Service d'ordre légionnaire

The '''Service d'ordre légionnaire (SOL''', "Legionary Order Service") was a collaborationist militia created by Joseph Darnand, a far right veteran from the First World War. It was granted its independence in January 1943, after Operation Torch and the German occupation of the South Zone, until then dubbed "Free Zone" and controlled by Vichy. Pierre Laval himself (supported by Marshal Philippe Pétain) passed the law which accorded the SOL its independence and transformed it into the ''Milice'', which participated in battles alongside the Nazis against the Resistance and committed numerous war crimes against civilians. After the Liberation, some members of the Milice escaped to Germany, where they joined the ranks of the SS. Those who stayed behind in France faced either drumhead courts-martial, generally followed by summary execution, or simple lynching at the hands of ''résistants'' and enraged civilians. Provided by Wikipedia