SS Charlemagne: The 33rd Waffen-Grenadier Division of the SS

The Martin Battalion, now joined by three German NCOs, former members of the French Foreign Legion, was able to stop a Soviet attack, which, after penetrating the first line held by the Germans and driving off the SS Latvians on the second line, failed to breach the French positions, although 160 other Latvians covering the Martin Battalion’s left flank disappeared in the general confusion.

If they could not be evacuated, the defenders of the pocket were doomed to annihilation. Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler agreed to SS-Lieutenant Colonel Harzer’s request for permission to evacuate, but this was then refused by Hitler himself. It was entirely due to the efforts of SS-Lieutenant Colonel Harzer, the commander of the 4th SS-Police Division – without the knowledge of Headquarters IVth Panzer Corps, which was adhering to the Führer-Order to hold fast – that the defenders of Gotenhafen were eventually evacuated. With an earlier evacuation of technicians and specialists as well as the gun-less artillerymen on 1 April, the Martin Battalion was then ferried to the Hela Peninsular when a German squadron arrived, consisting of the cruisers Lutzow, Nurnberg and Prinz Eugen and several destroyers, to give massive fire support as the evacuation continued.

Next day the French succeeded in embarking on a steamship for Denmark, where they disembarked at Copenhagen at 1600 hours on 5 April. After two short stops at Copenhagen and Fredericia, the Martin Battalion rejoined the remains of the Charlemagne at Neustrelitz in Meckenburg some five days later.

Chapter Six Reorganisation

Various elements of the Charlemagne began assembling near Anklam, only 30km west of Swinemünde. Already present were the officers and about 200 men of the transport column and Divisional service elements that had left Gross Jestin with Russian tanks on their heels at 0200 hours on 4 March.

SS-Major General Krukenberg and the 23 officers and 701 men surviving of the Fenet Battalion arrived at about noon on the 16th but, for some inexplicable reason, those who had escaped the siege of Kolberg and had just disembarked at Swinemünd were sent straight to the Replacement Battalion at Wildflecken.

Krukenberg reported to Himmler’s field headquarters near Prenzlau on the 18th, returning with a batch of promotions and decorations, including many posthumous awards. Proud of his Frenchmen, Krukenberg was now wearing the Tricolore badge on his sleeve.

That same day, SS-Major Katzian was despatched to Wild-flecken with orders to return with the Training and Replacement Battalion.

Then on the 21st the troops set off on a four-day march to Neustrelitz in Mecklenburg, there being no trains available. Upon arrival, the Divisional headquarters were established in the village of Carpin, 10km east of the town and the various elements distributed among the surrounding villages.

Orders were then received from SS Headquarters for the re-organisation of the Division by 15 April into a Grenadier Regiment in accordance with the 1945 establishment of two Grenadier Battalions and a Heavy Battalion.

The Divisional units were quartered successively at Bergfeld (Bn 57), Grunow (Bn 58) and Ollendorf (Training Coy) before reaching their specific areas:

Grammerthin: Charlemagne Regimental Headquarters (SS-Colonel Zimmermann, later SS-Captain Kroepsch)

Georgenhof: Divisional Combat School (SS-Lieutenant Weber)

Goldenbaum: Heavy Battalion (Captain Boudet-Gheusi)

Fürstensee: 57th Battalion (Captain Fenet)

Wokuhl: 58th Battalion (SS-Captain Jauss, later SS-Captain Kroepsch)

Drewin: Construction Battalion (Captain Roy)

Zinow: MT and Workshop Section

Thurow: Feldgendarmerie (SS-Lieutenant Görr)

Rodlin: (Lieutenant Fatin)

The Division remained part of Panzer-General Hasso von Manteuffel’s 3rd Panzer Army, which, together with the 9th Army, formed Army Group Weichsel, now under the command of Colonel-General Gotthardt Heinrici, who had meanwhile taken over from Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler.

In expectation of the Russians crossing the Oder, the Division, which was now subordinate to the Rear Area Command with its headquarters at Feldberg, began working on anti-tank defences from 31 March in the area of the lakes east and south of Neustrelitz.

With the Division down to about 700 men, SS-Major-General Krukenberg’s first task, was to gather in all his isolated detachments, of which the two most important were those at Wildflecken of regimental size now enlarged by those that had escaped from Kolberg, and the Martin Battalion at Gotenhafen, of which there was still no news.

On 27 March, Krukenberg issued the following order of the day: