On April 6, 1945, Georgian troops serving as volunteers with the German army on the Island of Texel off the Dutch coast, stage a mutiny, killing 246 German soldiers in their sleep. The mutiny turns into a battle which eventually kills 800 Germans, 500 Georgians and 117 Texel civilians. The fighting ends only when the Canadians arrive on 20 May 45, two weeks after the end of the European war.
This Georgian Uprising on Texel becomes Europe's final battlefield of WWII.
Georgian POWs were given the choice to either fight for the Wehrmacht or die of starvation in the POW camps. Many Georgian soldiers chose to work for the Germans, having no love whatsoever for Stalin, and joined the German garrison on Texel.
As the end of the war approached, it became clear that the Germans had lost and that Stalin would show no compassion toward Red Army soldiers who surrendered, let alone cooperated with the Germans. The Georgians decided to mutiny against the Germans and a viscous battle with many casualties erupted.
Softcover, illustrated with vintage photographs.
Chapter titles:
- TEXEL Before The Rebellion
- Prelude
- Day of Birth
- The Fierce Battle
- Journey To England
- German Advance
- NO Liberation
- The Georgians Depart
- The BVD International Security Service
- Epilogue
- References
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