With Himmler's decision to form a French SS division in August, 1944, a large confluence of Waffen-SS, the French Volunteer Legion, armed French auxiliaries of the German army and navy, Vichy Militia and trapped refugees assembled for form the 33rd SS "Charlemagne" Infantry Division. The battalions of SS "Frankreich" formed the basis for the 57th Infantry Regiment, while the less enthusiastic legionnaires formed the cadre for the 58th Infantry Regiment. Companies of artillery, assault guns, antitank, engineers and signal troops also formed, the basis of larger units that never could be prepared. With very little training and even less cohesion, the division was sent into Pommerania to reinforce Army Group Vistula. There it fell victim to the Red Army's offensive in February and March, suffering almost total destruction during its movement, never having concentrated as a division. Survivors formed in various parts of the dying III Reich, including a few hundred fighting with the SS Nordland battle group in Berlin.
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