Germany's French Allies 1941-45

MEN AT ARMS Series book No 556: Germany's French Allies 1941-45

A fully illustrated study of the Wehrmacht's French volunteer units and their actions on the Eastern Front and in North Africa during World War II.

It is little known that, in late 1941, French volunteer units were among Wehrmacht troops defending Germany in the first bitter winter on the Eastern Front, and also among the last fighting for Berlin in April 1945. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, some 13,000 Frenchmen enlisted in the 'Légion des volontaires français contre le bolchévisme' (LVF), which was reformed as the Wehrmacht's Infanterie-Regiment 638 and posted to Russia.

This volume examines the involvement of French volunteers, not only on the Eastern Front, but also in the 'Phalange Africaine' in Tunisia and in the 'Légion Tricolore', a short-lived military organization under the control of the French Vichy government. Using archive photographs and specially commissioned artwork, it casts a new light on forces fighting for the Axis and studies the French personnel's equipment, insignia and uniforms while describing their involvement in some of the most gruelling battles of World War II.

Contents:

• Introduction
• France after the 1940 armistice
• Formation and recruitment of the LVF
• To the Moscow front, November 1941
• Anti-partisan operations, March 1942–June 1943
• Reorganization and consolidation, 1943–1944
• Operations, June–August 1944
• Operations in the Carpathians, August–September 1944
• Formation of 33. SS-Division 'Charlemagne', winter 1944/45
• Operations in Pomerania, February–March 1945
• Operations in Berlin, April–May 1945
• The Tricolour Legion, 1942
• The African Phalange, 1942/43
• Select Bibliography
• Plate Commentaries
• Index