Originally posted by Chris Boonzaier
It's not a silly question. It's something I've often wondered about myself. I suppose it's because the French regarded Charlemagne as a national hero that Himmler must have 'relented' by allowing the French division to take his name. That and the fact that, despite his purge against the Saxons, Charlemagne came to be regarded as Emperor of the Germans in his capacity as Holy Roman Emperor. The (French) map below shows Charlemagne's empire at its height. It takes in most of Germany. So I suppose Himmler's view of Charlemagne was much like his view of 'Skanderbeg' when it came to awarding divisional names particularly suited to ethnic units - Iskander Beg was not an archetypal Germanic hero either!
Regards,
Robin.
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