France's SS and the Men Who Fought for Hitler
In the final months of World War II, as Nazi Germany collapsed on all fronts, one of the last units defending Berlin carried a surprising distinction: many of its soldiers were French. In this episode of History Shorts, we explore the controversial history of the French volunteers who served in the Waffen-SS, culminating in the formation of the Charlemagne Division. Motivated by anti-communism, collaborationist politics, or a belief in a German victory, thousands of Frenchmen chose to fight alongside Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union. Their story reached its dramatic conclusion in the…
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