Episode Details

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 ruins of Berlin, where a small contingent became some of the last defenders of Hitler's regime.

This is a story of ideology, collaboration, and difficult historical questions—where the traditional narratives of World War II become far more complicated.

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