The French SS, Charlemagne Unit, Battle Of Berlin, 1945 WWII

[appalachiablue]

(12 mins). Pub. April 1, 2020, Mark Felton Prod.



The French volunteers of the Second World War constituted an entirely separate division in the Wehrmacht, and after that the Waffen-SS which consisted of units that were called the 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French) and the Charlemagne Regiment.

With an impressive strength of an estimated 7,400-11,000 at its peak in 1944, the numbers came down to a mere sixty, as of May 1945. Entrusted with the protection of Central Berlin as well as the Führer’s bunker from the Soviet invasion, they were one of the last remaining German units to have faced combat.

They were also among the last remaining to surrender; and as they knew very well that they could never survive if Germany got defeated, they continued to fight till the last days of the Battle of Berlin.

The unit’s crest represented the dual Charlemagne Empire that had united the Franks – a historical event that would contribute to the formation of France and Germany.The crest equally represents France and Germany, with the Fleur-de-Ly’s on the right representing France (or West Francia, as it was called), and the Imperial Eagle on the left representing Germany.

- The Charlemagne Unit and the Defence of Berlin -

As of April 1945, Krukenberg was left with only 700 men under his command, who were segregated into a single heavy support battalion with no equipment and an infantry regiment consisting of two battalions...
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/last-ss-unit-berlin-frenchmen.html