a son of a British cabinet minister. This Nazi recruitment effort focused on recruiting POW’s which included three Canadians.
Edwin Barnard Martin of the Essex Scottish Regiment(Captured at Dieppe in 1942) , CPL. John Gordon Galaher, Pvt. George Hale. At a military trial on Sept 28, 1945 they were sentenced to life imprisonment.
All were given a royal pardon in 1954
(Source documents of WW 2 Court Martial Records at ottawa Federal Records Centre in Tunney’s Pasture, microfilm Lot 44, Accession 72R6)

Kind Regards, -T.

[Retired AF Guy]

Are you just looking at just Canadian soldiers who while POW's joined the German military or Canadian civilians who may have conscripted into the German military?

[Dennis Ruhl]

Are you just looking at just Canadian soldiers who while POW's joined the German military or Canadian civilians who may have conscripted into the German military?

My question too.  I suspect that there may have been dozens? hundreds? of Canadian citizens conscripted into the German military or whom actually joined.  Immigrant families would have returned to Germany with Canadian born kids as would some immigrants who acquired  citizenship, even on a badly timed vacation.  A claim to German authorities that they could not enlist because they were Canadians would not have been well received.

[Jessahness]

My grandfather was Edwin Barnard Martin. While he was pardoned by law, the world never pardoned him. He was called a traitor until the day he died, but he was an amazing man, and that was a time where he did what he had to do.