"Volkssturm in Action" Topic

"The Volkssturm (German pronunciation: [ˈfɔlks.ʃtʊɐ̯m], "people's storm" was a German national militia that was formed mostly in the last months of World War II. It was established by the Nazi Party on the orders of Adolf Hitler and its official existence was not announced until October 18, 1944. Males between the ages of 16-60 who were not already serving in the German military were conscripted into its ranks – often under force, although sometimes civilians, male and female volunteered.

The organization of the Volkssturm in 1944 was meant to aid the dwindling military might of the Reich, but historians speculate it also kept civilian men watching the destruction of their cities from entertaining thoughts of uprisings.

The Volkssturm, due to limits in military weapons, were divided into two groups, those who had arms and those who would serve as replacements, picking up the arms of a fallen comrade. One Volkssturm leader, ordered to take his men into combat without uniforms, with limited weapons, and with no ammunition recalled, "I told the party leader I could not accept the responsibility of leading men into battle without uniforms…Although my men were quite ready to help their country, they refused to go into battle without uniforms and without training. What could a Volkssturm man do with a rifle without ammunition? The men went home. That was the only thing we could do."…"

Main page
link

Amicalement
Armand

Interesting, but very depressing.

Very interesting. I painted Volkssturm platoon in 1:72 (of Pegasus, Revell, Mars, etc waiting for new Zvezda). Use it in IASBM/CoC.

Re: depressing:

Karma. Volenti non fit iniuria.

At least 90% of them supported and voted for Hitler.
link

Nearly all of them profited from exploitation and plunder of whole conquered Europe, including of course Jews, Poles (my family, so I am biased), Slavs, Greek, all other Europeans etc.

Nearly all of them enjoyed the fruits of the loot acquired in the occupied territories.

Götz Aly described it very well.

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Volenti non fit iniuria [or alternatively: injuria – Mk1]

Roughly translates as: "no injury to the volunteer". It is a common law principal that those who consent to engage in conduct that they know can result in injury, can claim no damages from the injuries they receive. In short, their consent can be used as a defense by those who are accused of having caused the injuries.

Just in case some of us didn't know it…

(BTW – pretty appropriate reference, IMHO.)

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

I've often wondered, given the age of Volksturm recruits, how many of them had seen combat in WW1. IIRC, some waves of German infantry divisions featured re-called WW1 as officers and NCOs, so apparently they weren't shy about calling up the grey beards.

Does anyone have any idea?

Mark

At least the instructors were often ww1 veterans.

Descriptions of Volkssturm often describe them as hitler youth, injured and recovered ww2 veterans previously considered unfit and ww1 veterans.
I've always assumed a substantial number would be ww1 veterans.
It'd be what… 27 years 1918 to 1945.

I have wondered the same regarding Britain's Home Guard.

In the UK you were eligible for military service if aged between 18 and 41. Hence the youngest members of the LDV / HG would have been 42 in 1940. This would have made them 18 in 1916, so there must have been some conscripted or who volunteered in WW1 who therefore had 2 years of previous military service, and possibly even combat experience.

If so they would have been more seasoned than the average German paratroopers they might have encountered.

What about Private Pike? He certainly wasn't 42 years old. Or was the depiction of someone of his apparent age just a fiction to introduce some variety into the show?

Pike would have been either underage, perhaps 17; or of military age but not yet called up; or of military age but rejected as unfit, like Private Walker.

I have a feeling he moved from the first to the second in successive series, as it started in 1940 and concluded in 1944 when the Home Guard historically were stood down.

I've just been reading up on this as I'm painting the Warlord Games Last Levy set which are very nice sculpts of a very grim period.

There seems to have been three main drafts based on age and employment.
The first was those born between 1884-1928 1.2 million men capable of combat deployment anywhere (ie in or outside the Reich or what was left of it).

The second again born between 1884-1928 but engaged in essential war work 2.8 million men only to be deployed when the enemy were "at the gates" of the town or city they were based in.

The third draft was those born between 1925-1928 not already serving 600,000 men (boys). The majority were in the Hitler Jugend or other organisations already.

Training was limited, the second draft in particular were only available for training when not at work.

I haven't seen any numbers or statistics but a lot of them were ex WW1 servicemen.

These are the books in my bookpile/reading list. Any other recommendations on sources would be good.
In a Raging Inferno – Combat Units of the Hitler Youth 1944-45 by Hans Holzträger

Hitler's Volkssturm – The Nazi Militia and the Fall of Germany, 1944-1945 by David K. Yelton

Hitler's Last Levy – The Volkssturm 1944-45 by Hans Kissel

On the Home Guard.. well Dad's Army Arnold Ridley who played Godfrey famously served and was wounded in WW1 including a bayonet to the groin and a rifle butt blow to the head!!
link