Legion des volontaires francais contre le bolchevisme
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism (french: Légion des volontaires français contre le bolchévisme, LVF) was a unit of the
German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
consisting of
collaborationist Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime, and in the words of historian Gerhard Hirschfeld, "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to t ...
volunteers from France. Officially designated the 638th Infantry Regiment (''Infanterieregiment 638''), it was one of several foreign volunteer units formed in German-occupied Western Europe to participate in the
German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
in 1941. Created in July 1941, the LVF originated as an initiative by a coalition of far-right factions including
Marcel Déat Marcel Déat (7 March 1894 – 5 January 1955) was a French politician. Initially a socialist and a member of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), he led a breakaway group of right-wing ' Neosocialists' out of the SFIO in 193 ...
's
National Popular Rally The National Popular Rally (french: Rassemblement national populaire, ''RNP'', 1941–1944) was a French political party and one of the main collaborationist parties under the Vichy regime of World War II. Created in February 1941 by former mem ...
,
Jacques Doriot Jacques Doriot (; 26 September 1898 – 22 February 1945) was a French politician, initially communist, later fascist, before and during World War II. In 1936, after his exclusion from the Communist Party, he founded the French Popular Party (P ...
's
French Popular Party The French Popular Party (french: Parti populaire français) was a French fascist and anti-semitic political party led by Jacques Doriot before and during World War II. It is generally regarded as the most collaborationist party of France. ...
,
Eugène Deloncle Eugène Deloncle (20 June 1890 – 17 January 1944) was a French politician and Fascist leader, who founded of the “Secret Committee of Revolutionary Action" (CSAR), known as "The Hood" ( la Cagoule), and became a prominent Nazi collaborator ...
's
Social Revolutionary Movement The Revolutionary Social Movement (in French: ''Mouvement Social Révolutionnaire'' MSR) was a fascist movement founded in France in September 1940. Its founder was Eugène Deloncle, who was previously associated with ''La Cagoule'' . The MSR sup ...
and
Pierre Costantini Pierre Dominique Costantini (1889–1986) was a French soldier, journalist, writer and Bonapartist militant. Life Costantini fought as an officer in the First World War and as a reserve officer in the armée de l'air during 1939–1940. He founde ...
's
French League The French League (: "French League for purging, mutual aid and European collaboration") was a collaborationist French movement founded by Pierre Costantini in September 1940. Its journal was entitled '' L'Appel''. Bibliography * Pierre Phi ...
. In contrast to the conservative and authoritarian
Vichy regime Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
, which considered itself
neutral Neutral or neutrality may refer to: Mathematics and natural science Biology * Neutral organisms, in ecology, those that obey the unified neutral theory of biodiversity Chemistry and physics * Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction in ...
, the LVF's founders explicitly supported
Nazi ideology Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
and collaboration with
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. The LVF was tolerated by Vichy and received limited personal endorsement from its leading figures. Smaller than originally anticipated, the LVF was sent to the Eastern Front in October 1941. It performed poorly in combat during the
Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...
in November and December 1941 and suffered heavy losses. Its constituent battalions were subsequently split up and only reconstituted into a single formation in September 1943. For most of its existence, it participated in so-called bandit-fighting operations (''Bandenbekämpfung'') behind the front line in German-occupied Byelorussia and Ukraine and participated in the violent repression of
Soviet partisans Soviet partisans were members of resistance movements that fought a guerrilla war against Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Soviet-occupied territories of interwar Poland in 1941–45 and eastern Finland. The ...
and associated atrocities against the civilian population. Over the course of its existence, 5,800 men served in the unit, although its strength had never exceeded 2,300. After the Allied landings in Normandy and
Liberation of France The liberation of France in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers of World War II, Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French R ...
, the LVF was disbanded in September 1944 and its remaining personnel incorporated into the
Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...
in the short-lived SS "Charlemagne" ''Waffen''-Grenadier Brigade.


Background

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
declared war on
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
in September 1939 at the same time as the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. It was invaded and occupied by German forces after a disastrous military campaign in May and June 1940 in which 600,000 civilians and soldiers were killed, and a further 1.8 million soldiers were detained as prisoners of war in Germany. Critics of the country's pre-war republican regime attributed the national humiliation to the failure of
democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...
and the corrupting influence of
liberal individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-relianc ...
,
communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
,
freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
and
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. Countering these threats were among the main organising principles of the "
National Revolution National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
" declared by the authoritarian
Vichy regime Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
under Marshal
Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of World ...
in the aftermath of the defeat. Although a
puppet state A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a State (polity), state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside Power (international relations), power and subject to its o ...
whose direct control over French territory was limited to the southern " free zone" (''zone libre''), the Vichy regime considered itself to be
neutral Neutral or neutrality may refer to: Mathematics and natural science Biology * Neutral organisms, in ecology, those that obey the unified neutral theory of biodiversity Chemistry and physics * Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction in ...
and not part of an alliance with Germany. The Vichy regime could not control large parts of French territory under direct German occupation, notably the northern "
occupied zone Military occupation, also known as belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is the effective military control by a ruling power over a territory that is outside of that power's sovereign territory.Eyāl Benveniśtî. The international law ...
" (''zone occupée''). More extreme right-wing French political factions (''groupuscules'') centred on
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in the ''zone occupée'' often shared a more explicitly
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
and pro-German ideology than Vichy. These groups only enjoyed the support of a tiny fraction of the French population. The historian Julian Jackson estimates the peak number of adherents to these radical groups at a maximum of 220,000 in 1942. Although there had been interest within the
German Foreign Ministry , logo = DEgov-AA-Logo en.svg , logo_width = 260 px , image = Auswaertiges Amt Berlin Eingang.jpg , picture_width = 300px , image_caption = Entrance to the Foreign Office building , headquarters = Werderscher Mark ...
about closer ties with France after the defeat, these were vetoed by
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
, who wanted total freedom to decide on the country's future after the war and was determined to keep the Vichy regime weak. The four main political factions which emerged as leading proponents of radical
collaborationism Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime, and in the words of historian Gerhard Hirschfeld, "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to t ...
in France were
Marcel Déat Marcel Déat (7 March 1894 – 5 January 1955) was a French politician. Initially a socialist and a member of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), he led a breakaway group of right-wing ' Neosocialists' out of the SFIO in 193 ...
's
National Popular Rally The National Popular Rally (french: Rassemblement national populaire, ''RNP'', 1941–1944) was a French political party and one of the main collaborationist parties under the Vichy regime of World War II. Created in February 1941 by former mem ...
(''Rassemblement national populaire'', RNP),
Jacques Doriot Jacques Doriot (; 26 September 1898 – 22 February 1945) was a French politician, initially communist, later fascist, before and during World War II. In 1936, after his exclusion from the Communist Party, he founded the French Popular Party (P ...
's
French Popular Party The French Popular Party (french: Parti populaire français) was a French fascist and anti-semitic political party led by Jacques Doriot before and during World War II. It is generally regarded as the most collaborationist party of France. ...
(''Parti populaire français'', PPF),
Eugène Deloncle Eugène Deloncle (20 June 1890 – 17 January 1944) was a French politician and Fascist leader, who founded of the “Secret Committee of Revolutionary Action" (CSAR), known as "The Hood" ( la Cagoule), and became a prominent Nazi collaborator ...
's
Social Revolutionary Movement The Revolutionary Social Movement (in French: ''Mouvement Social Révolutionnaire'' MSR) was a fascist movement founded in France in September 1940. Its founder was Eugène Deloncle, who was previously associated with ''La Cagoule'' . The MSR sup ...
(''Mouvement social révolutionnaire'', MSR), and
Pierre Costantini Pierre Dominique Costantini (1889–1986) was a French soldier, journalist, writer and Bonapartist militant. Life Costantini fought as an officer in the First World War and as a reserve officer in the armée de l'air during 1939–1940. He founde ...
's
French League The French League (: "French League for purging, mutual aid and European collaboration") was a collaborationist French movement founded by Pierre Costantini in September 1940. Its journal was entitled '' L'Appel''. Bibliography * Pierre Phi ...
(''Ligue française''). These groups were small in size and widely considered as violent extremists by the majority of the French population and instead looked for support to the Germans. Rivalries between the separate factions were intense. According to Jackson, "collaborationist politics was a vipers' nest of hatreds, all the more intense because power was so remote" as each vied with one another to be the single party in a future
one-party state A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...
. German overtures towards these collaborationist factions put significant pressure on Vichy to renounce neutrality and gave rise to deep suspicion in Pétain's entourage. The
German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
on 22 June 1941 provided the factions with an opportunity to consolidate German support by demonstrating their loyalty and political importance to the German occupiers. Although the invasion did not lead Vichy to declare war, it broke off
diplomatic relations Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
with the Soviet Union on 30 June 1941.


Formation


Origins of the LVF

The exact origins of the unit are unclear. It is generally believed that Doriot was first to suggest a French unit for the Eastern Front days after the invasion of the Soviet Union began in June 1941. Rather than involving Vichy, he reached out to the German ambassador in Paris,
Otto Abetz Heinrich Otto Abetz (26 March 1903 – 5 May 1958) was the German ambassador to Vichy France during the Second World War and a convicted war criminal. In July 1949 he was sentenced to twenty years' hard labour by a Paris military tribunal, he was ...
. Hitler approved the unit's creation on 5 July 1941 but mandated that it be organised privately and limited to 10,000 men, much smaller than the 30,000 that Doriot and his supporters had imagined. The historian Owen Anthony Davey writes that "the prospect of 30,000 armed French fanatics must have been frightening even to the Germans". At around the same time, numerous similar volunteer units were formed in other parts of German-occupied Belgium,
the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
, and
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
as well as neutral
Francoist Spain Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...
. Doriot, Déat, Deloncle and Constantine met at the Hotel Majestic on 7 July 1941 and agreed to co-ordinate their efforts towards the Anti-Bolshevik Legion (''Légion anti-Bolchévique''), soon renamed the Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism (''Légion des volontaires français contre le Bolchévisme'', LVF). At Abetz's initiative, they agreed to establish a "central committee" to manage recruitment and publicity for the unit under Deloncle's presidency. A joint appeal was published in the PPF newspaper ' on 8 July 1941 setting out the intended aims of the LVF and appealing for support. Among those who rallied to the new foundation were even smaller factions from the French extreme-right, such as
Jean Boissel Jean Anselme Boissel (1 May 1891 – 19 October 1951) was a French architect, journalist, and far right political activist who was convicted of collaboration with Nazi Germany. A disabled veteran of World War I, Boissel founded Le Front Franc ...
's Frankish Front (''Front franc''),
Marcel Bucard Marcel Bucard (7 December 1895 – 13 March 1946) was a French Fascist politician. Early career A decorated soldier who earned a reputation for bravery in World War I, Bucard became active in politics after 1918, initially as a member of '' ...
's Frankish Movement (''Mouvement franciste'') and Maurice-Bernard de la Gatinais's French Crusade for National Socialism (''Croisade française du national-socialisme''). Conscious of the marginality of its leading figures, an "honorary committee" was established a few months later to support its activities and bring in figures from France's intelligentsia and the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
to increase its respectability. Honorary committee members included Cardinal
Alfred Baudrillart Alfred-Henri-Marie Baudrillart, Orat. (6 January 1859 – 19 May 1942) was a French prelate of the Catholic Church, who became a Cardinal in 1935. An historian and writer, he served as Rector of the Institut Catholique de Paris from 1907 until his ...
, the inventor
Auguste Lumière Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas Lumière (19 October 1862 – 10 April 1954) was a French engineer, industrialist, biologist, and illusionist. During 1894–1895, he and his brother Louis invented an animated photographic camera and projectio ...
, the journalist
Jean Luchaire Jean Luchaire (21 July 1901 – 22 February 1946) was a French journalist and politician who became the head of the French collaborationist press in Paris during the German military occupation. Luchaire supported the ''Révolution nationale'' d ...
, the writer
Alphonse de Châteaubriant Alphonse Van Bredenbeck de Châteaubriant (; 25 March 1877 – 2 May 1951) was a French writer who won the Prix Goncourt in 1911 for his novel ''Monsieur de Lourdines'' and Grand prix du roman de l'Académie française for ''La Brière'' in 1923. ...
, and the '' académiciens''
Abel Bonnard Abel Bonnard (19 December 1883 31 May 1968) was a French poet, novelist and politician. Biography Born in Poitiers, Vienne, his early education was in Marseilles with secondary studies at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris. A student of literatur ...
,
Abel Hermant Abel Hermant (3 February 1862 – 29 September 1950) was a French novelist, playwright, essayist and writer, and member of the Académie française. Life and career Hermant was born in Paris, the son of an architect. He received a degree from ...
, and
Maurice Donnay Charles Maurice Donnay (12 October 1859 – 31 March 1945) was a French dramatist. Biography Donnay was born of middle-class parents in Paris in 1859. His father was a railway engineer and initially Donnay followed a similar profession, st ...
. In LVF propaganda, Catholic and
Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
symbolism remained ubiquitous.


Recruitment

The first large public rally for the LVF took place with German backing in the ''
Vélodrome d'Hiver The Vélodrome d'Hiver (, ''Winter Velodrome''), colloquially Vel' d'Hiv', was an indoor bicycle racing cycle track and stadium (velodrome) on rue Nélaton, not far from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. As well as a Track cycling, cycling track, it was ...
'' in Paris on 18 July 1941 and marked the effective start of the recruitment campaign. It was soon actively recruiting and fundraising across France. Its propaganda portrayed the legion as part of a Europe-wide crusade against communism, drawing on
France's medieval history The Kingdom of France in the Middle Ages (roughly, from the 10th century to the middle of the 15th century) was marked by the fragmentation of the Carolingian Empire and West Francia (843–987); the expansion of royal control by the House of C ...
and avoiding mention of Germany. It established 137 recruitment offices across France, some of them in expropriated Jewish homes. Recruitment remained below target and the LVF struggled to enlist more than 3,000 men in its initial phase. This was partly because the LVF was officially a private organisation run by the committee in Paris which was active only within the occupied zone although an informal "action committee" was also soon established in the free zone under the former PPF deputy
Simon Sabiani Simon Pierre Sabiani (1888 in Casamaccioli, Corsica, France – 1956 in Barcelona, Spain) was a French businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1928 to 1936. Early life Simon Pierre Sabiani was born in ...
and was able to operate semi-officially. The Vichy regime provided no direct support for its recruitment campaign although it partially repealed an existing law prohibiting French citizens from enlisting in foreign armed forces. Some Vichy officials may have attempted to hinder recruitment in the free zone, and there were few volunteers from Vichy's own
Armistice Army The Armistice Army or Vichy French Army (french: Armée de l'Armistice) was the common name for the armed forces of Vichy France permitted under the Armistice of 22 June 1940 after the French capitulation to Nazi Germany and Italy. It was off ...
. At the same time, the German authorities blocked attempts to recruit French prisoners of war in Germany and imposed more restrictive conditions on service in light of France's political importance within German-occupied Europe. As Davey noted: Despite racialised admission criteria, the unit included non-white volunteers from the
French colonial empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "First French Colonial Empire", that exist ...
. According to one source, there were approximately 200 non-white personnel, most of whom came from
French North Africa French North Africa (french: Afrique du Nord française, sometimes abbreviated to ANF) is the term often applied to the territories controlled by France in the North African Maghreb during the colonial era, namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In ...
and served in the 3rd Battalion. There were also a number of White Russian émigrés. The LVF drew recruits from across the social strata of French society, many of whom had nothing in common beyond
anticommunism Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...
.


Establishment and training

The first contingent of recruits was assembled at
Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
for a public parade on 27 August 1941 to mark the LVF's creation. At the ceremonies, Pétain's deputy
Pierre Laval Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. During the Third Republic, he served as Prime Minister of France from 27 January 1931 to 20 February 1932 and 7 June 1935 to 24 January 1936. He again occu ...
and Déat were shot and wounded in an attempted assassination by a follower of Deloncle who had enlisted in the unit. The following day, German Army doctors rejected almost half of the recruits on medical grounds. Although 10,000 recruits volunteered in its first two years of the LVF's existence, almost half were rejected on these grounds and the unit remained far below the ceiling imposed in 1941. Doriot personally enlisted in the first contingent, boosting the prestige of his PPF among collaborationist sympathisers in France. Amid continuing Vichy opposition, the LVF was folded into the
German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
(''Wehrmacht''). The recruits had been promised that they would fight in French uniforms, but instead were given German uniforms, with only a small shield-shaped badge worn on the right arm in the colors of the
French flag The national flag of France (french: link=no, drapeau français) is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue ( hoist side), white, and red. It is known to English speakers as the ''Tricolour'' (), although the flag of Ireland ...
to signify their national origin. It proved difficult to find an experienced military officer willing to act as commanding officer. Déat announced on 8 July that General Joseph Hassler, who had commanded a French division in 1940, would command the LVF. Hassler, who had not been consulted beforehand, refused any involvement. The committee ultimately chose the 65-year old Colonel Roger Henri Labonne, who had no combat experience but had previously served as French
military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...
in Turkey. The first detachment left France on 8 September 1941 and the LVF began basic training in October 1941 at
Deba Deba may refer to: Geography * Deba (crater), a crater on Mars * Deba (river), a river in the Basque Country * Deba, Gipuzkoa, a town in the Basque Country * Deba, Gombe, a town in the Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State, Nigeria ...
in the
General Government The General Government (german: Generalgouvernement, pl, Generalne Gubernatorstwo, uk, Генеральна губернія), also referred to as the General Governorate for the Occupied Polish Region (german: Generalgouvernement für die be ...
, run by French-speaking German officers. It was designated the 638th Infantry Regiment (''Infanterieregiment 638'') and was integrated into the 7th Infantry Division, drawn mainly from
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
. Before leaving training, 60 men were repatriated for various reasons including refusing to wear German uniforms and disciplinary issues. A small number refused to swear an
oath of allegiance An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...
to Hitler and were imprisoned.


Operational history


Siege of Moscow, November–December 1941

By October 1941, the LVF comprised two battalions with a strength of 2,271 men, 181 French officers, and 35 German officers. They were equipped with light weapons, machine guns, and a small number of 3.7 cm Pak 35/36
anti-tank guns Anti-tank warfare originated from the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during World War I. Since the Triple Entente deployed the first tanks in 1916, the German Empire developed the first anti-tank weapons. The first devel ...
. From the start, there was significant rivalries and little internal cohesion within the LVF; 400 men were lost to
desertion Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ar ...
and disease in its first months before even seeing action. There were frequent confrontations between supporters of Doriot and Deloncle, especially among the unit's highly politicised French officers. The historian Oleg Beyda writes: The LVF was deployed to
Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...
and sent as reinforcements to the fighting near Moscow in November and December 1941 where it became the only foreign unit to fight alongside the Germans. Beyda writes that by the time of its arrival at the front, the unit "was on its last legs". Many collaborators had feared that the unit might arrive too late at the front to see action, and its training had been cut short for this reason. The LVF was first deployed in combat near the village of Vygliadovka and participated in a successful frontal assault against Soviet positions on 1 December, but was hit by a large Soviet counterattack several days later, suffering extremely high casualties. Within months, the LVF had lost around half its manpower in action or through
frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when exposed to extreme low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occurs in the han ...
; there was also a serious outbreak of
dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
. Some individual soldiers deserted to the Red Army or committed suicide. After two weeks, they were withdrawn from the front line in Djukovo ( from Moscow) and returned to Smolensk. Afterwards, the LVF was used only behind the front-line.


"Bandit-fighting" operations, 1942–1944

In the aftermath of its initial deployment, the LVF was withdrawn from front-line service and assigned to so-called " bandit-fighting" operations (''Bandenbekämpfung'') against supposed
Soviet partisans Soviet partisans were members of resistance movements that fought a guerrilla war against Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Soviet-occupied territories of interwar Poland in 1941–45 and eastern Finland. The ...
in the rear-echelons of
Army Group Centre Army Group Centre (german: Heeresgruppe Mitte) was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army fo ...
. Almost immediately, however, it was withdrawn entirely from service soon afterwards and transferred to
Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), having previously been the seat of a separate Radom Voivodeship (1975–1 ...
in the General Government to reform. Another contingent of volunteers arrived from France in December 1941 and formed the basis of the 3rd Battalion. As the LVF's 2nd Battalion had been almost entirely annihilated, the LVF still numbered two battalions numbered the 1st and 3rd. In Radom, the Germans purged the unit of more prominent political activists as well as the White Russian, Arab and African personnel whose enlistment it had already forbidden. Labonne was recalled to Paris in March 1942 and removed from his command but was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class as a face-saving measure. After its reorganisation, the Legion's two remaining battalions were deployed separately to "bandit-fighting" operations in the region around Smolensk under the auspices of Army Group Centre. The 3rd Battalion was assigned to the 44th Security Regiment of the 221st Security Division in May 1942. In July 1942, the 1st Battalion was attached to the 2nd Security Regiment in the 286th Security Division. Although no longer operating as a single unit, the LVF's total strength grew to 3,641 men. In the course of their service in this capacity, French soldiers became known for their indiscipline and looting from civilian population. They acted with similar violence to their German counterparts who routinely killed Soviet civilians, especially Jews, who fell into their hands. According to the historian
Rolf-Dieter Müller __NOTOC__ Rolf-Dieter Müller (born 9 December 1948) is a German military historian and political scientist, who has served as Scientific Director of the German Armed Forces Military History Research Office since 1999. Rolf-Dieter Müller, is also ...
, "brute force was used against the population, including the plundering and destruction of villages". The historian Aleksandr Vershinin states that the personnel of the LVF thought the Soviet citizens they encountered were backward, culturally inferior and even
subhuman ''SubHuman'' is the sixth studio album by Recoil. Alan Wilder stated in a YouTube greeting that there would be a new album coming in spring or early summer 2007. On 23 April 2007, he released information regarding the album via Myspace and hi ...
, and sometimes drew parallels with French colonial troops involved in
punitive expedition A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavio ...
s in North Africa. According to Beyda, the LVF proved to be largely ineffective in anti-partisan warfare as a result of a combination of low morale, disagreements with the German command, and military inexperience. As Laval's political influence increased, the Vichy regime announced a new formation, the (''Légion tricolore''), in July 1942. Conceived by the Vichy minister
Jacques Benoist-Méchin Jacques Michel Gabriel Paul Benoist-Méchin (1 July 1901 – 24 February 1983) was a French far right politician and writer. He was born and died in Paris. Well known as a journalist and historian, he later became prominent for his collaboration ...
, the Tricolor Legion was intended to serve as a French unit alongside Axis forces on the Eastern Front and "in all theatres where French interests are at stake". Unlike the LVF, the Tricolor Legion would enjoy official and genuinely autonomous status and be considered part of the French army. Benoist-Méchin hoped that the LVF could be absorbed into the Tricolor Legion, and he was appointed to the LVF's Central Committee alongside other Vichy functionaries. Laval endorsed the project as a way to wrest political influence away from the ''groupuscules'' in Paris. Abetz approved the new proposal, but the Tricolor Legion was rejected by Hitler and the German Army. The Vichy-controlled free zone was invaded and occupied by German forces in November 1942 and the Tricolor Legion was quietly abandoned in December 1942. Volunteers were offered a choice between returning to civilian life and service with the LVF; most chose the former option. The 1st and 3rd Battalions were formally regrouped into a single regiment on 1 September 1943 and were joined by the 2nd Battalion which was re-created in November 1943. The LVF was placed under the command of Colonel
Edgar Puaud Edgar Joseph Alexandre Puaud (29 October 1889 – 5 March 1945) was a French army officer, who, in 1945, briefly became commander of the Charlemagne Division, a French unit of the Waffen-SS in the service of Nazi Germany. World War I Puaud was bo ...
who had enlisted in the Tricolor Legion. By the time of its reestablishment, the number of soldiers in the LVF had fallen to only 1,000, making it badly understrength. It was hoped
Turkmen Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to: Peoples Historical ethnonym * Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages Ethnic groups * Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...
''
hiwis Hiwi (), the German abbreviation of the word ''Hilfswilliger'' or, in English, auxiliary volunteer, designated, during World War II, a member of different kinds of voluntary auxiliary forces made up of recruits indigenous to the territories of Ea ...
'' could fill a shortfall in recruits, but these plans were abandoned after the creation of the
Turkestan Legion The Turkestan Legion (german: Turkistanische Legion) was the name for the military units composed of the Turkic peoples who served in the Wehrmacht during World War II. Most of these troops were Red Army POWs who formed a common cause with the G ...
. All three battalions of the LVF were deployed as a single unit for the first time in a large-scale attack in January 1944 dubbed Operation Morocco against partisans in a large forested area near Somry in Byelorussia. In the course of the operation, 1,118 supposed partisans were killed and 1,345 detained. Puaud received the ''
Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
'' as a result. In the aftermath of the operation, the LVF nonetheless came under increasing pressure as the strength of partisan groups grew. 22 men were killed by partisans in March 1944 alone. The historian Kuzma Kozak estimates that, during its service in Byelorussia, the LVF lost 496 men killed, 107 wounded and 16 taken prisoner.


Operation Bagration, June 1944

As a result of its own dwindling numbers and a resurgence in partisan activity, the German military authorities had decided to withdraw the LVF to Germany on 18 June 1944 a few days before the start of the major Soviet offensive into Byelorussia. Some 400 soldiers from the LVF were hurriedly drafted into front-line service to attempt to stall the Soviet advance. They were attached a ''
Kampfgruppe In military history, the German term (pl. ; abbrev. KG, or KGr in usage during World War II, literally "fighting group" or "battle group") can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the of Nazi Germa ...
'' hastily assembled around the
4th SS Police Regiment The 4th SS Police Regiment (german: SS-Polizei-Regiment 4) was named the 4th Police Regiment (''Polizei-Regiment 4'') when it was temporarily formed in 1939 from existing Order Police (''Ordnungspolizei'') units for security duties during the in ...
and fought a successful small-scale delaying action at Bobr on the Moscow-Minsk road on 26–27 June 1944 with the support of a German unit of
Tiger tank Tiger tank may refer to: *Tiger I, or ''Panzerkampfwagen'' Tiger ''Ausf. E'', a German heavy tank produced from 1942 to 1944 *Tiger II, or ''Panzerkampfwagen'' Tiger ''Ausf. B'', a German heavy tank produced from 1943 to 1945, also known as ''Kön ...
s. Although 41 French soldiers were killed in the action, the losses on the Soviet side were heavy and 40 Soviet tanks were destroyed. The ''Kampfgruppe'' retreated to
Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
later that month, and the LVF was redeployed to
Greifenberg Greifenberg is a municipality in the district of Landsberg in Bavaria in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia ...
in
Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
, where it was disbanded on 1 September 1944.


Unit commanders

* Colonel Roger Henri Labonne (September 1941 to March 1942) * ''None'' (March 1942 to September 1943) * Colonel
Edgar Puaud Edgar Joseph Alexandre Puaud (29 October 1889 – 5 March 1945) was a French army officer, who, in 1945, briefly became commander of the Charlemagne Division, a French unit of the Waffen-SS in the service of Nazi Germany. World War I Puaud was bo ...
(September 1943 to September 1944)


Disbandment

Preparations for the disbandment of the LVF began in July 1944 in the aftermath of the Allied landings took place in Normandy the previous month. The German authorities intended that most of its members would be incorporated into the
Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...
, which had begun to accept French recruits in July 1943 as part of the SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade France (''Französische SS Freiwilligen Sturmbrigade''). The LVF was officially disbanded on 1 September 1944, by which time most of France had already been Liberated by the Western Allies. The unit's remaining personnel, numbering approximately 1,200, were transferred to the new Charlemagne Waffen Grenadier Brigade of the SS (''Waffen-Grenadier-Brigade der SS "Charlemagne"''). No notice had been given of the transfer to the Waffen-SS and unconfirmed sources suggest that 70 soldiers who refused to swear the new oath of allegiance were sent to
concentration camps Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
. Charlemagne was officially reclassified as a
division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
in February 1945 but was significantly under-strength at 7,340 men. It was almost totally destroyed in its first deployment against Soviet forces in Pomerania in February and March 1945. Puaud, who had become nominal commander of the new formation after the LVF's dissolution, was posted
missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...
and was probably killed in fighting at
Neustrelitz Neustrelitz (; East Low German: ''Niegenstrelitz'') is a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the shore of the Zierker See in the Mecklenburg Lake District. From 1738 ...
on 25 February 1945. Around 100 men remaining in the Charlemagne Division participated in the
Battle in Berlin The battle in Berlin was an end phase of the Battle of Berlin. While the Battle ''of'' Berlin encompassed the attack by three Soviet Army Groups to capture not only Berlin but the territory of Germany east of the River Elbe still under German co ...
in April–May 1945.


See also

* Normandy-Niemen Regiment — a Gaullist air unit which fought for the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front * :Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism personnel


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * *


External links

{{Authority control Foreign volunteer units of Nazi Germany Foreign volunteer units of the Wehrmacht Military units and formations of France in World War II Military units and formations of the Soviet–German War France–Soviet Union relations Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944 Collaboration with the Axis Powers Anti-communist organizations