Author: Tony Le Tissier
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1848846940
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 289
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Book Description
In May 1945, as the triumphant Red Army crushed the last pockets of German resistance in central Berlin, French soldiers fought back. They were the last surviving members of SS Charlemagne, the Waffen SS division made up of French volunteers. They were among the final defenders of the city and of Hitlers bunker. Their extraordinary story gives a compelling insight into the dreadful climax of the Battle for Berlin and into the conflicts of loyalty faced by the French in the Second World War. Yet, whatever their motivation, the performance of these soldiers as they confronted the Soviet onslaught was unwavering, and their fate after the German defeat was grim. Once captured, they were shot out of hand by their French compatriots or imprisoned. SS Charlemagne is a gripping, fluently written study of one of the most revealing side stories of the war.
Author: Lukasz Gladysiak
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781912866175
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
33. Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS was one of a number of divisions in the Third Reich's armed forces composed of foreign soldiers. The majority that formed this unit were French: volunteers or men who, because of collaboration, had been forced to help the German's on the eve of the Allied invasion in Western Europe. During February-March 1945 the French division took part in the struggle for Pomerania, facing overwhelming Soviet and Polish Forces. The unit fought in a constant retreat and met its fate during the few days of battle in Białogard (former Belgard an der Persante) and Karlino (Koerlin) region. From that point, after the Division's reorganisation from the German to the French pattern, the retreat transformed into a chaotic escape, which for many ended tragically in Polish or Soviet captivity, or in mass graves which are still waiting to be discovered. Only a handful of the 4,500 Frenchmen who started the battle near Czarne (Hammerstein) and Człuchów (Schlochau) managed to survive and after a few weeks reached the new meeting point in Neustrelitz, Germany. After that, some of them prepared for struggle for Berlin and went to battle once more in April 1945.Łukasz Gładysiak's book is the first attempt by a Polish author to accurately recreate these episodes of the last stages of 33. Waffen-Grenadier Division der SS's history. Collecting historical sources from all over Europe, including German Army Group Vistula's documents, and memories of veterans of both sides of the frontline largely unpublished so far, the author takes us to the fields, towns and villages of Pomerania during the tragic days of the beginning of 1945, and follows the battle through the towns of Czarne (Hammerstein)-Człuchów (Schlochau), Szczecinek (Neustettin), Białogard (Belgardan der Persante), Karlino (Koerlin) iKołobrzeg (Kolberg). While the chronological description of the combat forms the backbone of this book, the individual soldiers' stories, including biographies of key figures, as well as a number of previously unsolved mysteries are also covered, such as the fate of General Edgar Puaud. This is the first book that refers extensively to the French SS-men's battles in Pomerania in the last stages of the Third Reich.
Author: Richard Landwehr
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780918184078
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 272
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Book Description
Author: Jonathan Trigg
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0750967110
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 220
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Book Description
The divisions of the Waffen-SS were among the elite of Hitler’s armies in the Second World War. But alongside the Germans in the Waffen-SS fought an astonishingly high number of volunteers from other countries. By the end of the Second World War these foreign volunteers comprised half of all Hitler’s Waffen-SS, and filled the ranks of over twenty-four of the nominal thirty-eight Waffen-SS divisions. So during the most brutal war that mankind has ever known, hundreds of thousands of men flocked to fight for a country that was not theirs, and for a cause that was one of the most monstrous and barbaric in history. Who were these men, and why did they fight? Hitler’s Gauls is an in-depth examination of one of these legions of foreign volunteers, the Charlemagne division, who were recruited entirely from conquered France. The men in Charlemagne, often motivated by an extreme anti-communist zeal, fought hard on the Eastern Front including battles of near annihilation in the snows of Pomerania and the final stand in the ruins of Berlin. This definitive history, illustrated with rare photographs, explores the background, training, key figures and full combat record of one of Hitler’s lesser known foreign units of the Second World War.
Author: Rolf Michaelis
Publisher: Schiffer Military History
ISBN: 9780764351815
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 144
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Book Description
The story of the French units of the Waffen-SS in World War II--the Französische SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment; Französische SS-Freiwilligen-Sturmbrigade, Waffen-Grenadier-Brigade der SS "Charlemagne"; 33. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS "Charlemagne"--is told in this concise and detailed book. Examined first are the many fascist and national-socialist movements that existed in France at the beginning of the twentieth century, from whose ranks the majority of the war and eastern front volunteers were recruited. The recruiting campaign and training of the SS volunteers are examined, along with the combat operations by armed French units in Galicia, Pomerania, Kolberg, and in the Gotenhafen area. After the necessary unit rebuilding following these costly actions, there followed further actions in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and the actions of unit remnants in the Reich capital Berlin. The book is augmented by rare photographs, some never before published, and detailed maps.
Author: Robert Forbes
Publisher: Stackpole Books
ISBN: 0811735818
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 546
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Book Description
Definitive account of French volunteers in the Waffen-SS Blow-by-blow retelling of battles on the Eastern Front, including the fight for Berlin Focuses on all French SS units, especially the 33rd SS Grenadier Division "Charlemagne" Impeccably researched, this book tells the story of the Frenchmen who, motivated by their hatred of Communism, chose to fight for the Third Reich in World War II, first in the regular army and then as part of the Waffen-SS. These unique soldiers participated in bitter combat, primarily against the Soviets, and returned home to an awkward peace.
Author:
Publisher: Merriam Press
ISBN: 1576382753
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 572
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Book Description
Author: Paul Martelli
Publisher: Helion and Company
ISBN: 1910777528
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 329
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Book Description
A collaborationist who fought for Germany during WWII and later for the French in Vietnam tells his eventful life story in this military memoir. This is the riveting true story of Paul Martelli who fought on the Eastern Front in 1945 as a fifteen-year-old member of the 33rd Waffen-Grenadier-Division of the SS Charlemagne, and later, as a soldier with French forces in the Tonkin area of Vietnam. Paul recounts his time at the Sennheim military training base; his experience of the German invasion of France when he was still a boy in Lorraine; and his motivations for enlisting with the Waffen SS a few years later. He reveals his escapades at Greifenberg, his first love with a German girl helping refugees, and his experiences of combat. After the German defeat, Martelli ends up delivering a group of female camp prisoners to a Russian officer, then living in disguise among enemy soldiers until he escapes and surrenders to the Americans. After a prison sentence and military service in Morocco, Paul is sent to fight in defense of French bases north of Hanoi, Vietnam. Though he survives three years of fierce combat, he compares his service in the Waffen SS with the inefficiency of the French Expeditionary Force and comes out deeply frustrated. At almost twenty-six, Martelli has fought and lost in two wars, both against the communists. Unemployed, and with the ideals of a ‘Nouvelle Europe’ in pieces, he briefly joins the French Foreign Legion before choosing another path
Author: Rolf Michaelis
Publisher: Schiffer Military History
ISBN: 9780764348372
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Originally published in 1994-1995 as 3 separate volumes.
Author: Rudolf Pencz
Publisher: Stackpole Books
ISBN: 0811735826
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 306
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Book Description
Groundbreaking history of a rarely covered German unit. Numerous eyewitness reports from members of the division. Detailed maps to illustrate the division's actions.
