| Idel Ural Legion | |
|---|---|
 One of the variants of the Idel Ural Legion patch | |
| Active | 1942–1945 |
| Country | Nazi Germany |
| Type | Ostlegionen |
| Size | 40,000 troops |
| Engagements | World War II |
TheVolga-Tatar Legion (German:Wolgatatarische Legion) orIdel-Ural Legion (Tatar:Идел-Урал Легионы,romanized: İdel-Ural Legionı) or The Osttürkischer Waffenverband der SSdenoted a series of units within theWehrmacht inWorld War II. It was recruited amongMuslimVolga Tatars in theSoviet Union, but also included otherIdel-Ural peoples, includingBashkirs,Chuvashes,Maris,Udmurts,Erzyas, andMokshas. Germany promoted the Idel-Ural Legion as evidence that Muslim and Christian peoples of Volga Bulgarian descent were opposed to Russia and Bolshevism, but they also wanted to spare German blood.[1]
The legion was established in 1942 and comprised around 12,500 men, spread over seven battalions numbered 824 to 831. On February 23, 1943, nearVitebsk,Belarus, the entire825th Battalion [ru] (about 900 soldiers) went over to the partisans. One of the most notable members of the legion was Soviet–Tatar poetMusa Cälil, who was later executed by the Gestapo for sabotage.[2]Tamurbek Dawletschin always denied involvement with the legion, but historianSebastian Cwiklinski found that Dawletschin was one of the founders of the legion's newspaper,Idel-Ural.[3]
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