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the army in question was composed of Russians, Cossacks and other ethnic groups living within the Soviet Union.
See excerpt from General Wladislaw Anders book: Russian Volunteers in the German Wehrmacht in WWII
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They would NEVER call themselves "red" army.
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No, they wouldn't, but others might.
They were anti communists, hence would certainly not call themselves “red army“.
Not all Russians were reds, but later the term reds became associated with Russians - period.
I’m thinking possibly German Red Army may be more of a postwar or modern appellation or nickname for the various armies composed of former red army soldiers fighting on the German side against the soviet government.
On the other hand, and I had forgotten this, there was a “Red” army in post WWI Germany, but the OP’s grandfather or whomever would have been a baby or not yet born at the time.
The members of this German Red Army were German leftists belonging to the Communist party fighting the German right wing Nazis.
PS: for some reason the link I posted to the Anders' book excerpt would not work for me. The site may be down. I was, however, still able access it this morning by visiting the google cached page.
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