The 33. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS Charlemagne (französische Nr. 1) and Charlemagne Regiment are collective names used for units of French volunteers in the Wehrmacht and later Waffen-SS during the World War II. Image File history File links Divisional Shield of 33. ... German cavalry and motorized units entering Poland from East Prussia during the Polish Campaign of 1939 Wehrmacht (Defence force) was the name of the armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. ... Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

Formation and history

The Charlemagne division was formed in 1944 from an amalgam of troops serving in other French units of the German armed forces, as well as from the paramilitary Franc-Garde of the Milice. The original French unit in the German army was the Légion des Volontaires Français (Legion of French Volunteers or LVF), also known by its official German designation, Infanterieregiment 638. The LVF was mainly made up of right-wing Frenchmen and French prisoners of war who preferred fighting to forced labor in Germany. The LVF fought near Moscow in November 1941. In 1942 the men were assigned to anti-partisan duties in the Byelorussian SSR (Belarus). At the same time, another unit was formed in France, La Légion Tricolore (Tricolor Regiment) but this unit was absorbed into the LVF six months later. 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... A recruitment poster for the Milice. ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... Look up partisan on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... State motto: Пралетарыі ўсіх краін, яднайцеся! Belarusian: Workers of the world, unite! Official language None. ...

The LVF's French commander, Colonel Roger Labonne, was relieved in mid-1942, and the unit was attached to various German divisions until June 1943 when Colonel Edgard Puaud took command. The LVF fought well on the Ukraine front against the Soviets. In June 1944, hours before the LVF's planned departure to France, it was called into action when Army Group Centre's front crumpled under the Red Army's summer offensive. On June 25, at the Bobr River, elements of the LVF under Major Bridoux fought for 48 hours against a Soviet assault. Supported by Stukas, five Tiger tanks and some SS-Police, they checked attack after attack in what is generally regarded as the LVF's most successful operation. 40 or more Soviet tanks were destroyed in front of the French position. Testimony to the prowess of the LVF came from a Soviet communique which spoke of their forces being stopped by the sacrifice of "two French divisions". Soviet redirects here. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Army Group Centre (Heeresgruppe Mitte in German) was created on 22 June 1941 when Army Group B was renamed Army Group Centre. ... June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining. ... Bóbr (Czech Bobr, German Bober) is a river in the northern Czech Republic and southwestern Poland, a tributary of the Oder River, with a length of 272 kilometres (2 in Czech Republic, 270 in Poland, 10th longest Polish river) and the basin area of 5,876 sq. ... Junkers Ju 87 Dive-Bombers The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was the best known Sturzkampfflugzeug (German dive bomber) in World War II, instantly recognisable by its inverted gull wings, fixed undercarriage and siren. ...

Within a month, a new recruiting drive was begun in Vichy France. It attracted 3000 applicants, mostly members of collaborating militias and university students. This unit, the Französische SS-Freiwilligen-Sturmbrigade was led by a former Foreign Legionnaire, Obersturmbannfuhrer Paul Marie Gamory-Dubourdeau. It was attached to SS Division Horst Wessel and sent to Galicia to fight the Soviet advance. It tenaciously held its ground, suffering heavy casualties. France under German occupation 1940-44 Presidential flag of Vichy France For other uses of Vichy, see Vichy (disambiguation). ... The French Foreign Legion (French: Légion Étrangère) is a unique unit within the French Army established in 1831. ... SS-Obersturmbannführer Rank Patch SA-Obersturmbannführer Rank Patch Obersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in 1932 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. ... 18th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Horst Wessel was formed around a cadre from 1. ... Coat-of-arms of Galicia Galicia is a historical region currently split between Poland and Ukraine. ...

In September 1944, a new unit, the Waffen-Grenadier-Brigade der SS 'Charlemagne' (französische Nr.1), also known as the "Französische Brigade der SS" was formed out of the remnants of the LVF and French Sturmbrigade, both of which were disbanded. Joining them were French collaborators fleeing the Allied advance in the west, as well as Frenchmen from the German Navy, the National Socialist Motor Corps (NSKK) and Organisation Todt, a construction unit and the Vichy French Milice. Some sources claim that the unit also included volunteers from some French colonies and Switzerland. Brigadeführer Gustav Krukenberg took actual command with Puaud (now an SS Oberführer) as nominal French commander. The National Socialist Motor Corps (Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrerkorps), also known as the National Socialist Drivers Corps, was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi party that existed between the years of 1931 and 1945. ... Organisation Todt Flag Organisation Todt (OT) was a Nazi construction and engineering group during the years of the Third Reich, which enslaved over 1. ... A recruitment poster for the Milice. ... Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. ... SS-Oberführer Collar Patch SA-Oberführer Collar Patch Oberführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party dating back to 1921. ...

The two main infantry regiments were Waffen-Grenadier Regiment der SS 57 and 58. Veterans of the Sturmbrigade were the nucleus of Regiment 57 and the LVF formed the core of Regiment 58. The LVF also manned the artillery battalion, the headquarters company and the engineer company. The reaction of the LVF to their transfer into the SS was mixed.

In early 1945, Oberfuhrer Puaud received assurance from Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler that his men would not be sent to the western front, where they might fight fellow Frenchmen. He was also told that they would fight under the French flag and continue to have Catholic military chaplains. Himmler promised that France would regain its sovereignty after Germany's victory. 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... (October 7, 1900 – May 23, 1945) was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel (SS) and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. ...

In February 1945, the unit was officially upgraded to a division and renamed 33.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS "Charlemagne". However, this division was severely undermanned with only 7340 men. The Charlemagne Division was sent to fight the Red Army in Poland, but on February 25 it was attacked while deploying from the railhead at Hammerstein in Pomerania by troops of the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front. Opposing the Frenchmen were four Red Army infantry divisions and two tank brigades. The lightly-armed French troops had not re-equiped prior to their departure, and they had no radios and few maps. The only bright spot for the frenchmen was that they managed to stop the tanks with Panzerfausts. Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers and Peasants Red Army, (in Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия - Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya), the armed forces first organized by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918. ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The 1st Belorussian Front (alternative spellings are 1st Byelorussian Front and 1st Belarusian Front) was a Soviet Army Front during the Great Patriotic War. ... 4 Panzerfausts in the original casing, displayed in Helsinki Military Museum Panzerfaust. ...

On the night of March 3rd, the Charlemagne survivors were sent to defend the nearby town of Koerlin with orders to "hold at all costs." At noon the next day, a massive Red Army force hit Koerlin from the southwest. The French fought back desperately and were able to hold their positions throughout the day. The Division was ordered to immediately withdraw to the west, to avoid being trapped, and was broken into three battlegroups. Only the one with Krukenberg survived, as they retreated to the Baltic coast, were evacuated by sea to Denmark and later sent to Neutrelitz for refitting. Around 4,800 men had been lost. Oberführer Puaud was one of them. Map of the Baltic Sea. ...

Defence of Berlin

In early April 1945, Krukenberg now commanded only 700 men organised into a single infantry regiment with two battalions (57 and 58) and one heavy support battalion without equipment. He released about 400 men to a construction battalion. The 300 remaining combat troops were supplied with the Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle. The Maschinenpistole 43, Maschinenpistole 44 and Sturmgewehr 44 (MP43, MP44 and StG44, respectively) were selective-fire automatic rifles developed in Nazi Germany during World War II as part of the Maschinenkarabiner (machine carbine) program. ...

On April 23, 1945, the Reich chancellery in Berlin itself ordered Krukenberg to the capital with his men, who were reorganised as Sturmbataillon ("assault batallion") 'Charlemagne'. Between 320 and 330 French troops arrived in Berlin on April 24th and were attached to the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, which Krukenberg was given command of. Kampfverband Waräger Germanische-Freiwilligen-Division SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 11 (Germanische) 11. ...

Supported by Tiger II tanks and the SS-Panzer-Regiment 11 'Hermann von Salza', the Sturmbataillon took part in a counterattack on the morning of 26 April in Neukölln, a district in southeastern Berlin. The Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. ... The location of Neukölln in Berlin. ...

The Soviet advance into Berlin had been somewhat cautious, with a pattern of massive shelling followed by probing attacks with tanks followed by infantry. Usually the armored vehicles were knocked off by the defenders. By April 28th, approximately 108 Soviet tanks had been destroyed in Berlin, 62 of them by Charlemagne.

On April 28th, the Red Army started a full-scale offensive into downtown Berlin. The battle raged savagely and the Sturmbataillon Charlemagne was in the middle of it. Unterscharführer Eugene Vaulot, who had destroyed two tanks in Neukölln, used his Panzerfausts to claim six more near the Führerbunker. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by Krukenberg during a candlelight ceremony on a subway platform on April 29th. Vaulot did not survive the battle. Unterscharführer insignia Unterscharführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party that was used by the Schutzstaffel (SS) between the years of 1934 and 1945. ... This is a reconstruction of the layout of the Führerbunker. ... A stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the German Armed Forces The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz) is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia, and later of Germany, which was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813. ...

Three other members of Charlemagne, two of them French, would be awarded the Knight's Cross, although only Vaulot actually received his decoration.

Worn down to approximately 30 effectives, most were captured or escaped Berlin singly or in groups. Most of those who made it to France were denounced and sent to prison. E.g. Hauptsturmführer Henri Joseph Fenet (*1919 in Ceyzériat - 2002), one of the last recipients of the Knight's Cross was sentenced to 20 years of forced labor and released from prison in 1959. Some were far less lucky and were shot upon capture by French authorities. General Leclerc was famously presented with a defiant group of 11-12 captured Charlemagne men. The General asked them why they wore a German uniform, to which one of them unwisely replied by asking the General why he wore an American one (the Free French wore modified US army uniforms). The group was then executed. For their grave site see http://www.thirdreichruins.com/memorials.htm. Hauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. ... Ceyzériat is a commune in the French département of Ain. ... The penultimate expression of the award: the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with golden Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Philippe de Hauteclocque, often known by his French resistance alias Leclerc (November 22, 1902 - November 28, 1947), was a Marshal of France. ...

Not all the survivors of the Division were as unrepentant as post-war Nazi apologists like Fenet. In Marcel Ophuls' excellent "The Sorrow and the Pity" (Le Chagrin et la pitié) Christian de la Maziere, a surviving Charlemagne volunteer, is interviewed and asked why he joined the SS and whether he regretted having done so. He replied that he was raised in a rightist family, read pre-war right-wing dailies full of alarmist news about Communist atrocities in the USSR and Spain and also fell victim to the racial intolerance prevalent at the time. He expressed regret for his actions and acknowledged the shortcomings of the cause he had fought for. Marcel Ophüls (born November 1, 1927) is a documentary film maker. ... Le Chagrin et la pitié: A two part documentary by Marcel Ophüls that concerns the French resistance and more controversially collaboration with the Vichy and Nazis. ...

Different names

During its existence the units were known with various names including:

Französische Grenadier-Infantrie-Regiment 638 (Légion des Volontaires Français)
Französische SS-Freiwilligen-Sturmbrigade
Französische SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment'
Waffen-Grenadier-Brigade der SS Charlemagne (französische Nr.1)
33.Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS Charlemagne (französische Nr.1)

See also

• List of German divisions in WWII
• Waffen-SS

This is a list of German divisions in WWII. Only ground units are covered; divisions of aircraft are not. ... Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ...

External links

• Feldgrau (1)
• Feldgrau (2)
• Feldgrau (3)

References

• Landwehr, Richard (1989). Charlemagne's Legionnaires: French Volunteers of the Waffen-SS, 1943-1945. Silver Spring, MD: Bibliophile Legion Books. ISBN 091818407X.
• Robert Forbes - FOR EUROPE: The French Volunteers of the Waffen-SS (Helion & Company Ltd, 2006)

Richard Landwehr has been the author of numerous books about the Waffen-SS, its foreign (that is, non-German) volunteers in particular. ...