Georgian Legion (1941–1945)

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The Georgian Legion (German: Georgische Legion, Georgian: ქართული ლეგიონი, romanized: kartuli legioni) was a military formation of Nazi Germany during World War II, composed of ethnic Georgians. It was formed by Georgian émigrés and prisoners of war; its declared aim was the eventual restoration of Georgia's independence from the Soviet Union under Nazi Party doctrine and supervision. Some components of the Georgian Legion fell under the operational control of Waffen-SS. Compared to other Soviet nationalities, Georgians initially received a preferential treatment from the Germans. This was partly due to the classification of Georgians as Aryans in Nazi racial ideology and also because several Georgian scholars, such as Alexander Nikuradse and Michael Achmeteli, were advisers to leading Nazis like Alfred Rosenberg. The Nazi perception of Georgians, however, began to change for worse in light of a series of defections and Adolf Hitler's growing paranoia. When speaking of military units consisting...

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