French Volunteers on the Eastern Front and the SS Charlemagne
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- After the German invasion of France the Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism (Légion des volontaires français contre le bolchévisme, or LVF) was established. What about this army formation? What role did Vichy France played in all this. And how was the SS Charlemagne established?
History Hustle presents: French Volunteers on the Eastern Front and the SS Charlemagne.
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SOURCES
Joining Hitler's Crusade. European Nations and the Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941 (David Stahel) France (Oleg Beyda).
The Waffen-SS. A European History (Böhler, Jochen and Gerwarth, Robert).
IMAGES
Images from commons.wikimedia.org and my own.
VIDEO
Video material from:
33rd Waffen Grenadier Division (SS Charlemagne) - French SS Division
• Video
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MUSIC
"Clenched Teeth" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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"Crusade" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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"Lost Frontier" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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"Lost Frontier" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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SOUNDS
Freesound.org.
Wanna join forces and do a collaboration? Send me an email at: historyhustle@gmail.com
NORWEGIAN SS-VOLUNTEERS:
ruclips.net/video/F3BPW5WMmDo/видео.html
DUTCH SS-VOLUNTEERS:
ruclips.net/video/bQlF0ia-ABA/видео.html
WE DEFEATED THE WRONG ENEMY
~GEN. GEORGE S PATTON 1945
WATCH EUROPATHELASTBATTLE
WE DEFEATED THE WRONG ENEMY
~GEN. GEORGE S PATTON 1945
WATCH EUROPATHELASTBATTLE
Many of the last resisting "German" soldiers in Berlin were French from the SS Charlemagne, look for the excellent episode of Mark Felton. Kudos to you Stefan, your videos are well documented and very well built!
Thank you, Dominique.
@dominique yes, I read of them defending berlin too, there were also Himalayan/tibetan troops defending berlin at the end, that0s another VERY interesting and almost unknown event, if you are curious search for it!
@@joekaput WTF ?! What were the Tibetans doing in Germany ?
That's kinda ironic, because some of the last French troops to surrender were Germans serving in the French Foreign Legion at the Maginot line, and of course some of the last German troops to surrender were Frenchmen serving in the W-SS
@@joekaput Truly?! Evidence?
Little correction: the Action Française both collaborated AND resist the occupation. The first resistant to be killed by the germans was a royalist, so we can't really say that the party collaborated, but it kind of splited. Btw, nice video👍🏻most of french don't know that. I know a lot more after watching this
Thank you for taking the time to write the correction.
@@HistoryHustle In fact a big part of the man that joined Charles de Gaulle in London were royalist from the Action Française. People tend to forget that despite being
anti-semite and anti-communist, they were also germanophic and collaborate wasn't in their plan.
@@HistoryHustle like said bossuet " the heretic is the guy who has an opinion" ruclips.net/video/92rUQutxToo/видео.html
Honoré d’ Estienne d’Orves ?
👍👍👍👍👍 I put similar comments in the flow
In the book "For Europe, The french volunteers of the Waffen-SS" it is stated that Sturmman Mariot carried a french MAS38 SMG during the fighting in pommerania. He apparently brought it with him from his service in the milice. The book also states the use of at least one french 75mm field gun.
Interesting, many thanks for providing us with this additional information!
Everytime I watch a video of Mark Felton I always get here. Not that I mind, but I think it has to do with the youtube algorithm.
More people mention this. I don't mind ☺️
@@HistoryHustle I'd call it a pretty big compliment. ;-)
Well, the channel you get directed to is “History Hustle”
Mark Felton makes great Vids!
As a supporter of all the armed fighting Bolshevism,I thoroughly enjoyed this excellent video!
ok, thanks...
Funny every person who makes anti communism a main part of their political identity, always ends up being a fascist
@@alexresa9039 but what are you?
@@Grahamgusbull not a waterhead
@@alexresa9039 being a supporter of fascism against communism,does not make ME a fascist!…you still haven’t told me what YOU are?
I just love some history before bed.
I love it as my side dish.
I love it before falling asleep
Upon waking up😃
Glad you liked it. Don't get nightmares from it of course!
I love it 24/7, but especially with a nice American Cab or Pinot. OK Knob Creek, you got me.
Volunteered to work (from home) today, but keep getting distracted by awesome things like this.
Thanks and have a nice home working day, Edward.
Another great feature....Some members of the SS Charlemagne fought very courageously during the final days in Berlin....Its funny how, nationality, does not necessarily dictate, what makes a man fight to the end.....Happy New Year Stefan! Keep producing, interesting features on what you do best! Peace from Ireland.......................................
Best wishes!
My french great grandfather was forced to fight in the charlemagne division but he escaped
@@sleazen8305 The SS divisions, even till the end of the war, recruited on a very strict basis. Ideological and physical excellence was a criteria. So your grandfather, being forced to fight, would not only have been impossible, it would waste valuable arms and resources that could’ve been better used in the hands of a volunteer willing to fight
Things were not that simple at the end of the war. SS units had to refill their ranks after huge losses on the eastern front. They couldn't maintain their initial criterias to do so.
Did you hear about the "malgré-nous" (against-our-will)?
In eastern France, Alsace and Moselle regions had been incorporated by force to the Reich after the defeat of 1940.
As a result, starting from 1942, young men from this area were forced to serve in the german forces. The ones who refused had to face severe reprisals against themselves and their families. Most of them were incorporated in the Wehrmacht, but some were sent in SS units.
There are many cases similar to the one evoked here. My only questioning here is about the precised SS unit on that matter : for what I know, almost all men serving in the Charlemagne were volunteers, due to the political context of its creation (blend od LVF, Milice and Freiwillige SS, as brillantly explained by History Hustle).
But the fact that many Alsacians and Mosellans were forced to serve in different Waffen SS units (which ones precisely, I don't know) is perfectly documented. @@stoggafllik
@@bertrandgeorgeon3992 I will not repeat common sense. The German army does not waste it's already dwindling resources on unwilling fighters that would be better used on willing fighters.
Those fleeing west were captured by the French army and shot out of hand- why miss that part?
Some were but not all. I don't believe this happened systematically.
@@HistoryHustle That's correct, there is some old footage on RUclips of SS Charlemagne volunteers Christian de la Mazière and Henri Fenet discussing their involvement in the battle of Berlin.
Interesting!
@@HistoryHustle Indeed, Henri Fenet gets quite emotional and almost starts crying when he declares "loyal to the end".
Read ‘for Europe’, stockpile military press. Detailed history of the French forces serving Germany, their actions and deaths.
Also ‘Ashes of Honour’, Alan Windgate press, London
Written by a veteran of the above French forces from start to finish-Jacques Boulay
Can you do one on the 250th Infantry Division " The Spanish Blue Division " ??
Keep the great videos coming 👍!!
Expect somewhere in November / December.
As a counterpoint, perhaps you can make a future video about the Normandie-Niemen squadron of French volunteers who flew Yak-1s and Yak-3s alongside the Soviets on the Eastern Front. Incidentally, at the end of the war Stalin gifted them the Yak-3s which they flew home. These were incorporated into the Armée de l'Air.
Interesting one!
Nota Bene did an excellent video on this.
Awesome content as always man! It would be awesome if you could do some videos on the French amry of 1940. I'm not even French,but those guys deserve way more attention for their actions in 1940,I'm thinking of Lille,Dunkirk,Stonne and so on... Keep up the great work!
Thanks. French 1940 Army I'd like to cover but there is a lack of copyright free photos. I see what I can do.
Do a video on the " Malgré-nous ", the Alsacians who were enrolled in the Wehrmacht by force.
Future perhaps. Interesting topic.
130 000 malgré nous d'Alsace et de Moselle.
Oui enfin ça reste un peu un mythe pour le coup. On ce rappel de ces alsaciens "malgré nous" qui ont commis le massacre de français comme a Oradour sur glane ou c'était bien des alsaciens qui ont d'ailleurs désobéit aux supérieurs allemand en commettant ce massacre. Donc bon ça m'a l'air plus complexe que ça.
Love from Brussels 🇧🇪 Steefan 🙏🏾❤️
I hope to see a video about the Vlaamse SS or Wallonien SS one day
Please. Thanks for your good work and research.
You're welcome. In the future I will cover the Belgian volunteers. Might be in 2021.
ruclips.net/video/6a9SLQo_uNA/видео.html
Funny : Vlaams and Walloons that hâte each eather in two différents WSS division.
I have degrelles book sitting on a shelf waiting to be read..the man was vain but he certainly lived an interesting life.
Force et Honneur
Action Française
Vive la France
Vive le Roi
A bas la république maçonnique
A bas le communisme
Alors
Liberté, égalité, fraternité
Vive la France
Vive la résistance
À bas le pangermanisme hitlérien
À bas les traîtres islamo-germanolâtres
Pour information, l'Action Française a été majoritairement opposé au pangermanisme d'Hitler, et a rejoint majoritairement les rangs de la résistance intérieure et les Forces Françaises Libres du général De Gaulle (Qui avait des idées monarchistes). Ne t'en déplaise.
CCCP. Stalin never sign the Geneve-konvention so the War on the Earstern front " were my Father's unckle was in " Nordland-Division 24 Danmark" was a fair war. But the civilien death's was NOT ok. But in a War people die!! Fact's. I love the way you tell history 👍🎗
Thanks for replying!
In the middle of Eastern Front in June 1944 the French volunteers for some time defended their positions so well that the Soviets thought they face 2 French Divisions. In reality the French had strenght of half-battalion. Source: SS- The Hitler's Instrument of terror by Gordon Williamson.
Thanks for sharing.
@@HistoryHustle No problem.
There was the last to fight in Berlin to defend the futherbunker. And save germany to the humilate defeat in the symbolic day of the 1 May.
Not sure if they were aware of this themselves. But good point you make here.
Love the videos! Can you do a video on maybe Italian or Spanish volunteers in the Wehrmacht and SS? Thank you
Thank you. Will probably do somewhere in the future.
@@HistoryHustle The Spanish Blue division who fought on the eastern front have a very interesting history, and would make a great video!
Yes agree!
@@HistoryHustle Looking forward to it already 😜
Great!
I recall a certain Guy Sajer encountering French volunteers in the midst of battle on the eastern front. Sajer was half French half German and wrote 'The Forgotten Soldier' an engrossing and now a controversial account of his time in Russia much of it with the Grossdeutschland division.
Thanks for sharing!
Guy Sajer, was Alsacian, and press ganged in the german army. If I remembered right, having read his book some 44 years ago, he voluntiered to join the GD division just to follow his friend. His mother was german and his father french.
@@josephvanuxem9671 Ah yes his friend Hals. Then there was the 'Veteran', Lensen and many other memorable characters.
Great read . Really enjoyed it .
Brilliant book. Very good account of the German army in Russia.
Best one I have ever read.
Great video Stefan! I think you should cover the Danish Free Corps next. As you covered France the Netherlands and Norway but you missed Denmark.
Thanks Steve and yes, much more to cover there is.
Flander ...Wallonia ...others !!!
Excellent Research and detailed knowledge Thank you for sharing ✌️
Thanks for your message!
I thought that I knew almost everything about ww2. Today I've got a humbling experience with this new video. I didn't know about these French volunteers. :)
Thanks! Glad you found it interesting.
Being half French and half German, I find this is all very conflicting.
I don't believe you are a nazi.
Be cool, be yourself.
Peace from The Netherlands.
Understandable. And thanks for responding Mike.
Have you read “The Forgotten Soldier” by Guy Sajer?
No I have not.
There are always mamy sides to each story. The history we are taught at school is highly simplified
I wish you'd been my history teacher. You're much more passionate than the US history teacher I had in my senior year of highschool.
Thank you!
.
I wonder if Hitler knew that some of the last defenders of Berlin were french. Probably not we can only imagine his reaction to hearing that
Guess so. I think he wasn't too worried with that at this point. We'll never know.
For sure he knew it, the last german military decorations that hitler gave to soldiers were to some french.
@@gringologie9302 A lack of knowledge in the comments ;)
love from Iraq
Thanks and have a good day! 🇮🇶
I am actually reading La division Charlemagne by Jean Mabire it's such a good book
Interesting.
I'm looking to buy his series
I will check out. Thanks for information
I thought French people outside the Alsace region where Latin so could not be Germanic (Aryan) can someone help me pls 😭🙏🏾😭
They were not indeed.
French are not ONE people !!! But many : that are very physicly différents in between themlselves but used to speack the same language ...
@@bouchacourtthierry8506 yeah,and I've heard the French are one of the few peoples that can pronounce properly the word"celtic".
The name "France" comes from the Franks, a German tribe that invaded the roman Gaul.
They are 3 main ethnicities : Iberian (south, Brown hair tan skin)
Celtic (Chestnut hairs pink peach skin blue yellow green eyes)
Germanic (north and east, blue White Grey eyes blond White hair)
Ss recruited all 3 after 1943
Great video. I would like to see a video about the action between the Vichy supporting elements of the French Foreign Legion who fought against the DeGaulle supporting elements of the French Foreign Legion in Syria during WWII: Legionaires against Legionaires. Per wikipedia: "...The Syria-Lebanon Campaign of June 1941 saw legionnaire fighting legionnaire as the 13e D.B.L.E clashed with the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment 6e REI at Damascus. Nevertheless, many legionnaires of the 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment 6e (dissolved on 31 December 1941) integrated into the Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion R.M.L.E in 1942. ..."
Charlemagne's French SS were the last formed unit to enter Berlin before the city was surrounded. They surrendered after losing 90% of their troops on May 2, preventing Stalin from taking the city on May 1.
That sure made a world of difference...
@@HistoryHustle yes that was. May 1 was a very symbolic day anniversary for stalin.
Thanks for this channel and your work! Many answered the cause to save Europe from Communism. Myself come from Sweden and even we had soldiers fighting mainly in 11. SS Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland. The last Swede to fall during the war was Ragnar Johansson from Skövde, who fell on the first of May 1945 in Berlin.
Glad you find it interesting. Many indeed believed to fight communism, but since Stalin never had plans to invade Europe (that's a pro-Nazi / revisionist myth) the cause is unjust. Furthermore, many joined because of other reasons.
@@HistoryHustle I agree with you and i think there is a difference between people joining the crusade in 1941 and the people who defended Germany when the war turned bad. Many people simple feared what Stalin and the Soviets would do if they won the war. War of cultures, the way of life was at stake in many peoples eyes i would imagine.
@@HistoryHustle I think many feared what the Reds did prior to WW2. Clearly, if the Communists had taken Poland, they would have desired to move further west. In addition, there was plenty of political turmoil related to communism leading up to WW2 in western Europe.
@@HistoryHustle can you make a video about that? I was under the impression that the Russians wanted to fight the Germans eventually but didn’t necessarily want to take over Europe? I could be dead wrong I just thought I read that somewhere
Great vid as always. Would you be interested in making a video on the 1940 invasion of Belgium?
Will do in the future somewhere but cannot tell when.
Can you do one about the Flemish volunteers?
Future. Can't tell when.
Kobe Geyskens This historical topic interests me also.
One source of further info is the book; "Lions of Flanders; Flemish volunteers WSS 1941-45'
by Richard Landwehr, 165 pgs, softbound. 1996 @ Shelf Books. UK
As an American & former resident of Oost Vlaanderen, Stephan's excellent coverage of
the important Battle of The Schelde Estuary (pre-requisite to the Allies' utilization of Antwerp port)
really helped me understand the bigger picture in 1944-45 Flanders & the Southern Nederlande. Dank u wel !
@@Bradandchristinenj Thanks i will check it out.
John Sm. Gee, thanks John. Now I’ve purchased a 2nd hand copy of this book ! I’ve seen it around years ago.
“Knowledge is costly, ignorance is more expensive”. Thank you.
Bonjour / Goeidag de Bruxelles 👀👌🏾 mijn copain
There were LOTS of Nazi Militia in France as well, and they fought in battles against the French Resistance...
Sure something for a future video.
@@HistoryHustle The Battle of Glières was the biggest battle the MILICE and Franc-Garde (the Armed version of the Milice) staged against the Resistance...
j'ai un cousin qui était dans la LVF puis la Charlemagne , a fini la guerre comme prisonnier des russes au camp de Tambov , libéré en 1955 , il a travaillé à l'hotel du Louvre comme clef d'or , maintenant décédé
Very interesting to read. Thanks for sharing.
Do you know about the British Free Corps? These were a very small number of Brits who fought for the Wehrmacht.
Have to research that.
I expected more! Your interpretations are rather personal or based on the opinions of others. Present historical records to verify your statements.
See sources in the description below.
Your explanation are very clear and instructive, I didn’t know very well this part of my country’s history , very interesting thank a lot
.
Thanks for your reply.
As a man orignally born in Quebec, i know that at least 3 quebeckers fought in the SS Charlemagne and 2 in the British Free Corps
Thanks for sharing.
As far as I have been able to research, the unit badge which consists of the Fleur-de-lis, I found an example of one which the Fleur-de-lis is yellow and the other side is blue, but I don't think this was the one stitched on the tunic.
Hello, could you make a video about the Wehrmacht Strafbataillon?
Btw, do you speak German ? (I think you have been asked this question already )
Keep up the huzzle
One day I will dive into that. I speak German fairly well. Listening not that great. Reading OK. Writing/grammar: don't ask.
Thanks for this video about the the French troops fighting for the German army, I really enjoyed it.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video.
Is it true that Belgians served in the Waffle SS?
lol
France wasn't too kind to the returning and captured French SS soldiers and the Soviets were more than happy to turn their captured French SS over to the French government in 1945.
True, and it was same for SS volunteers of all nations, who were either imprisoned or executed, including the tiny contingent of British Free Corp SS volunteers.
@@mathewkelly9968 Some of the British Waffen SS chaps managed to escape the gallows by claiming they signed up in order to sabotage the unit, but their hardcore ideologically Nazi leader was thankfully hanged.
I know some former SS volunteers were sent to Indochina to fight there.
they didn't deserve kindness ss for the most part were some of the worst.
Why do you call the SS Charlemagne as “infamous”?
They were the last to defend Berlin . I mean that should be enough to consider them infamous.
@@harshbansal7982 Might have been somewhat controversial to refer to them as "famous" :)
@@edsmith4995 & Harsh: thanks for answering.
A more neutral term would be "notorious", but it's still associated with unfavorable behavior.
@@daveberntson4081, at least that term would not be as improper (for a decent historian, I mean) as “infamous”.
Yes finally!
These videos are like Kinder Überraschung ;)
Glad you like it guys.
@@HistoryHustle Swap rotors.
The eggs are layed, the eggs are not hatched, the eggs are in the basket.
End of message.
Absolutely fascinating.
Agree!
about the 8.ss sturmbrigade, it never fought the French resistance within France, it was in training from September 1943 all the way to august 1944 when they were first engaged. The unit started as a regiment between august 1943 to march 1944, then as an artillerie regiment in march-aril 1944 and became a sturmbrigade from April 1944 to august 1944. Otherwise your video is pretty interesting!! cheers
thanks
That the milice that fough résistants ... And Gendarmerie (GMR) ... résistants were called Terrorists.
I read an interesting anecdote where a French general (I think leclerc) captured some French ss and asked why they were wearing german uniforms and one of the frenchmen retorted "why are you wearing an american uniform." Leclerc has them all shot for that.
I think it demonstrates the gray area here in france specifically between the vichy aligned and the allied aligned side which unfortunately is ignored after the war when everyone wanted to show off their Resistance credentials.
I've noticed that too somewhere. Thanks for sharing this.
And 25 years later you had many leftists in France who pretended that the resistance never had existed and that everyone was a collaborator. Luckily you have today historians like Dominique Lormier to set the record straight.
Love this content! Thanks for educating me continuously
👍
You missed the payoff at the end, ie what happened to the survivors after the war.
Prison or death.
@@HistoryHustle 12 were handed over to the French and were shot for treason, but the main guy was sentenced later to 20 years in prison and was released after just 10.
Classic history hustle ! I had never seen vichy regalia much less that of the charlemagne div. Thanks!
Thanks for replying!
Subcribers gaan nu erg snel omhoog! Mag ook wel met deze kwaliteit :)
Geweldig hè, dank!
I have seen in a book fore SS units waffen. And they did youse french rifle's and submachine-guns to👍
Okay, thanks for sharing this!!
Charlemagne was a bad luck joke of a Division. From the time they first got to the front, they were smashed and smashed by the Soviets. It's almost comical. Good videos. Take care.
Thanks for your reply.
SS charmelange defended the reichstag in 1945
They did.
They did, along with many other foreign volunteers from the remains of divisions such as Nordland etc. One of their primary motivations was to prevent the Soviets capturing it before May the 1st, or May Day, which would have been a symbolic victory for Stalin, but also because they expected death if they surrendered or were repatriated.
@Angel Navarro Many were, although some, like the Swedish in the Nordland division were from neutral countries, not that the Soviets were too fussy about the diplomatic status of those who survived the battle and found themselves in captivity. 😜
@@edsmith4995 "neutral" who fully support/finance/produce iron etc etc ahahah
Thanks, I will never stop learning new things about WW2
You're welcome. Thanks for your reply.
REAL history teacher. Mine could only read from the standard history books and say 'moef' if he wanted you to go....thanks Stefan.
Thanks for your comment, Rene.
ruclips.net/video/DvTELkWlB_E/видео.html
Could be the answer to your question about french weaponry used by LVF. At 4:32, you can see the rear or an Hotchkiss machinegun. On the original comment, they say that this machinegun was "taken to the ennemy" (As the commentator says that they wear the "european" uniform)
Interesting, thanks for sharing.
I like these vids that cover a lot of less explored topics with a good range of details. Subscribed.
Awesome, welcome th the channel!
Stefan, could you maybe tell us something about the 'bende van oss' or 'Affaire Oss'?? It would be really nice thought! Thx anyways 😁
I have seen the movie and know the carnavalesque song. Not really on my list though because it is too niche. But never say never.
Do not listen a Dutch history teacher for our history at that particular point in time, it was far more complex than that.
Feel free to explain.
Damn, you're the best historian...
Thanks, Pawel!
Good job Dutch dude.Love your documentaries.
Many thanks 👍
Great video and channel 💪🏽
Many thanks!!
An interesting subject and a complex one.
Indeed. Hope you found it interesting.
Do you have an episode on the Belgian volunteers?
Not yet. Future. Can't tell when.
Fascinating stuff!
👍
I have my first day of school tomorrow but I just found your videos. They are all very entertaining!
Great to hear. Good luck on school!
@@HistoryHustle thanks! Hope you have a good day as well!
When france got defeated by germany why did germany let france keep foreign legion. They attacked germany
In a few weeks more about the 1940 Fall of France.
@@HistoryHustle thank you
👍
Germany didnt let them. "Free french force" betrayed "french legal autority" while rallying de Gaulle. De Gaulle became legal autority after the war, not during.
We french during ww2 were like the pirates of the caribbean pistol scene meme, most took no side but we had some in every sides, surrender...yes, but resistance and colaboration, allies and axis, and even taking back some of colonies for a free france and a submitted france too germany...etc. Don't judge us for a single defeat, because we came back very quickly despite a very farfetch situation of everyone in every sides possible.
PS : This dude is not bad at all pronouncing french words and quotes, he did good/well.
@@Yartrax-930 thanks.
My father, born in Leipzig in February 1924, was conscripted - I emphasize 'conscripted' - in February 1941. His first gig was the 6th Army road to Stalingrad. He told me once about the Alsatian Conscripts of his age who fought alongside him, who post WW1 had been forbidden to learn or speak their native language, i.e. German by post-Versailles French Laws. His heart went out to them.
Thanks for sharing this.
Great videos I love them all.
👍
154cm !!? Even Napoleons wouldn't have wanted them! How did they fit into their German uniforms? 🙂
Yeah..
Dear Dutch history teacher. You just forget to tell the background of all the "far-right" collaborationnists french leaders such as Deat, Doriot, Laval, Bonnard and others... they were all devoted socialists before german invasion in 40. Nazi, which means National-Socialism, socialism not being a far-right ideology, and Communists were allied until 1941. True nationalists hated "krauts" but hated more "Popov", and enrolled then to fight in the Eastern front. They were wrong. I agree they should have join De Gaulle in London.
I didn't forget, I choose not to. Since the focus is on the volunteers, not the parties.
A most interesting episode indeed.
Thank you!
The LVF sounds tame but the SS Charlemagne would have been men comparable to modern day alt rights and white supremacists
Both were fighting units since today's right wing movements luckily are not.
@SSJ but you CAN compare modern antifa to bolsheviks......
actually germans gave the title freiwillinger (volunteers) to formations made by non aryans (eg russians, french, estonians etc) while for aryan nations they had similar titles as german units (norwegians, dutch etc). it is interesting to know why so many europeans who initially fought against the germans later on collaborated with them. we see that more than half of the waffen ss were non germans. i would also like to know the fate of the majority of these collaborators. very good video!!!
Have a whole playlist for you here:
ruclips.net/video/F3BPW5WMmDo/видео.html
There were distinction in between : "Aryan" , "nordic", Germanic " ... Wallonians were concidered as Germanic french speaking ... Ukrainians as Untermench... there were also a distinction in between French WSS from the Frankreich Brigade considered as Pure SS and the SS Charlemagne division that was a mixt of LVF vétérans. survivors french brigade SS , milicians ...others ...concidered as volonters ... Wallonians SS were catholics ....Many French SS considered themself as Pagans ...
Its really interesting that basically in entire europe only Poland didnt have its own SS division or any German army unit. Huh even Americans had their own SS division. Can you correct me? Are there some countries (bigger than luxembourg etc) that didnt have their own ss division or official german cooperarion?
The American unit only existed on paper though since it was a handful of men. If you're interested, here's my playlist about British, Flemish, Dutch and other pro-Axis volunteers:
ruclips.net/p/PL_bcNuRxKtpEj8sMLxUerrHbsmyar9lqt
French should of been deployed to ussr in million soldiers. Had french army combined with nazi 3 million troops would of conquered ussr by winter.
The French did not want to fight alongside the Germans and not at all in the USSR.
french uniforms with nazi insignia would have been interesting to see in eastern front footage, it’s the little facts like that, that make me love this channel
Great 👍
Imagine if petan declared war on england and the ussr in ww2. French moblizes and its pows in germany are released. French fleet help prevent normandy with the uboats
Doubt if they would. Mass desertion would probably be the case.
At 9:45 I dont quite understand. Why would the SS care that the LVF conducted themselves in this fashion? Sounds like SS standard operating procedure to me.
Indeed. Can't tell what the opinion of these officers was.
One screen has qualifying for the F1 ..... will have to read it later as this screen has my full attention. Excellent video as always, interesting how the far right in France was four groups that never joined up. That's politics and power then.
Thanks for your message.
Heinrich Himmler tried to created special SS state Burgundy/Bourgogne!
Can't tell. Haven't read about it.
Hey.. was there not a voluntary Italian and a Greek SS brigade that fought on the Eastern front?
Italian SS yes but only after 1943 I believe when Italy surrendered and Greek SS didn't exist.
These videos are amazing…. Thanks so much for making them and highlighting the fight against Bolshevism
Thanks for your reply.
You know that the SS were the bad guys?... Right?
The bolt action French MAS 36 rifle saw action on the Eastern Front.
Ok thanks for sharing.
French legion took so many casualties in 42' near moscow they were taken out of combat
Thanks for sharing.
Your french prononciation is spot on.
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Very cool video
Many thanks!
Pétain became from WWI hero to WWII scapegoat.
Crazy turn of events yes.
@SSJ So much for communists.
@SSJ Far-right revisionism. Pétain was not forced to collaborate , and did not collaborate to " lessen the burden ". He willingly betrayed France , and uncovered documents by french historians prove that he started to work on the persecution of jews of his own will , without any orders from the nazis
By historical revisionism , I mean exactly what you doing :
On the 3rd of October 1940 , in the " free zone " , by initiative of the Vichy regime and annotated by Pétain himself to be harsher than what was initially planned , the first law on the statut of jews is promulgated. It applied to french jews.
Very shortly after the Vichy regime was established , Pétain spontaneously and autonomously started to persecute jews , including those with french nationality.
Accounts from close collaborators of Pétain says that he personally said that he no longer wanted jews within education and administration.
Numerous french jews saw their nationality voided by law.
As for your blurb about only the radical right seeing Pétain as a traitor , it is ridiculous and far from the truth if we look at who work security for far-right french political party ( neo-nazis and vichy nostalgics )
He has done nothing wrong! FRANCE in 1930s was very corrupted and after the defeat in 1940, France has nothing left to fight but complied with the German occupiers to survive!
Interesting as I have both French and Indian background.
Feel free to check my video on the Indian Legion.
wow wat een gave meester ben jij....wou dat ik vroeger zo een geschiedenis
leraar had...zeer intresant gast!!!!engels moet je nog wel beter leren..hahahaahah grappie sorry nee geweldig kanaal heer meester.....
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I'm surprised the Germans didn't allow them to arm and equip themselves with French army stock. There must have been plenty of it sat in reserve somewhere, and it would save the Germans the trouble of having to pay for all of their equipment out of their own pockets. It would have been pragmatic.
Interesting thought. I wouldn't thing it would be effective at all. Because then the supply chain gets an extra burden of sorting out ammunition and spare parts. It may hinder the troops in that case I think. I do believe French army stock was used by collaborating police in occupied France (or Vichy).
@@HistoryHustle that's a very good point actually, I didn't think of logistics! what a terrible general I would make.
I love these videos on the other nations fighting in the Nazi armies because it digs into the motivation of the soldiers and their psyche. Keep up the good work. PS enjoying watching your travels on Instagram❤️
Many thanks. Great you liked the video as well as my current travel stories.
Also pointing out that Germans were not doing this alone, they had a lot of help.
Indeed.
Can you do a vidio abaut partezans pls
Future.
There was a also a tiny British Waffen SS unit comprised of volunteers recruited from prisoner of war camps, called the British Free Corp. However it's not actually as interesting as it sounds. Only a few recruits were genuinely committed to the Nazi cause, and the remainder were looking for a way out of the camps to chase women and have an easy life. There are unsubstantiated reports a few of them found themselves on the Oder front during the last days of the war, but the Germans struggled to make it combat ready and disbanded them after giving up on the idea.
Yes, thanks for the additional information. Perhaps something for the future to cover.