Volkssturm
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The Volkssturm (lit. "Folkstorm"; "People's" or "National Militia"; Sturm means "military assault") was a German national militia of the last months of World War II. It was founded on Adolf Hitler's orders on October 18, 1944 and conscripted males between the ages of 16 to 60 years, who were not already serving in some military unit as part of a German Home Guard.
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[edit] Origins
The term 'Sturm' was derived from historical German militia units. The new Volkssturm drew inspiration from the old Prussian Landsturm of 1813-1815, that fought in the liberation wars against Napoleon, mainly as guerrilla forces. Plans to form a Landsturm national militia in Eastern Germany as a last resort to boost fighting strength initially came from Oberkommando des Heeres chief General Heinz Guderian in 1944. Because the Wehrmacht was lacking manpower to stop the Soviet advance, men in jobs not deemed necessary or previously deemed unfit for military service were now called under arms. The Volkssturm had existed, on paper, since approximately 1925, however it was only after Hitler ordered Martin Bormann to recruit six million men for this militia that the group became a physical reality. The intended strength of six million was never attained.
In order for these militia units to be effective, Hitler and Bormann counted not only on strength in numbers, but also in fanaticism. During the early stages of Volkssturm planning, it became apparent that if militia units lacked morale they would lack combat effectiveness. To achieve the envisaged fanaticism, Volkssturm units were placed under direct command of the local Nazi party, meaning local Gau- and Kreisleiters. The new Volkssturm was also to become a nation-wide organization, with Heinrich Himmler, as Replacement Army Commander, responsible for armament and training. Though normally under party control, Volkssturm units were placed under Wehrmacht command when engaging in action, something that led to decreased effectiveness. The basic unit was a battalion of 642 men. Units were mostly composed of members of the Hitler Youth, invalids, the elderly, or men who had previously been considered unfit for military service.
[edit] Uniforms and insignia
The Volkssturm "uniform" was only a black armband with words Deutscher Volkssturm Wehrmacht with a series of silver collar pips pinned to the wearer's collar. Although the German government tried to issue as many of its members as possible with military uniforms, these could not be provided to all its members, thus many members of the Volkssturm wore makeshift paramilitary uniforms or uniforms from their civilian jobs (such as train conductors of the Reichsbahn). The simple paramilitary insignia of the Volkssturm was as follows:
| Volkssturm Rank | Translation | Comparative military rank | Collar Insignia |
| Bataillionsführer | Battalion Leader | Major | |
| Kompanieführer | Company Leader | Captain | |
| Zugführer | Section Leader | Lieutenant |  |
| Gruppenführer | Group Leader | Sergeant | |
| Volkssturmmann | People's Storm Trooper | Private |  |
[edit] Training and Impact
Typically, members of the Volkssturm received only the most basic of military training. This included brief indoctrination training, and then training on the use of basic weapons such as the Karabiner 98k rifle and Panzerfaust. Because of continuous fighting and weapon shortages in active units, weapon training was often very minimal. There was also a lack of instructors, meaning that weapons training was sometimes done by WW1-veterans drafted into service themselves. Often Volkssturm members had to familiarize with their weapons when in actual combat.
There was no standardization of any kind and units were issued only what equipment was available. This was true in every form of equipment, Volkssturm members were required to bring their own uniforms and culinary equipment etc. This resulted in the units looking very ragged and, instead of boosting civilian morale, it often reminded people of the desperate state of Germany in the war. Armament was equally diverse, while some Karabiner 98ks were on hand, members were also issued Gewehr 98s and Gewehr 71s in addition to a plethora of Soviet, Belgian, French, Italian and other weapons that had been captured by Germany in her five years of war. The Germans had also developed primitive cheap weapons to supply the Volkssturm, like MP 3008 machine pistols and the Volkssturmgewehr 1-5 submachine rifle. Being armed with leftovers only compounded the ineffectiveness of the Volkssturm, plus the large amount of different ammunition types put a strain on already burdened logistics.
When units had completed their training and received armament, members took a customary oath to Hitler and were then dispatched toward the enemy. Unlike most English-speaking countries, Germany had universal military service for all young men for several generations, so many of the older members of the Volkssturm would have had at least basic military training when they served in the German Army and, as noted before, many would have been veterans of the First World War. Volkssturm units were supposed to be used only in their own districts, but many were sent directly to the front lines. The most extensive use of the Volkssturm was during the Battle of Berlin, during which Volkssturm units fought the best they could. The Battle of Berlin was particularly devastating to the Volkssturm, since many Volkssturm members fought to the death when facing Red Army troops, mostly out of fear of being captured by Soviets. Another important Volkssturm battle was the Battle of Königsberg.
Most historians agree that the Volkssturm had little strategic effect on the outcome of the war. On a tactical level however, the Volkssturm often fought bravely despite having the odds against them.
[edit] Notable Members
- Ernst Tiburzy, received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross to the Iron Cross.
- Wilhelm Sitt, Knight's Cross holder.
- Otto Herzog, Knight's Cross holder.
- Karl Pakebusch, Knight's Cross holder.
[edit] References
- ^ Image taken from D.K. Yelton, Hitler's Home Guard
- David K. Yelton: Hitler's Home Guard: Volkssturmmann Western Front 1944-45 (Osprey 2002)
