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Jewish Refugees from Germany and Austria in the British Army, 1939-45 By Steven Kern BA (Derby), MA (Sheffield) Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2004 Contents Abstract 111 Acknowledgements v Abbreviations VI Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Living Under the Nazi Regime in Germany and Austria, 1933-39 14 Chapter 2 The Refugees' Civilian Experiences in Britain (1) Before the Advent of War, 1933-39 42 (2) The War Years, 1939-41 60 Chapter 3 Refugees and Religion in the British Army, 1939-45 83 Chapter 4 Frustration in the Pioneer Corps, 1939-43 125 Chapter 5 Suspicion of the Refugee Soldiers, 1939-43 162 Chapter 6 Changing Names and Identity Papers, 1943-45 185 Chapter 7 Opportunities for N aturalisation, 1939-1945 213 Chapter 8 Relationships with the British Troops (1) Anti-Alienism in the British Army, 1939-45 235 (2) Anti-Semitism in the British Army, 1939-45 269 Conclusion 279 Bibliography 288 Appendix 317 111 Abstract This thesis fills a significant gap in secondary literature on the role of Jewish refugee soldiers from Germany and Austria, who served in the British army during the Second World War, 1939-45. It goes further than any previous specialised works in this area by examining the social issues surrounding the refugee soldier's experiences in the army, such as their relationship with British soldiers and their personal attitudes towards the policies of the War Office. There are few surviving documentary sources specifically detailing the service of refugees. To compensate this there has been an emphasis on the gathering of oral testimonies. These interviews, conducted by the author, provided the opportunity to analyse crucial issues left unanswered within other documentary sources, principally the underlying theme of the refugees' religious and national identities. This study examInes the development of the refugees' identities from their expenences under Nazi rule, to their servIce In the British army and eventual naturalisation as British citizens. The thesis is organized into eight chapters. Each analyses key moments and dilemmas experienced during the refugee servicemen's army servIce. This study demonstrates the dynamic interplay that existed between the refugees' own sense of self, and that which was held by the government in power. It also examines the perception of refugees held by British born soldiers and the general civilian population. These interactions were crucial in determining the lives of these men. The IV thesis concludes by illustrating that the refugees' Jewish and national identities altered considerably as a consequence of their wartime experiences, and that the British War Office largely remained needlessly suspicious of the refugee soldiers throughout much of the war. v Acknowledgments I would first like to thank the men who made it possible for this study to be carried out, namely the ex-servicemen interviewees. I will always remember their warm hospitality and I feel privileged to have been given insight into their wartime experiences. I have been very fortunate in having two incredibly supportive and patient supervisors, Chris Wrigley and Dick Geary. I am so very grateful for their assistance and advice. Everyone in the History Department deserves my gratitude. They really made me feel part of the Lenton Grove family. A huge thanks to all my family and friends for their continual support and encouragement. My brother Lee deserves an extra special thank you for his advice in the final stage of my work. It's been a fantastic four years. I have enjoyed working on this thesis and have loved life in Nottingham. This thesis is dedicated to my girlfriend Karen and to my parents, Paul and Joan. VI Abbreviations AB64 Army Pay Book 64 AJEX Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women AMPC Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps ATS Auxiliary Territorial Service BEF British Expeditionary Force LDF Local Defence Force MIS Department of Military Intelligence NCO Non-Commissioned Officer POW Prisoner of War RAF Royal Air Force RAMC Royal Army Medical Corps RAOC Royal Army Ordnance Corps RASC Royal Army Service Corps SOE Special Operations Executive 1 Introduction This thesis examines the experiences of Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria who served in the British Military Forces during the period 1939-45. It focuses on the major themes of their experiences from 1933-45. Principally it will analyse the 'identities' of the refugees. The social anthropologist Marion Berghahn argues that a person's identities playa significant role in determining their behaviour. Berghahn stated that a personal identity "ties people together, creates social groups and shapes an individual's relationship with the majority of society. However, when identities are brought into a state of confusion they will affect a person's ability to interact and adapt within their surrounding environment". 1 This is a concept that has much relevance for this study. This thesis will concentrate on three main strands of identities: the refugees' internal sense of their own identities; the status externally imposed upon them by the British government; and the perception soldiers and civilians of British nationality had of these refugees. As will become evident, all of these identities are seen to change through the dynamic interplay that existed between them. During this period - a time of intensity, stress and war, a time of upheaval and mass displacement - changes in these perceptions of identity are seen to have occurred quite radically, and over what was a fairly short period of time. This thesis will document and discuss such changes. The changes in identity can be charted by examining the refugees' attitudes towards nd I Berghahn, Marion, Continental Britons: German-Jewish Refugees from Nazism, 2 edn (Berg Publishers Ltd: Oxford, 1988), p. 13. 2 their nationality, religion, race, and their relationships with those around them. 2 There are also various events that occurred during this period which had a great impact on their sense of self. In the summer of 1940, despite the Jewish refugees' strident anti- Nazi feelings and passionate hope for an Allied victory, a cautious British government made no distinction between the Jewish refugees and potential Nazi sympathisers. As a consequence the vast majority were interned as 'enemy aliens'. However, the small contingent of refugees already in the British army were allowed to remain there. We see here that early on in the war the internal sense of identity held by the refugees could often be at odds with that officially ascribed to them by the British government. Such circumstances were not uncommon throughout this period. The extraordinary experiences of the German and Austrian Jews in British uniform represent a significant chapter in the history of Jewish resistance to the Nazi regime. Jewish opposition to the Nazis has most frequently been examined within the context of resistance in the occupied countries of Europe. Most general texts on the Second World War ignore the considerable amount of resistance provided by Jews who fought from within the ranks of the Allied Forces. A unique phenomenon in British military history occurred during the Second World War in relation to this point. Despite being officially categorised as 'enemy aliens', the Jewish German and Austrian refugees were offered the opportunity to 'fight back' against the Nazis by becoming 'bona fide' British soldiers. 2 The question of the racial identity of Jewish refugees is considered during the analysis of their pre­ war experiences in Nazi Europe and on their arrival in Britain. However, it has been chosen to avoid further embroilment on this issue as the notion ofthe Jewish people as a race is not accepted by the author. It was Nazism that institutionalised the Jewish religion into a biological concept and although this legacy remains today it was decided that apart from Chapter One and Two, this thesis only focuses on the refugees' Judaism as a religion and culture. 3 The experiences of these Gennan and Austrian refugees in the British anny are nearly invisible in the chronicles of the Second World War. This may not be surprising when considering their small numbers.3 Yet, in spite of this they can be seen to have played important and noteworthy roles in the war effort. One such contribution was provided by the 'enemy aliens' serving in 3 Troop, 10 Commando. Fonned in 1942, the Jewish refugees were used for reconnaissance, sabotage, and interrogation. Their story is recorded in detail in Ian Dear's Ten Commando 1942-454 and Peter Masters' substantial autobiography Striking Back: A Jewish Commando's War Against the Nazis. 5 Both accounts give an extensive insight into the individual experiences of some of the refugees, (mostly from Austria and Gennany), who fonned the highly secret and what has been described as, one of the mostly highly trained group of soldiers in the British Anny.6 However, these texts do not contribute substantially to the psychological or political issues affecting the refugees' war experiences. Nor do they consider in any great detail the experiences of those refugees who did not join the commando unit. E.H Rhodes-Wood's work, A War History o/the Royal Pioneer Corps, 1939-1945, does examine the experiences of the refugees, but only within the 3 Henry Morris estimated about 6000 Gennan and Austrian male refugees served in total, while Nonnan Bentwich stated that 7230 had enlisted in Britain during the war. However, Bentwich's figures also include the minority of non-Jewish refugees in the anny. At the request of General Ismay, Chief of Staff, the government's records of refugee volunteers were only updated until the total had reached over 5000 on 29 May 1941. These statistics also included other nationalities, such as Czechoslovakians, Italians, Russians and Poles within the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps.

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