Reichskommissariat Champagnerland
Following the surrender of France and the success of Operation Sea Lion, the German Reich established a number of administrative regions across occupied Western Europe. Among them, the region of Champagne—reorganized as the Reichskommissariat Champagnerland—stands out for its unique political structure and ideological alignment.
SS Administration and National Communalism
Champagnerland is not governed by the Wehrmacht or the German civilian bureaucracy, but by a special directorate of the Schutzstaffel (SS). Its leadership is closely aligned with the Charlemagne SS Division, composed primarily of French volunteers who embraced National Socialist ideals.
Rather than functioning as a typical military occupation, the region is run as a National Socialist commune, blending strict SS control with a quasi-collectivist, community-based model. Local collaborators and ideologically vetted civilians participate in regional councils, with all policies guided by racial purity, loyalty to the Reich, and anti-Bolshevik unity.
Political and Social Features
- Communal Governance: Citizens are grouped into local cells (Volkszellen), where loyalty to the commune and the Führer is cultivated through daily rituals, education, and labor.
- French-German Fusion: While German is the administrative language, French culture is selectively preserved, reinterpreted through a National Socialist lens to emphasize order, discipline, and anti-liberal values.
- Militarized Society: Young men are trained in local SS academies, with many joining the SS Charlemagne or auxiliary police. Public life revolves around service, obedience, and ideological formation.
Propaganda and Ideology
Champagnerland is promoted as the “New European Model”—a place where Latin vigor and German discipline forge a new kind of society. SS propaganda highlights the region as proof that the New Order is not just conquest, but transformation: a homeland reborn under unity, strength, and national purpose.
The Reichskommissariat Champagnerland maintains its own military apparatus, structured around the SS and reinforced by local anti-communist militias, operating under the supervision and ideological guidance of Berlin.
Gustav Krukenberg-The Iron Marshal of the West
Volksmarschall SS Gustav Krukenberg serves as the Reichskommissar of Champagnerland, a key figure in shaping the National Socialist experiment in Western Europe. A veteran of the SS political leadership corps and a close associate of Himmler, Krukenberg was handpicked to lead the unique “National Commune” project in former French territory.
Known for his rigid discipline, ideological purity, and administrative efficiency, Krukenberg blends brutal counter-insurgency tactics with strategic use of local collaboration. Under his rule, Champagnerland has become a symbol of German-French unity under National Socialism—where culture, labor, and race are guided toward a single purpose.
Revered in propaganda as the “Iron Marshal of the West”, Krukenberg is both feared and respected by allies and enemies alike. His leadership has turned Champagnerland into a showcase province of the New Order, and a proving ground for future European integration under Reich control.
1. Waffen-SS Charlemagne
At the core of the region’s military power stands the Charlemagne Division of the Waffen-SS, composed of French volunteers radicalized after the fall of the Third Republic. Trained under German military standards and politically shaped by SS doctrine, these units are regarded as highly disciplined and fiercely loyal.
- Deployed in both rural and urban areas to maintain order and eliminate resistance.
- Participate in joint exercises with Wehrmacht units along the Western Front.
- Serve as the symbolic model of the “New European Man.”
2. National Militias (Milices Populaires Nationales)
Local armed groups recruited from war veterans, indoctrinated youth, and loyalist farmers. These People’s Militias act as auxiliary forces to the SS and play a key role in maintaining ideological and social order.
- Patrol villages, control food distribution, and monitor “subversive elements.”
- Uniforms feature French-style insignia redesigned with National Socialist symbolism.
- Training conducted in SS-run camps throughout the region.
3. Military Doctrine and Ideological Role
The armed forces of Champagnerland are more than a defense force—they are the embodiment of the National Commune's spirit: total service, racial purity, and unwavering loyalty to the Reich. They call themselves the “Sons of the European Rebirth”, portrayed as a bulwark of order, identity, and justice against the chaos of defeated Bolshevism.