Mark Felton video on the SS "Charlemagne" in Berlin 1945

[bargunner]

valuable to see a write-up like this after viewing the video.

[Leonhard Krenz]

Hi,

Mark should have released the video on May 2, 2020, for the 75th Anniversary of the fall of Berlin, as the French were amongst the last ones to defend the Reich Chancellery area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJpWB5hi3hQ

It is obvious that Mark didn't read the best book in English on the subject, as his video is marred by outrageous errors...

I just made this short erratum in 1 hour, it is far from perfect.

For the actual fights in Berlin, i suggest the reading of the Robert Forbes "For Europe" book (see at the end of this mail).

See You

Vince

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0.40 mark : video of the LVF in Russia, 1942

0.55 mark : French member of the SS-Sturmbrigade, South-East of Poland, August 1944. Please note the position of the French shield, low on the arm ("Charlemagne" members will have the shield correctly placed).

1.20 mark : the PPF was founded by Jacques Doriot in 1936, when Doriot - the rising star of the Communist Party , was sacked due to his unorthodoxy and lack of allegiance to Moscow. His party kept the "secrecy" of the Communist Party, and was the biggest collaborationist party with more members than any other French collaborationist party during WW2.

The majority of the LVF soldiers came from the PPF. It was not the case for the SS "Charlemagne" division.

1.30 mark : picture of the burial of one of the right-wing members killed during the February 6, 1934 riot in Paris (Gratien Cheynier Le Jouhan de Noblens). The activists parading on the right are Francists of the Parti Franciste.

The party was the earliest fascist one (1933) created in France, and was more linked to Mussolini than to Hitler.

One of the most famous veteran and historian of the "Charlemagne" was a member of the Francisme.

1.55 mark : again, the LVF in Russia, 1943.

2.00 mark : no, the recruitment was authorized in early July 1941, and only 2 battalions were engaged near Kubinka (yes, the famous tank museum, 70 km West of Moscow) in early December 1941.

2.15 mark : typo, it should read "Légion des Volontaires Français contre le Bolchevisme".
Also starting from Spring 1942 up to late 1943, only 2 (of the planned 3 battalions, due to a lack of volunteers) were used in antipartisan warfare in two different areas of the Army Group Centre. All in all, no more than 6,000 Frenchmen were enlisted in the LVF.

2.30 mark : wrong, since late 1943 a third battalion was now created, and the major achievement was the delaying action in late June 1944 at Bobr, when the Operation Bagration was starting to annihilate the Army Group Centre (the worse defeat of the German army during the whole war).

3.00 mark : the French were invited to enlist in the Waffen-SS starting from July 1943. Around 2,500 were sent to the SS-Ausbildungslager Sennheim (Cernay, Alsace) then to various SS schools. In August 1944, the first battalion of the SS-Sturmbrigade was sent to Galicia (South-East of Poland), and of the around 1,000 soldiers, 170 were KIA/MIA, and around 660 WIA during the heavy fights against the Soviet forces.

3.20 mark : in September/October 1944, it was decided to gather all the French integrate in paramilitary and/or German units in a single new unit : the SS brigade then division "Charlemagne". Around 6,500 soldiers, with 1,500 from the SS-Sturmbrigade, 1,500 from the LVF, 1,000 from the Kriegsmarine, 1,000 from the Organisation Todt, 1,500 from the Franc-Garde (military troop of the Milice française).

Most of the French NSKK units were already on the front, and many other Frenchmen fought in other units than the "Charlemagne" up to the end of the war.

3.25 mark : notice how Mark says "Charlemeine". Actually many Germans did the same, and you can find period awards and promotions written phonetically !

Actually only a part of the Frenchmen were training in the Wildflecken camp. Hundred were still in SS schools all over the Reich. The brigade became a division in early 1945, but it was lacking training, NCO and officers, vehicles, light and heavy weapons and even... helmets !

3.55 mark : only around 5,000 Frenchmen were sent to Eastern Pomerania in February-March 1945. The first convoy arrived in Hammerstein (now Czarne) on February 20. That same fateful day, Jacques Doriot was killed when his car was strafed by British Mosquitos near Mengen.

4.00 mark : the first blood of the division happened from February 24 to February 27 in the East of Hammerstein. The division then retreated 70 km to the North-West in the Kolberg (now Kolobrzeg) - Körlin (Karlino) area.
On March 4, the German high-command understood that all the troops in Eastern Pomerania had to retreat to the West and pass the Oder as quickly as possible as the Soviet forces were ready to entrap them. Around 1,000 soldiers, including the Fenet battalion (future commanding officer of the "Charlemagne" battalion is Berlin) were able to escape on the Baltic shore with thousand of SS and Wehrmacht soldiers, protecting 20,000 civilians. Around 1,000 soldiers escaped to Kolberg and were evacuated by the Kriegsmarine, around 300 continued the fights in the Danzig (now Gdansk) pocket, and of the 2,700 other remaining soldiers, at least 500 were KIA/MIA, and the rest WIA and/or captured by the Soviet forces.

4.15 mark : like for most the Foreign SS units, the French commanding officer Edgar Puaud and his HQ was overseen by a German SS officer (and his own HQ), Gustav Krukenberg. In the retreat from Hammerstein to Körlin, Krukenberg took over the command of the "Charlemagne" due to the supposed lack of reactiveness from Puaud.

Paud, and many French officers, went MIA during the retreat attempt in the morning of March 5. Most of the “Charlemagne” columns trying to escape to the West were captured and some were partly annihilated by the armored units of the Soviet army.

5.10 mark : actually twice more than 300-350 soldiers were planned to reinforce Berlin.

Only that number (300-350) was able to break through the encirclement in the first convoy.

The French SS battalion was the last reinforcement to enter Berlin on the evening of April 24.

7.00 mark : this is the only known German counterattack during the Battle of Berlin.

This counterattack in the ruins of Neukölln was totally useless, and the only “gain” was to loose around 150 French volunteers KIA, WIA or MIA.

10.00 mark : it was in the evening of May 1st that a breakthrough was decided at the Reich Chancellery. The plan was simple : try to break Soviet encirclement in the North of the “Zitadelle” sector. The "fer de lance" was to be one of the remaining Tiger II (the “314” of Georg Diers), followed by two dozen of armored vehicles of the reconnaissance battalion of the SS “Nordland” division which tried to pass the Weidendammer Bridge, but the whole convoy was destroyed, and hundred of high-ranking nazis and SS soldiers killed. Only the Tiger of Diers was able to escape to the North of Berlin until it was abandonned near the Schönhauser Allee subway/railways station (the Tiger was damaged by a German... mine !).

Now what is important is that the remaining French SS under Fenet command were still defending the Air Ministry building (South of the Reich Chancellery) and they were never informed of the planned breakthrough, as SS-Ustuf Valentin Patzak went MIA and was unable to pass them the message. His unfortunate death probably saved the life of the remaining Frenchmen.

11.05 mark : Fenet and his remaining soldiers were captured by Soviet troops in the Subway in the late morning of May 2, 1945. They were probably some of the very last soldiers to "defend" the city.

11.20 mark : SS Frenchmen were, in April 1945, everywhere in the Reich. If only 5,000 soldiers were sent to Pomerania, around 1,500 were still in Wildflecken.

They started a retreat to Bavaria, and over the trail of this regiment-sized unit, many French soldiers deserted or tried to escape. On May 7th, the US Army captured 12 French SS, and they were handed over the famous Free French 2nd Armored Division of General Leclerc. What happened is still debated, but “someone” at high-level decided to “get rid of” the 12 French SS prisoners.

They were shoot in 4 groups of 4 soldiers in the afternoon of May 8, 1945 in Bad Reichenhall.

So for all the Foreign readers, the best book to date is “For Europe”, by Robert Forbes.
The Stackpoole Books 2010 edition is available for less than 20 usd/20 gbp/20 euros on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Europe-Volunt.../dp/0811735818
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Europe-Volu.../dp/0811735818
https://www.amazon.fr/Europe-French-.../dp/0811735818
https://www.amazon.de/Europe-Volunte.../dp/0811735818

Felton doesn't know many... a lot of things, I should say, that for self-taught Enthusiasts like us are basic.

For example, who knows that from April till May 1945, the Reichs-Rundfunk was broadcasting during the whole Battle in the City, and those recordings still exists? (Personally as a Kollektor I have some of them)

Who knows the PK-Berichte recorded the Battle? But according to some sources the material was "destroyed" or lost", personally I don't believe this, because the Soviets stole uncountable material, which is being returning back to the Bundesarchiv, gradually, by the way.

But certainly someone had to point out the errors from this guy.

Many thanks @FrenchVolunteer.

[CPB]

Vince should be made a lifetime member.

The quality and generosity of his posts are outstanding. Always helpful and a super nice guy.

Totally agree