British Free Corps

The British Free Corps (BFC) was a small unit within the Waffen-SS made up of British and Dominion POWs who were recruited to fight against the Soviet Union, though the unit never reached more than 30–50 members at its peak. Intended as a propaganda tool, the BFC was poorly equipped and largely isolated from frontline action. Members wore standard German field-grey uniforms with gaiters instead of jackboots, and typically used field caps rather than SS visored caps. The unit’s most recognizable insignia was the left collar tab, which displayed three white lions passant, modeled after the English royal arms; the right collar tab was often blank, lacking the traditional SS runes. Though the unit as a whole saw no combat deployment, a few individual members were attached to other SS units near the end of the war, particularly on the Eastern Front, where some allegedly engaged in combat. The BFC ultimately disbanded in 1945, and most of its surviving members were tried for treason or collaboration.