The Grand Crusade
Recruitment poster for the Légion des volontaires français (Legion of French Volunteers, LVF) calling on the French citizenry to take up arms in a ‘Grand Crusade’ against communism alongside their fellow European comrades. As the many kingdoms of Christendom once stood united in reclaiming the Holy Land, so too would the faithful banners of a new, German-led coalition march east to confront the Red Menace.
Many Europeans at the time feared communist encroachment upon the continent, perceiving the Soviet Union to be an existential threat to European civilization that far outweighed Nazi Germany. The latter was in fact widely considered Europe’s best bet at curbing Soviet machinations in the West. Across the continent, countless volunteers offered to fight alongside the Germans, not to court favor with the Nazi administration or out of any treacherous intent (as these Axis collaborators are typically portrayed), but rather, seeing the fight against communism as a patriotic duty that would guarantee the continued existence of their respective nations, as well as Europe collectively. The German leadership would thus call for a ‘Crusade Against Communism’ across the extensive Western European territories they occupied, and seeing Germany’s fight in the East as their own, thousands flocked to this call-of-arms. Drawing from the imagery of the medieval crusades, the campaign in the East was to be carried out with the same divine fervor that characterized it: as a war that would define the fate of Christendom and European civilization all the same.
The LVF would later be rechristened the Waffen-SS ‘Charlemagne’ Division, named after the legendary Frankish King Charlemagne, known as the ‘Father of Europe’. It would distinguish itself in the Battle of Berlin where it remained as one of the last units fending off the insurmountable Soviet onslaught. In a dramatic demonstration of gallantry worthy of their namesake, the Charlemagne Division would make a valiant last stand at the Reich Chancellery, where it’s members would destroy 108 Soviet tanks in the process. This anecdote confirms the notion that Germany’s war in the East truly was recognized as a pan-European crusade against communism.
Representative of the classic fascist ethos that strives to synthesize old and new, this juxtaposition being apparent with the silhouette of the modern solider forming a nimbus around the medieval knight. One proposed interpretation is that the spirit of the medieval crusader lives on within the physical body and blood of the European soldier of today. The emblem of the LVF can be seen emblazoned on his shield.
Medieval romanticism and the imagery of knightly warriors are frequent motifs in nationalist aesthetics, as they are thought to embody pre-enlightenment ideals of masculinity, nobility, tradition, duty and martial valor. In doing so, it is the knight that bridges the traditionalist and martial philosophies of the far-right. In fact, the fascist concept of statehood is in itself highly feudalistic in its power dynamics due to the two primary aspects of political power, being held on the basis of personal loyalty and guild-based socioeconomics.
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Recruitment poster for the Légion des volontaires français (Legion of French Volunteers, LVF) calling on the French citizenry to take up arms in a ‘Grand Crusade’ against communism alongside their fellow European comrades. As the many kingdoms of Christendom once stood united in reclaiming the Holy Land, so too would the faithful banners of a new, German-led coalition march east to confront the Red Menace.
Many Europeans at the time feared communist encroachment upon the continent, perceiving the Soviet Union to be an existential threat to European civilization that far outweighed Nazi Germany. The latter was in fact widely considered Europe’s best bet at curbing Soviet machinations in the West. Across the continent, countless volunteers offered to fight alongside the Germans, not to court favor with the Nazi administration or out of any treacherous intent (as these Axis collaborators are typically portrayed), but rather, seeing the fight against communism as a patriotic duty that would guarantee the continued existence of their respective nations, as well as Europe collectively. The German leadership would thus call for a ‘Crusade Against Communism’ across the extensive Western European territories they occupied, and seeing Germany’s fight in the East as their own, thousands flocked to this call-of-arms. Drawing from the imagery of the medieval crusades, the campaign in the East was to be carried out with the same divine fervor that characterized it: as a war that would define the fate of Christendom and European civilization all the same.
The LVF would later be rechristened the Waffen-SS ‘Charlemagne’ Division, named after the legendary Frankish King Charlemagne, known as the ‘Father of Europe’. It would distinguish itself in the Battle of Berlin where it remained as one of the last units fending off the insurmountable Soviet onslaught. In a dramatic demonstration of gallantry worthy of their namesake, the Charlemagne Division would make a valiant last stand at the Reich Chancellery, where it’s members would destroy 108 Soviet tanks in the process. This anecdote confirms the notion that Germany’s war in the East truly was recognized as a pan-European crusade against communism.
Representative of the classic fascist ethos that strives to synthesize old and new, this juxtaposition being apparent with the silhouette of the modern solider forming a nimbus around the medieval knight. One proposed interpretation is that the spirit of the medieval crusader lives on within the physical body and blood of the European soldier of today. The emblem of the LVF can be seen emblazoned on his shield.
Medieval romanticism and the imagery of knightly warriors are frequent motifs in nationalist aesthetics, as they are thought to embody pre-enlightenment ideals of masculinity, nobility, tradition, duty and martial valor. In doing so, it is the knight that bridges the traditionalist and martial philosophies of the far-right. In fact, the fascist concept of statehood is in itself highly feudalistic in its power dynamics due to the two primary aspects of political power, being held on the basis of personal loyalty and guild-based socioeconomics.
