1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 In the final months of World War II, as Nazi Germany collapsed on all fronts, one of the last units defending Berlin carried a surprising distinction: many of its soldiers were French. In this episode of History Shorts, we explore the controversial history of the French volunteers who served in the Waffen-SS, culminating in the formation of the Charlemagne Division. Motivated by anti-communism, collaborationist politics, or a belief in a German victory, thousands of Frenchmen chose to fight alongside Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union. Their story reached its dramatic conclusion in the ruins of Berlin, where a small contingent became some of the last defenders of Hitler's regime. This is a story of ideology, collaboration, and difficult historical questions—where the traditional narratives of World War II become far more complicated. &amp;nbsp; SUPPORT THE SHOW:&amp;nbsp;https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE:&amp;nbsp;https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; LEARN MORE:&amp;nbsp;https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ SPONSORED BY:&amp;nbsp;https://www.podcastrepublic.net/get-it-now&amp;nbsp; History Shorts https://www.historyshortspodcast.com <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/41572755/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/content/202752535