American During both world wars, American volunteers served on the allied side before the US joined the war. During World War I, there were even a few Americans who volunteered to fly for the Imperial German Flying Corps. • The
Lafayette Escadrille in the
French Air Force,
World War I • A number of American pilots flew with
No. 32 Squadron RAF during
World War I • The
7th Air Escadrille (also known as the Kościuszko Squadron) in the
Polish Air Force,
Polish-Soviet War • The
Lincoln Brigade on the
Republican side of the
Spanish Civil War • The
Eagle Squadrons in the
Royal Air Force,
World War II • The
Flying Tigers in the
Republic of China Air Force, World War II • Before the US entered the war, many Americans joined the
Canadian Forces, especially the
RCAF, and served in ordinary Canadian units. • The
Five Yanks – Rachel Cox in
Into the Dust and Fire records the history of five Ivy Leaguers (Chuck Bolte, Jack Brister, Bill Durkee, Heyward Cutting, and Robert Cox) who enlisted in the British Army and became the first Americans to fight the Nazis •
The Crippled Eagles – American volunteers in
Rhodesia (1965–1979)
Albanian • The
21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg was a division of the German
Waffen-SS that was developed around a nucleus of Albanian volunteers, named after Albanian medieval lord
George Kastrioti Skanderbeg. It was better known for murdering, raping, and looting in predominantly Serb areas than for participating in combat operations on behalf of the German war effort.
Bangladeshi • 8,000 young men from Bangladesh volunteered to enlist in the
PLO in 1987
Belgian • Units from modern-day Belgium (then the
Austrian Netherlands or
United Kingdom of the Netherlands) served in the French armies of both the
French Revolutionary and
Napoleonic Wars • During the
Liberal Wars, a corps of Belgian volunteers fought for the Liberal side. • The
Belgian Legion during the
Franco-Mexican War of 1864–1866 • The
6 Février Battalion, part of the
International Brigades during the
Spanish Civil War was made up of French and Belgians. Their citizenship rights were revoked as a result of their decision to serve in a foreign army. • Two Belgian units fought in the Waffen SS during the
Second World War.
British • During the
Peninsular War, many Britons joined Spanish regular and irregular forces. • The state-sponsored
Auxiliary Legion of the
First Carlist War. • The
British Legions in the
South American Wars of Independence during the 19th century. • The
British Free Corps of the
Waffen SS in World War II. • 2,500 British fought in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the
republicans. • In the Paraguay Revolution of 1922, British pilots fought in the Escuela de Aviación Militar. • Many Britons fought during the American Civil War for both the
United States and
Confederate States. 67 British soldiers in the
Union Army received the
Medal of Honor. • Dozens of British volunteers joined Croatian units and fought in the Yugoslav Wars between 1991 and 1995, most of them on the King Tomislav Brigade. • The
Bosnian War attracted large numbers of
foreign fighters and mercenaries from various countries. Volunteers came to fight for a variety of reasons including religious or ethnic loyalties, but mostly for money. • The
13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar, composed mainly of
Bosnian Muslims with some
Catholic Croats, and mostly German officers • The
23rd Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Kama, composed of German officers and
Bosnian Muslim soldiers fought in World War II on the Axis' side
Canadian • The
1st Canadian Regiment was a regiment of the
Continental Army which fought during the
American Revolutionary War. • The
2nd Canadian Regiment was another regiment of the
Continental Army which fought during the
American Revolutionary War. •
During the American Civil War, between 33,000 and 55,000 men joined the
Union Army with around another a few hundred joining the
Confederate Army. • Between February 1868 and September 1870 during the
Risorgimento, 7 contingents of Canadian volunteers totaling 507 (most of whom were from
Quebec) enrolled in the
Papal army as part of the . • 250 Canadians served in the
Finnish American Legion during the
Winter War. • The
Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion (Mac-Paps) consisted of 1,500 Canadian volunteers who fought on the
Republican side of the
Spanish Civil War as part of the
International Brigades. Often composed of working class Canadians and immigrants, the Mac-Paps were noted for being different from their comrades in the US Lincoln Brigade (often students and intellectuals). • The
Ilkka Machine Gun Company was a company sized unit that was attached to the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion. It was composed of
Finnish Canadians. • During the
Vietnam War, between 20,000 and 40,000 Canadians volunteered in the
United States Armed Forces to fight in Vietnam. • The
Canadian-Ukrainian Brigade is a unit of the
Armed Forces of Ukraine that mainly consists of ex-Canadian servicemen.
Chinese • The
Chinese People's Volunteer Army that fought in the
Korean War was nominally composed of volunteers sent by the
People's Republic of China even though it was in fact composed of regular troops of the
People's Liberation Army.
Croatian • 20 to 30 Croatians fought as part of the far-right
Azov volunteer battalion against Russian-backed rebels in eastern
Ukraine since 2014 • A total of 456
international volunteers from as many as 35 countries participated in the
Croatian War of Independence (139 English, 69 French, 55 Germans, 33 Hungarians, 27 Dutch, 15 Australians) • The
369th (Croatian) Reinforced Infantry Regiment as part of the German
Wehrmacht, fought in World War II • The
369th (Croatian) Infantry Division, as part of German
Wehrmacht, fought in World War II • The
373rd (Croatian) Infantry Division, as part of German Wehrmacht, fought in World War II • The
392nd (Croatian) Infantry Division, as part of German Wehrmacht, fought in World War II • The
Croatian Air Force Legion, as part of the German
Luftwaffe fought in World War II on the Axis' side • The
Croatian Anti-Aircraft Legion, as part of the German
Luftwaffe fought in World War II on the Axis' side • The
Croatian Naval Legion, as part of the German the
Kriegsmarine, fought in World War II on the
Black Sea • The
Italian-Croatian Legion, unit of about 1,000 Croatian volunteers fighting for the
Royal Italian Army • Four Croatian Provisional Infantry Regiments of the
French Imperial Army fought in the
Napoleonic Wars. • The Royal Cravat Cavalry Regiment of the
French Royal Army founded in 1667 and disbanded in 1815
Czech • The
Czechoslovak Legion, which fought on various fronts of WW1, as well as the Russian Civil War. •
1st Czechoslovak Army Corps in the Soviet Union.
Danish •
Danish-Baltic Auxiliary Corps, formed to defend Estonia against the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War.
Estonian • In 1944, some 2,000 Estonians served in the
Finnish Infantry Regiment 200 during the
Continuation War.
Filipino • The Spanish colonial army in the Philippines launched an expedition to
Cambodia, which included Japanese mercenaries. • Two hundred fifty French mercenaries served with
British forces that invaded Manila in 1762. They changed sides and fought for the Spanish. • In the 1770s, the Spanish colonial army in the Philippines had an Infantry Company of Cavite
Malabars •
Filipinos served in the French military during the
Cochinchina Campaign. • Filipinos served in the
Ever Victorious Army. • The
Philippine Revolutionary Army included commissioned officers who were American, Chinese, Cuban, English, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. • The
Philippine Constabulary in its early years had commissioned officers from Belgium, Cuba, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey. • Twenty-four Filipinos served in the French Army during World War I. • Some Americans served in the
Philippine National Guard. • Filipinos fought on both sides of the
Spanish Civil War. • During the Pacific War, Filipinos served in various pro-Japanese militias: • The
Bisigbakal ñg Tagala (
Tagalog "Iron Arm of Tagala") was formed in January 1945 to assist the Japanese in maintaining peace and order in Manila. The
Bisig Bakal received weapons, uniforms, and training from the Japanese. • About five thousand Filipinos served in a militia called the
Makapili, which was under Japanese command. The unit was formed on 10 November 1944 and was issued around two thousand rifles by the Japanese. Its headquarters was located at the
Christ the King compound in
Quezon City. The organization was active in the
Manila area, and in the nearby provinces of
Rizal,
Laguna,
Bulacan, and
Nueva Ecija. This militia made its last stand at
Marikina in 1945. Other militias similar to the
Makapili were: the
Borong-Borong Gang,
Kaigun Hatai, and
Nishimura Butai. • The
Pambansang Pag-asa ng mga Anak ni Rizal (Tagalog "National Hope of the Children of Rizal") consisted of
Ganáps in
Pililla, Rizal, who were organized into a semi-military unit with the assistance of the Japanese. Also known as
Pampar, they wore blue denim uniforms with short pants and were drilled along Japanese military lines. They performed sentry duties for the Japanese, and functioned as auxiliary troops of the Japanese army. They independently conducted raids against guerrilla camps. • The
Yoin, incorrectly known as U.N. or United Nippon, were members of the
Japanese Auxiliary Army drawn from the ranks of the
Ganáp Party. They were trained for military purposes and wore Japanese regular uniforms. They were used as replacements in the ranks of Japanese infantry. Their counterparts in the Japanese Empire were the Koreans, Formosans, and Manchuokuans pressed into the Japanese army. • Some Americans and some Japanese fought with
Filipino guerrillas. • One
American joined the
Huks. • Filipinos, recruited by the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front, fought in the
Soviet–Afghan War. (See
Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani) • Filipinos hired by
private military companies worked in Afghanistan and Iraq. • Filipinos fought in the
Syrian Civil War. • Forty foreign fighters, from Indonesia, Malaysia, Yemen, and Chechnya, fought in the
Siege of Marawi. • At least seventeen Filipinos fought for Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine War.
Finnish • As part of the
Jäger Movement, a
Finnish battalion was formed and served under the German Empire against the Russian Empire. • A brigade of Finnish volunteers called the
Pohjan Pojat, took part in the
Estonian War of Independence. •
1,408 Finns volunteered to serve in the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking, against the USSR.
French •
Foreign Legion - A wing of the
French Army which recruits foreign nationals. • 9,000 French fought in the
International Brigades during the
Spanish Civil War in the side of the Republicans. some also fought for the Nationalists • Some French emigres who fled to Britain fought in the British Army of the
Napoleonic Wars. •
Charlemagne Regiment of the
SS fought for Germany in the Second World War. •
Chasseurs Britanniques of the Napoleonic Wars. •
Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism a
collaborationist force of French who fought
Soviet partisans for
Nazi Germany. • From 1991 to 1994, during the
Croatian War of Independence and the
Bosnian War, a number of French volunteers fought alongside the Croats in the King Tomislav Brigade. •
7 Independent Company (Rhodesia).
German •
Landsknecht •
Hessian (soldier) •
King's German Legion in the
Napoleonic Wars. • During the
American Civil War Germany was the
place of birth for thousands of Union soldiers. Several German speaking regiments existed such as the
9th Ohio Infantry, or the
74th Pennsylvania Infantry. • In the
Spanish Civil War, the state-sponsored
Condor Legion fought for the Nationalists, while the
Thälmann Battalion fought for the Republicans. • From 1991 to 1994, during the
Croatian War of Independence and the
Bosnian War, a number of former
Bundeswehr and
East-German army members fought alongside the Croats in the King Tomislav Brigade. The brigade's executive officer at the time of the outbreak of the
Bosnian Croat War was former Bundeswehr officer Jürgen Schmidt, who died while leading his troops against
Bosnian Muslim forces near
Gornji Vakuf, in January 1993. In another action, a German-volunteer patrol, led by former Bundeswehr member Michael Homeister, ambushed and killed two Serbs manning an observation post. •
St. Patrick's Battalion in the Mexican Army during the
Mexican–American War. • The
Irish Brigade which served on the Union side in the
American Civil War in the 1860s •
Irish commandos in the Boer Army during the
Boer War •
Connolly Column, fought for the Spanish republic in the
Spanish Civil War. • The
Irish Brigade which fought for the Nationalist rebels in the
Spanish Civil War •
Irish Papal Battalion fought for the Papal States prior to Italian Unification. •
Irish Regiment of Canada fought in WW1 and WW2 for Canada along with the Irish Fusillers (Canadian). •
South African Irish Regiment fought for the Union of South Africa both in WW1 and WW2 and was later transformed to a reserve unit which still forms part of the modern Republic of South African Army.
Israeli •
Mahal – Program for non-Israelis between the age of 18–24 to serve in the IDF.
Italian •
Condottiero • The
Redshirts of
Giuseppe Garibaldi fought in Southern Italy and
Uruguay. •
Corpo Truppe Volontarie in the Spanish Civil War. • Division Garibaldi fought under
Josip Broz Tito's command as a part of
NOVJ in
Dalmatia and
Bosnia, during the Second World War
Japanese • The Spanish colonial army in the Philippines launched an invasion of Cambodia in the sixteenth century. This force included some Japanese mercenaries. • In the seventeenth century,
Yamada Nagamasa was the commander of the cavalry of the
Ayutthaya Kingdom. Some Japanese also served as palace guards. • Some Japanese served as commissioned officers in the
Philippine Revolutionary Army. • During World War I, some
Japanese pilots served with the French flying corps. Additionally there was a ready-formed Japanese Detachment of fifty-three Japanese which joined the French Foreign Legion, in addition to sixty other Japanese also serving in the Legion. •
Kempeitai Auxiliary units included colonial subjects such as
Formosans,
Indochinese,
Koreans, and
Malays. Foreigners included
Chinese,
Filipinos and
Manchuokuans. •
Former Japanese soldiers fought alongside anti-colonial guerrillas in the
First Indochina War,
Indonesian National Revolution, and the
Malayan Emergency. They also fought on both sides of the
Chinese Civil War. •
Korean • During World War II, some Koreans served in the German Army. (See
Yang Kyoungjong) • The
Korean Augmentation to the United States Army is a programme in which South Korean personnel are attached to the
United States Eighth Army Moroccan •
Fuerzas Regulares Indígenas in the
1934 Asturian uprising and the
Spanish Civil War.
Nepalese •
Gurkhas in the
British Army. •
Gorkhas in the
Indian Army. •
Gurkha Contingent in the
Singapore Police Force •
Gurkha Reserve Unit – a similar type force in
Brunei. •
Foreign Legion in the
French Army.
Polish •
Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. •
Polish Lancers and other Polish forces in the Army of Napoleon. • Polish Volunteers in many wars and revolutions of the 19th century, including the
Spring of Nations,
Crimean War (on the Turkish side) and
The Paris Commune. • The
Blue Army, fought on the western front for the Allies during WW1. • The
Polish Legions, which fought for the Central Powers. • Two fighter squadrons took part in the
Battle of Britain Portuguese •
Legião Viriato in the
Spanish Civil War.
Rhodesian • There were hundreds of
foreign volunteers in the Rhodesian Security Forces during the
Rhodesian Bush War. The
Rhodesian Army accepted foreign volunteers, almost all of whom were required to speak English, as they were integrated into regular units (usually the
Rhodesian Light Infantry) alongside locally based soldiers. The exception was
7 Independent Company, a short-lived unit made up entirely of French-speaking personnel, led by francophone officers, which existed between 1977 and 1978.
Russian • The
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have since 2010 or so begun to recruit CIS volunteers. See Armed Forces of the Russian Federation#Personnel. • A number of Russian soldiers would fight for Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War as part of the
Freedom of Russia Legion. •
Soviet Volunteer Group, between 1937 and 1941 as part of the
Republic of China Air Force during the Second Sino-Japanese War. • Some Russians fought for the Allies on the Western Front of WW1 as part of the
Russian Legion. They were former members of the Russian Expeditionary Force. • A small group of White Russian emigres fought for Nationalist Spain as part of the Spanish Legion. • Asano Brigade, a unit of White Russian Emigres in Manchukuo. • Various Russian collaborators, nicknamed
Hiwis fought in both the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS. • Russian Emigres served in the
Shanghai Volunteer Corps, a multinational volunteer force of the Shanghai International Settlement. • On the Russian side in the conflict with Ukraine, volunteers from Cuba, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Greece, Serbia and Turkey have been fighting since 2022. The
Khmelnytsky Battalion and Maxim Krivonos Battalion were created from Ukrainian residents. • Several hundred Russian volunteers fought on the Serb side in the
Yugoslav wars.
Serbian • The
Serbian Militia was a Serbian military unit of the Habsburg-Austrian army consisting of
Serbs that existed between 1686 and 1704. •
Serbian Hussar Regiment was a military unit of the
Russian Imperial Army which consisted of Serbian colonists in
Russia. •
International Legion (Ukraine) spokesman confirms that there are indeed
Serbian volunteers fighting in the legion alongside other volunteers. • Volunteers from both
Serbia and the Bosnian Serb entity,
Republika Srpska, have fought on the Russian side in the
Russo-Ukrainian war since 2014 • The
Serb Volunteer Guard, Fought in the
Croatian War of Independence and the
Bosnian War supporting the Serb forces like the
Army of Republika Srpska • The
Serbian Guard was a Serbian volunteer organization, armed wing of the
Serbian Renewal Movement, active in Croatia in 1991 •
Kninjas were Serbian volunteer organization commanded by
Dragan Vasiljković, active in Croatia •
White Eagles were Serbian volunteer organization, armed wing of the
Serbian Radical Party, active in Bosnia and Croatia • Over 1,000 ethnic Serbs volunteered for the
7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen at General Phelps' office, most of whom were either ideologically or otherwise motivated to fight against the Partisans. • The
Serbian Volunteer Corps was an Axis
collaborationist group during WWII that helped fight against partisan forces in Serbia •
First Serbian Volunteer Division was a military formation of the
First World War. This independent volunteer unit was primarily made up of South Slav
Habsburg prisoners of war, detained in
Russia Scottish • Scots have a long history of service in the armies of Kings of France since at least the ninth century. The
Scottish Guard was formally created by the French King
Charles VII in 1422, and existed until the end of the Bourbon Restoration period in 1830.
South African •
South African 32 Battalion Spanish • The
Blue Division of World War II fighting with Germany against the USSR. • The
Blue Legion was formed late in the Second World War out of Blue Division soldiers who refused to leave after
Franco required all Spaniards to leave Axis forces. • The
9th Armoured Company of the Free French Forces, which consisted of Spanish Republican exiles • The
Spanish Legion accepts foreign recruits.
Swedish • 1,600 Swedes fought as part of the
Swedish Brigade for the anti-communist side of the
Finnish Civil War. • Swedish volunteers took part in the Estonian War of Independence. •
Swedish Volunteer Corps fighting for the Finnish side in the
Winter War. •
Swedish Voluntary Air Force fighting for the Finnish side in the
Winter War. •
Swedish Volunteer Company fighting for the Finnish side in the
Continuation War. •
Swedish Volunteer Battalion fighting for the Finnish side in the
Continuation War. • Hundreds of Swedes volunteered in the
5th SS Panzer Division Wiking to fight against the USSR.
Swiss •
Pontifical Swiss Guard •
Swiss mercenaries served under the flags of many European nations including the British, Dutch, French and Spanish; as well as continue to serve as the military of the
Holy See.
Taiwanese •
Taiwanese Imperial Japan Serviceman •
Takasago Volunteers were volunteer soldiers in the
Imperial Japanese Army recruited from the Taiwanese aboriginal tribes during
World War II.
Ukrainian • The
14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician) was made up nearly entirely of ethnic Ukrainians. • The
Ukrainian Liberation Army was a division of the
Wehrmacht that fought all over Europe. • The
Nachtigall Battalion was a battalion of the Wehrmacht made up of Ukrainian nationalists who fought against the USSR. • The
Roland Battalion was a battalion of the Wehrmacht made up of Ukrainian nationalists who fought against the USSR. • The Roland and Nachtigall battalions were later reorganized into the
201st Schutzmannschaft. • The
Ukrainian National Army fought against the USSR in the last days of WWII. • Thousands of
Hiwis were of Ukrainian origin. • From several hundred to several thousand nationalist Ukrainians served in
UNA-UNSO expeditionary units. UNSO took part in the
Transnistrian War 1990-1992, the
Chechen War 1994-1996 ("Viking" unit), and the
war in Georgia 1991-1993 ("Argo" unit). • Foreign volunteers joined the
International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine to defend
Ukraine from the
Russian Invasion in 2022.
Yugoslav •
Yugoslav brigadistas (), a contingent from the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia who fought beside the
Republican faction (In support of the government of the
Second Spanish Republic). • The
1st Yugoslav Volunteer Brigade, fought in World War II under
Red Army command. Later became part of the
Yugoslav Army. ==See also==