Henri Joseph Fenet
Encyclopedia
Henri Joseph Fenet was a soldier during World War II
who was awarded both the Croix de Guerre
by France, and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
by Germany.
, Department of Ain
, France. Prior to World War II
he studied literature at the Sorbonne
University in Paris. At the outbreak of war he volunteered for the French Army and was commissioned as an officer with the rank of lieutenant. He fought in numerous battles and was awarded the Croix de Guerre after being wounded twice.
After serving as a Prisoner of War
he was released in November 1942 and joined the Milice
, a militia force recruited to hunt down Jews and battle the Communist underground threat in Vichy France
.
at Bad Tölz
.
In March 1944 he received the rank of Obersturmführer
(First Lieutenant) in the Waffen SS and was given command of the 3rd Company of the newly formed 8th SS Assault Brigade Frankreich, and was again wounded during fighting in the Carpathian Mountains
and awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class
.
In September 1944, Fenet and his company were sent to Konitz, West Prussia
, where they joined other French recruits to form the 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division Charlemagne
, and in February 1945 Fenet was named the commander of the 1st Battalion, 57th SS Regiment Charlemagne.
In March 1945 the French SS division was surrounded by the Russians. Fenet was able to break out and return to the German lines with his battalion almost intact, for which he was promoted to Hauptsturmführer
(Captain) and awarded the Iron Cross, 1st Class.
.
During the battle for the German capital, Fenet's battalion was given the area of Neukölln
, Belle Alliance Platz, Wilhelmstrasse and the Friedrichstrasse to defend, destroying 62 Soviet tanks. Fenet, now severely wounded, remained with his battalion as they were withdrawn to the area of the Reich aviation ministry. For the success of the battalion during the Battle of Berlin
Fenet was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
on 29 April 1945 by SS-Brigadeführer Mohnke
.
On 2 May 1945, the surviving Frenchmen were captured by the Russians. Fenet had been badly wounded and was first sent to a hospital before being imprisoned by the Soviets. He was then handed over to the French government.
and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labor. He was freed at the end of 1959.
After Fenet was released, he appeared in several documentary films and television programs. He also ran a small independent auto business.
Henri Joseph Fenet died in Paris on 14 September 2002.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
who was awarded both the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
by France, and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
by Germany.
French service
Fenet was born on 11 July 1919 in CeyzériatCeyzériat
Ceyzériat is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-History:Hippolyte Paul Jayr, twice minister during the July monarchy, was mayor of the commune at the end of the 19th century.-Population:...
, Department of Ain
Ain
Ain is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation...
, France. Prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he studied literature at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
University in Paris. At the outbreak of war he volunteered for the French Army and was commissioned as an officer with the rank of lieutenant. He fought in numerous battles and was awarded the Croix de Guerre after being wounded twice.
After serving as a Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
he was released in November 1942 and joined the Milice
Milice
The Milice française , generally called simply Milice, was a paramilitary force created on January 30, 1943 by the Vichy Regime, with German aid, to help fight the French Resistance. The Milice's formal leader was Prime Minister Pierre Laval, though its chief of operations, and actual leader, was...
, a militia force recruited to hunt down Jews and battle the Communist underground threat in Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
.
Waffen SS
In July 1943 Paul Marion, the Vichy Propaganda Minister, began a massive nationwide recruitment for the Waffen SS in France. The Comité des Amis de la Waffen S.S. (Committee of the Friends of the Waffen-SS) was established by the minister and proceeded to actively recruit men who were between the ages of 20–25, "free of Jewish blood", and physically fit. Roughly 3000 applied to the assorted offices in the first few months, many of them college students. The organization also spent much time trying to recruit experienced French officers, like Fenet, to the organization. In October 1943, Fenet volunteered for the Waffen SS and was sent to the SS officer schoolJunker (SS rank)
Junker was a paramilitary Nazi rank that was used by the Schutzstaffel between the years of 1933 and 1945. The rank was a special position held by those aspiring for officer commissions in the armed wing of the SS, first known as the SS-Verfügungstruppe and later as the Waffen-SS.The SS rank of...
at Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz
Bad Tölz is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and administrative center of the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen.- History :Since the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the Ice Age, archaeology has shown continuous occupation of the site of Bad Tölz...
.
In March 1944 he received the rank of Obersturmführer
Obersturmführer
Obersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...
(First Lieutenant) in the Waffen SS and was given command of the 3rd Company of the newly formed 8th SS Assault Brigade Frankreich, and was again wounded during fighting in the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
and awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
.
In September 1944, Fenet and his company were sent to Konitz, West Prussia
West Prussia
West Prussia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773–1824 and 1878–1919/20 which was created out of the earlier Polish province of Royal Prussia...
, where they joined other French recruits to form the 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division Charlemagne
33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French)
The 33. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS Charlemagne and Charlemagne Regiment are collective names used for units of French volunteers in the Wehrmacht and later Waffen-SS during World War II...
, and in February 1945 Fenet was named the commander of the 1st Battalion, 57th SS Regiment Charlemagne.
In March 1945 the French SS division was surrounded by the Russians. Fenet was able to break out and return to the German lines with his battalion almost intact, for which he was promoted to Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
(Captain) and awarded the Iron Cross, 1st Class.
Berlin
In April 1945, Fenet arrived in Berlin with his Battalion which had been reformed from what was left of the division and was attached to the 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
The 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, also known as Kampfverband Waräger, Germanische-Freiwilligen-Division, SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 11 or 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland, was a Waffen SS, Panzergrenadier division recruited from foreign volunteers...
.
During the battle for the German capital, Fenet's battalion was given the area of Neukölln
Neukölln
Neukölln is the eighth borough of Berlin, located in the southeastern part of the city and was part of the former American sector under the Four-Power occupation of the city...
, Belle Alliance Platz, Wilhelmstrasse and the Friedrichstrasse to defend, destroying 62 Soviet tanks. Fenet, now severely wounded, remained with his battalion as they were withdrawn to the area of the Reich aviation ministry. For the success of the battalion during the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
Fenet was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
on 29 April 1945 by SS-Brigadeführer Mohnke
Wilhelm Mohnke
SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke was one of the original 120 members of the SS-Staff Guard "Berlin" formed in March 1933. From those ranks, Mohnke rose to become one of Adolf Hitler's last remaining generals.Mohnke saw action with the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in France, Poland...
.
On 2 May 1945, the surviving Frenchmen were captured by the Russians. Fenet had been badly wounded and was first sent to a hospital before being imprisoned by the Soviets. He was then handed over to the French government.
Later life
On the 10 December 1949, Fenet was convicted of being a collaboratorCollaborationism
Collaborationism is cooperation with enemy forces against one's country. Legally, it may be considered as a form of treason. Collaborationism may be associated with criminal deeds in the service of the occupying power, which may include complicity with the occupying power in murder, persecutions,...
and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labor. He was freed at the end of 1959.
After Fenet was released, he appeared in several documentary films and television programs. He also ran a small independent auto business.
Henri Joseph Fenet died in Paris on 14 September 2002.
Further reading
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2003). Elite of the Third Reich. Helion & Company Limited, ISBN 1874622469
- Le Tissier, Tony (2010). Charlemagne - The 33rd Waffen-SS Grenadier Division of the SS. Pen & Sword, ISBN 1848842317 or ISBN 978 1 84884 231 1