Henri Joseph Fenet

Henri Joseph Fenet (11 July 1919 – 14 September 2002) 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.

French service
Fenet was born on 11 July 1919 in Ceyzériat, 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.

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 school 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.

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 Nordland.

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.

Later life
On the 10 December 1949, Fenet was convicted of being a collaborator 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.