SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade France

The French SS Volunteer Assault Brigade (German: Französische S.S. Freiwilligen Sturmbrigade), commonly referred to as the Brigade Frankreich (lit. 'Brigade France '), was a Waffen-SS unit composed of French volunteers during World War II. The unit was created in August 1943 after the German occupation authorities reached an agreement with the Vichy regime allowing French nationals to enlist in the SS. Recruitment drew from a mix of collaborationist groups and individual volunteers. By mid-1944 the brigade had reached a reported strength of 1,688 men. It was the first Waffen-SS unit composed entirely of French nationals.

After undergoing training in Alsace and Bohemia-Moravia, the brigade was deployed to the Eastern Front in August 1944. It took part in operations near Sanok and Mielec, where it suffered severe losses and ceased to function as a coherent unit within weeks. By the end of August, fewer than 150 men remained combat-capable. Later that year, the remnants were merged with the Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism to form part of the SS Division Charlemagne. The Waffen-SS, including its foreign volunteer formations, was declared a criminal organisation by the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg for its central role in war crimes and crimes against humanity.