Diversity, Equity and Inclusion during World War Two

History can be taught as being infallible and inflexible, but that is usually far from the reality of what actually happened.
One example are the many World War Two Nazi collaborationist forces, their enemies and their constituents.
As the world was overtaken by the unmitigated brutality of World War II, the ethno-religious realities of Europe’s Axis forces painted a somewhat more complex picture and in some ways, further confused what was happening on the ground.
These forces, bound by a range of ideals and ideologies, yet diverse in composition and ethnic background offer a fascinating lens through which to explore the intersection of ethnicity, religion, and power in one of history’s most tumultuous eras and most multicultural parts of Europe.
The Mathematical Lens
In the Balkans for example, religious affiliation often aligns with ethnicity, creating a tapestry where faith and heritage are intertwined#.
Yet, inherently apolitical mathematics provides a unique opportunity to distil this history into clear, binary figures.
These figures can challenge or confirm the accepted narratives of mainstream history.
In fact, some of the findings were outright mind-blowing, especially for the region of Europe in and around the Balkans.
One could say it was a bizarre example of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) at a time way before such notions became socially fashionable.
The German Nazi Party (NSDAP) (1940)
Above: NDSAP members 1920s. https://alphahistory.com/weimarrepublic/national-socialists-nsdap/
The leadership of the NSDAP in June 1940 predominantly hailed from Christian, that is, largely Protestant backgrounds:
- Protestant: 82%
- Roman Catholic: 15%
- German Pagan/No Religion/Nazi Nativist Religion: ~3%
The Croatian Ustashi Leadership (1941)
Above: Croatian Jew Nikola Steinfl (1889-1945), Commander of the Croatian Navy in May, 1944. In August, 1944, he is named Minister of the Armed Forces. Image: D. Ovcaric private collection.
The Croatian Ustashi leadership^ up to mid-1941 was a mix of various diverse ethno-religious backgrounds:
- Roman Catholic: 61.2%
- Jewish: 20.1%
- Eastern Orthodox: 8.9%
- Sunni/Shia Muslim: 6.7%
- Greek Catholic: 1.8%
- Protestant: 1.3%
The Italian Fascist Forces (1942)
Above: Italian Fascist forces. Image: D. Ovcaric private collection.
Italian Fascist forces were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic:
- Roman Catholic: > 98%
The Serbian Chetnik Leadership (1944)
Above: Serbian Chetniks with their German Nazi paymasters. Image: D. Ovcaric private collection.
The leadership of the Serbian Chetniks showed an almost entirely Serbian Orthodox presence:
- Serbian Orthodox: > 97-98%
- Catholic and Muslim: ~2%
The Hungarian Arrow Cross Party
Members of the Hungarian Arrow Cross party were predominantly Roman or Greek Catholic:
- Roman/Greek Catholic: >90%
- Protestant: <7%
- Other: ~1%
Above: Hungarian Arrow Cross. Image: https://www.justaddlove.net.au/blog-1/potato09122016-9mlfm
The Romanian Iron Guard (1941)
Above: Romanian Iron Guard. Image: https://sites.utexas.edu/religiology/2023/03/24/legionari-prezenti-romanian-mystical-fascism-in-the-united-states/
The Romanian Iron Guard membership was largely composed of Romanian Orthodox believers:
- Romanian Orthodox: > 94%
- Greek Catholic: 2.0%
- Other: 4%
The Slovenian Home Guard Volunteers (1943)
Above: Slovenian Home Guard. Image: D. Ovcaric private collection.
Volunteers for the Slovenian Home Guard were almost exclusively Roman Catholics:
- Roman Catholic: >99%
- Protestant: ~1%
The Yugoslav Partisans (KPJ) (1944)
Above: General Franjo Tudman, Croatian Communist who became President of a free & democratic Croatia in 1991. Image: D. Ovcaric private collection.
The leadership of the Yugoslav Partisans (AVNOJ) in 1944 reflected the following religious affiliations:
- Serbian Orthodox*: 59.1%
- Roman Catholic: 35.6%
- Jewish: 2.0%
- Sunni Muslim: 2.5%
- Protestant: 0.5%
- Other: 0.3%
A closer look at ethno-religious representation in ex-Yugoslavia
According to the last census before the war, Orthodoxy was practiced by some 40% of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia’s population yet constituted almost 60% of AVNOJ’s leadership.
Similarly, Slavic Muslims, who made up over 11% of the population, held only about 2.5% of leadership roles in AVNOJ.
Interestingly, it was found that Croatia’s Ustashi were far more ethnically diverse than often portrayed by historians, and in fact, had a significant proportion of Jews in its upper ranks and overall, was the most ethnically diverse groups in this study
By contrast, the leadership of Allied forces such as the Polish or French armies was almost entirely monocultural, as was the UK High Command, itself nearly exclusively White , Anglo-Saxon Protestant, highlighting a lack of diversity in these forces at the start of World War II.
Conclusion
Through the lens of mathematics, we gain a nuanced view of the ethno-religious realities of World War II’s Axis and Allied forces.
This analysis not only challenges mainstream historical narratives but also underscores the complex interplay between religion, ethnicity, and power during one of the most pivotal periods in modern history.
In the end, history can only provide us with the facts and figures – it is therefore incumbent upon future generations to try and figure out what that means for them today, and in the future.
Key:
# Birth religion is not the same as practicing that belief but rather the actual religion one was born in to.
* Includes Macedonians as they were classified as Serbian Orthodox until 1967 and Montenegrins who did not have their own autocephalous Orthodox church until 1997.
The figures for the Partisans also count Greek Catholics as being Orthodox Christians as they were not officially recognised as being distinct from the Orthodox community by Yugoslavia until 1946.
^ The term ‘leadership’ for the purposes of this article covers both the political and military leadership structures.
Sources: Wikipedia, Britannica, Jurist, Alpha History, University of Texas, TopWar, Odbrana, Hrvatski Vjesnik, Medium, Australian War Memorial.