Legion of the French volunteers

The Legion of the French volunteers against the Bolchevism (known as Legion of the French Volunteers ), known under the name Infanterieregiment 638 by the German S, is created the July 8th 1941, 15 days after the release of the Opération Barbarossa (the invasion of the the USSR by the Germany). This birth is carried by a galaxy of parties Collaboration nists, in particular RNP of Marcel Déat, PF of Jacques Doriot, and MSR of Eugene Deloncle. It is dissolved in 1944.

Creation

The LVF, Association law of 1901, was directed in the occupied Zone by a Central committee in charge of the recruitment, to which belongbelonged Eugene Deloncle, Jacques Doriot, Marcel Déat, Marcel Bucard, Pierre Constantini, Paul Chack and Pierre Clémenti, while recruitment in the free Zone was entrusted to a Comité of action (with Marseilles), directed by Simon Sabiani. A Comité of honor gave a kind of moral guarantee by intellectual personalities, eminent figures of collaboration, which all will be condemned post-war period (except for the Baudrillard cardinal, deceased) such as: Jean Luchaire, Abel Bonnard, the Cardinal Baudrillart, Georges Claude, Alphonse of Chateaubriant, as well as leaders of the Breton national Left.

Its press agency was the European Combatant , written by Marc Augier.

The initiative receives only one support of the end of the lips of the Régime of Vichy, until obtaining the support of the German ambassador Otto Abetz.

The project had been considered before by Jacques Benoist-Méchin, under the name of " tricolor Legion " to become an special unit of the French Army. The operation fails under pressure of the German ambassador, Otto Abetz.

On its side, Hitler accepts the contest of French volunteers with much of reserves. He will refuse that its creation involves any obligation towards the French government and that its manpower exceeds the 15.000 men.

On: 100000 combatants hoped at the beginning, only 12  000 enlist. In spite of the creation of the Militia, the handshake of Montoire between Philippe Pétain and Adolf Hitler, sadly celebrates “I souhaire the victory of Germany, because, without it, the Bolchevism would settle everywhere” Pierre Laval, the Régime of Vichy was officially “neutral” in the world war and remained restive with all that could lead to a military collaboration; Vichy thus prohibits to the officers of active army to engage there. Replying to a letter of an officer of the LVF, Pétain in November 1941 writes to him that “while taking part in this crusade whose Germany took the head, thus acquiring right titles with the recognition of the world, you contribute to draw aside from us the danger Bolshevik. The day before your next combat, I am happy knowledge which you do not forget that you hold a share of our military honors”

Difficulties of recruitment

Once the LVF creates on paper, the parties collaborationists which composes it hasten to organize recruitment. Offices are open in free zone and occupied zone.

Propaganda seizes the subject and the parties give figures abracadabrants. Déat speaks about 10.000 volunteers register on July 16th, 1941. The press and the radio are not in remainder. In the facts recruitment is extremely difficult. The French population is more than reticent with the idea to see French soldiers fighting with the Germans. Moreover German persons in charge do not see either an good eye these soldiers whom they without sorrow crushed in 1940…

In front of the little of success of recruitment near the army of active (the army of armistice) one includes/understands the little of entousiame easily Germans to be envestir in this operation which would require to train people not having any experience with the combat and discipline lack. This is why the conditions of recruitment are Draconian and will make it possible to draw aside the 2/3 of the candidates.

It with what the parties react by promising mounts and wonders to French, release of two prisoners of war in exchange of a soldier to the L.V.F, worse sometimes of true swindles. Indeed, engagement gave the right to a premium. Some disappeared in nature once the touched money… from others are registered several times etc These frauds are not punishable as desertions because the L.V.F is not a military authority but an association.

Criteria of recruitment and remuneration

On the administrative level, it is necessary to be French of Aryan stock, to have virgin police records. It is necessary to have between 18 and 30 years for the soldiers, up to 40 years for the officers. It is necessary to have an excellent physical condition, to measure at least 1m60, to have a good vision and excellent teeth.

The balances are regulated by Germany and they are the same ones as in the German army. An unmarried soldier touches: 1200 francs (a workman gains in France approximately 25 francs per worked day): 2400 if it is with the face.

An adjudant can gain: 5000 francs and a commander: 10000 francs. These pays are defined in the guide Légion of the French Volunteers against the Bolchevism - what any French must know .

Manpower

On: 13400 men who presented themselves to engage throughout the existence of the legion of the French volunteers: 4600 were refused with the famous medical visit (bad teeth were an eliminatory factor): 3000 were excluded for various reasons, on the whole only: 5800 men were recruited by the LVF.

Overall, weak manpower of the LVF translate a major difficulty of the French of the dark years upon the military engagement: with never more: 6500 simultaneously committed combatants, France had the weakest contribution as volunteers of all Europe collaborationnist, only the Suisse and the Sweden, countries neutral, while providing less. As comparison, the collaborationnist Leon Degrelle raised more: 20000 volunteers Belgian S, for a population ten times lower.

The LVF recruited a certain number of Collaborationnistes convinced (Jacques Doriot, Christian of Mazière), but also a considerable proportion of adventurers, the marginal ones, common rights of taken again justice, some Russian white, and even (but in a marginal way) of old of the international Brigades in rupture with Stalinism. Many frameworks and soldiers were reformed or driven out for drunkenness, flights or incompetence. Combative quality gained nothing there.

Drive

The national barracks of the LVF was with Versailles (barracks of Borgnis-Desbordes). It was there that at the time of the first procession of the LVF hardly made up, on August 27th, 1941, resisting it Paul Collette drew in front of the cameras on Pierre Laval and Marcel Déat, that it wounded both. At once stopped, he will acknowledge that he had only committed himself carrying out this intention. The gesture, resounding, took place in the presence of the gratin of the collaboration and the eminent representatives of the German authorities.

Fact symbolic system of the Collaboration, it is in the barracks which accommodated the first procession of the LVF which the French flag floated for the first time since 1940.

The Wehrmacht was wary of these French soldiers, whose staff was divided between various rival political movement, and the troop resulting for part of the underworld. One heard the marshal Walther von Brauchitsch, commander-in-chief Wehrmacht to proclaim it that it would use the LVF to discharge potatos…

Only a half of these recruits is retained to form the 638 {{E}} regiment of infantry of the Wehrmacht based with the camps of Deba in Poland. They will have to cover the German uniform, only a surmounted tricolor badge of the word " France" will be able to differentiate them. Some volunteers will prefer to break their engagement at this time there, whose Marcel Bucard, for others as Edgar Puaud it is not a problem: “Oh! I know it, one trailed it in mud. It carries the uniform " Feldgrau" , that is enough… Said only to French that those which fight in the East, are French truths which fight for their country”.

On the face

At the end of November, the first two battalions arrive to Russia. They go up in first line on December 1st 1941 to the south of the Lake Djoukova, with an about sixty km of Moscow. They will be decimated by the combat and especially by the intense cold. The survivors are raised on December 7th. The LVF is dislocated: only a few tens of survivors will return to France.

In spring 1942, the LVF is reconstituted with the survivors of the winter and several hundreds of volunteers. It will not be directly committed any more on the face, but will take part to fight the groups of partisans of the area of Briansk and with operations of massive reprisals against the Russian civilians, helping the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS to burn and assassinate whole villages. However, at other times, as in spring 1943, the French legionaries were careful and preferred a kind of tacit working arrangement with the frightening Soviet partisans.

At the end of 1943, with a meeting which takes place with the Vel' of Hiv', the members of the LVF prétêrent oath with Adolf Hitler. Jacques Doriot as for him was decorated with the German Croix of iron for its countryside in Russia.

The Commander Puaud will direct the LVF of September 1943 until its dissolution in July 1944. Its first carry-flag, seriously wounded with the combat and died in Paris of the continuations of its wounds on July 4th, 1943, Constantin Amilakvari, former regimental sergeant major of the Foreign legion, was the brother of the colonel Dimitri Amilakvari killed on October 24th, 1942 on the plate of El Himeimat, at the time of the battle of El Alamein, with the tète of the 13th DBLE. The uncle of President Georges Pompidou, lieutenant Frederic Pompidou, was also used for it; after the war it engaged in the Foreign legion and finishes its career as captain with Sidi-Beautiful-Abbots.

During their retirement at the end of June 1944, they will have order to stop the advance of the Russian and will fight close to the river Bobr in White Russia.

In June 1944, the LVF is involved in the rout of the Russian face. It however will be illustrated with a few kilometers of the Berezina by fighting a true battle and by blocking the Red Army during several days.

The LVF is dissolved officially on September 1st, 1944.

Passage à la Waffen SS

In July 1944, the LVF is dissolved by Heinrich Himmler which wishes to integrate all the foreign volunteers in the Waffen-SS (This one already including/understanding a certain number of voluntary French since the July 23rd 1943).

The majority of the 1200 survivors of the LVF were gathered with the survivors of other auxiliary units of the Wehrmacht in the 33 {{E}} Division S Charlemagne which will be practically destroyed with the beginning of the year 1945 (engagement in Poméranie). Its low military capacities did not enable him to make useful the authorized sacrifices. (On paper it counted 8.000 men).

Irony of the history, the LVF delivered particularly hard combat in front of Dantzig, six years after the future chief collaborationnist Marcel Déat had exhorted his compatriots not “to die for Dantzig”. In the same way, it was able at French Waffen-SS to run up against troops of German antifascists made up in the USSR: it was to symbolize how much in the Second world war, the new ideological conflict overrode the traditional dimension of confrontation between nations.

Some French of the ex-LVF will still appear among the last defenders of the bunker of Hitler in Berlin, at the end of April - at the beginning of May 1945 vis-a-vis the Red Army. These French soldiers would have been among the last defenders of Berlin.

After war

Until in the Nineties, the pensions were versed to the French war veterans of division S Charlemagne by the German government.

One of the last French combatants under the German uniform, Henri Fenet a major died in September 2002. It had received the cross of knight of the iron in April 1945 cross.

See too

Works general practitioners

• Brownish Jean-Paul, Jacques Doriot. Communism with Fascism , Beech, 1986

• Philippe Burrin, France at the German hour , Threshold, 2000
• Marc Ferro, Pétain , Paris, Beech, 1987
• Pierre Giolitto, Voluntary French under the German uniform - Perrin, 1999
• Henry Rousso, a castle in Germany. France of Pétain in exile. Sigmaringen, 1944-1945 , Threshold, 1980

Fictionalized historical accounts

• Jean Mabire and Eric Lefebvre, By -40 degrees in front of Moscow , Grancher Editions, Paris;

• Jean Mabire and Eric Lefebvre, the lost legion, vis-a-vis the partisans 1942 , Grancher Editions, Paris;
• Jean Mabire and Eric Lefebvre, On the tracks of Russia Power station 1943 , Grancher Editions, Paris.

Novels

• Saint-Paulien, the Cursed ones. Volume 1: The Battle of Berlin, Plon, Paris, 1958

Personal testimonys

Were testimony of Christian of Mazière in Sorrow and Pity, film of Marcel Ophüls, 1969

• Saint-Wolf, the volunteers , Paris, Presses of the City, 1965
• Eric Labat, the places expensive , (place of edition?), (Editor?), (Date of editions?), (ISBN?)
• Pierre Rostaing, the price of an oath , (place of edition?), (Editor?), (Date of editions?), (ISBN?)
• Pierre Rusco, Stoi , (place of edition?), (Grancher Editions), (Date of editions?), (ISBN?)
• Martin Bay-tree, It remains the black flag and the buddies , ED. Renewal-assemble-Carlo, 1953 (rééd. The Free man, 2002).

Files vidéos

Attention these documents result from French propaganda under the mode of Vichy

Meeting of the LVF to the Cycle-racing track of winter - France Current events - 4/21/1944

" Strong Cambrone" (documentary of propaganda) - the LVF on the face of the east - 1/1/1943

Meeting of the LVF to the Cycle-racing track of winter, speech of Deloncle, Déat, Doriot and Clementi - France Current events - 7/25/1941

Departure of volunteer for the face - France Current events - 3/19/1943

Random links:

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