<P> Non-Germans in the German armed forces during World War II were volunteers, conscripts and those otherwise induced to join who served in Nazi Germany's armed forces during World War II . In German war - time propaganda those who volunteered for service were referred to as Freiwillige ("volunteers"). At the same time, many non-Germans in the German armed forces were conscripts or recruited from prisoner - of - war camps . </P> <P> The term Freiwillige was used in Nazi propaganda to describe non-German Europeans (neither Reichsdeutsche nor Volksdeutsche) who volunteered to fight for the Third Reich during World War II . Though largely recruited from occupied countries, they also came from co-belligerent, neutral, and even active enemy nations . From April 1940 forward, Himmler began recruiting men for the Waffen - SS from among the West and Northern European people of Norway and the Low Countries . In 1941, the SS - Viking Division composed of Flemish, Dutch, Danish, and Norwegian volunteers was formed and placed under German command . Shortly thereafter, Waffen - SS troops were added from Latvia, Estonia, and elsewhere . </P> <P> When Red Army soldiers were captured by the invading German forces for instance, significant numbers of the POWs began immediately aiding the Wehrmacht . Along with the forces allied to the Nazis, the Russians comprised the "largest contingent of foreign auxiliary troops on the German side with upwards of 1 million men ." Many of the foreign volunteers fought in either the Waffen - SS or the Wehrmacht . Generally the non-Germanic troops were permitted into the Wehrmacht, whereas the Germanic volunteers were recruited into the service of the Waffen - SS as part of propaganda - driven "pan-Germanic army" of the future . Besides helping the Germans fight, foreign auxiliary units across occupied Europe enforced order in the occupied territories, oversaw forced labor, participated in anti-partisan warfare, and assisted in the killing of the Jewish population on behalf of their Nazi masters . </P> <P> On the Eastern Front the volunteers and conscripts in the Ostlegionen comprised a fighting force equivalent of 30 German divisions by the end of 1943 . By mid-1944 upwards of 600,000 troops of the Eastern Legions / Troops were assembled under the command of General Ernst - August Köstring, stemming mostly from the periphery of the Soviet empire; they consisted of non-Slavic Muslim minorities like the Turkestanis, the Volga Tatars, Northern Caucasians, and Azerbaijanis, as well as Georgians and Armenians . The overall effectiveness of Nazi Germany's military collaborators was described by one German commander as one - fifth good, one - fifth bad, and three - fifths inconsistent . </P>

Who represented the good forces in the world