PropertyValue
rdf:type
rdfs:label
  • 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French)
rdfs:comment
  • The 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French) and Charlemagne Regiment are collective names used for units of French volunteers in the Wehrmacht and later Waffen-SS during World War II. From estimates of 7,400 to 11,000 at its peak in 1944, the strength of the division fell to just sixty men in May 1945. Its crest is a representation of the dual empire of Charlemagne, which united the Franks in what would become France and Germany. The Imperial eagle on the left-side represents Germany and the fleurs-de-lys on the right-side represents France.
owl:sameAs
dcterms:subject
dbkwik:military/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
Branch
  • 23
Country
  • Vichy France
past commanders
Dates
  • 1944
Unit Name
  • 33
Allegiance
  • Germany
Battles
  • World War II
  • * Moscow * Belarus * Ukraine * Bobr River * Galicia * Poland * Körlin * Berlin
Abbreviation
  • SS Charlemagne
abstract
  • The 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French) and Charlemagne Regiment are collective names used for units of French volunteers in the Wehrmacht and later Waffen-SS during World War II. From estimates of 7,400 to 11,000 at its peak in 1944, the strength of the division fell to just sixty men in May 1945. They were arguably the last German unit to see action in a pitched battle during World War II, where they held central Berlin and the Führerbunker against the onslaught of Soviet infantry. Knowing that they would not survive should Germany be defeated, they were among the last to surrender in the brutal house-to-house and street-to-street fighting, during the final days of the Battle in Berlin. Its crest is a representation of the dual empire of Charlemagne, which united the Franks in what would become France and Germany. The Imperial eagle on the left-side represents Germany and the fleurs-de-lys on the right-side represents France.