Dragon 6067 German 13th Mountain Division 'Handschar'

13th Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (Ger. 13. Waffen-Gebirgs-Division der SS "Handschar" ) was formed in the spring of 1943 from Muslim volunteers from Bosnia and Croatia. It was the first "non-Aryan" unit in the Waffen-SS structure, and its Muslim character was emphasized by both the headdress (fezy) and the special diet without pork. From the summer of 1943 to February 1944, the unit was stationed in France, where it underwent specialist training. Interestingly, the soldiers of the division came into conflict with their instructors and some of them organized a revolt, which was quickly and bloodily suppressed by the Germans. After the training, the 13th Mountain Division of the SS was transferred to Yugoslavia, where it conducted anti-partisan activities and conducted numerous pacification operations. The soldiers of the formation were also responsible for numerous massacres on the Serb population. In October 1944, in the face of numerous desertions, the division was disbanded. Interestingly, many deserters from this division later fought in the communist guerrillas.