30,000 WWII era German soldiers executed?

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A pretty small number for a totalitarian state.
Jeffin

 

Lol 30,000 is at least a divisions worth of men, hell its more men than many smaller combatants lost in the war, only 9,000 less than my own country lost during WWII. I agree in comparison with Russia's executions its a pretty small amount, and in comparison with Germany's overall losses it is a drop in the bucket, still it shows how brutal Germany's military justice system was.

And I somehow doubt it was only 30,000 who died. During the last year of the war there were a lot of summary executions (hangings) of German soldiers in an attempt to stiffen resolve. All those pictures of hung German soldiers with signs around their necks, somehow I doubt those guys got factored into the total.

 

The NAZIs also made extensive use of Penal Units which do not figure in to the count. Still compared to the Red Army 30 k is not a lot of usage of the ultimate terror. I was under the impression that life in the German Army was just as terror ridden as life in the Red Army and I guess I was wrong. Perhaps the NAZI made use of more effective brainwashing tecniques than did their opposite numbers on the Red side.
JeffinMNUSA

 

I agree with this. Schorner was known to promote such flying courts in his area of operations from 44' onwards. Under his directive alone I am sure he reached if not surpassed this 30k number.

 

The nazi's really stepped up the indoctrination of their solders as the war turned against them, including introducing their own nazi version of the political commissar. Then there were also threats leveled against the soldiers by their government, the "Kith and Kin" law comes to mind, where upon the families of surrendered soldiers were declared traitors and I think deported.

Finally I imagine the fear of the Russians reaching their homes was a pretty big motivator. After what was done in their country by Germans, I bet the Germans feared what the Russians would do in revenge.

 

I guess I am a bit confused. You are saying that you think the Germans killed more than 30k of their own men? In all honesty no one will ever know. I think that the 30k they are referring to those tried in the military court system and executed. It makes no claim to field executions or other such things.

Brainwashing. How do you figure that they brainwashed them. There is a difference between indoctrination. Most German soldiers wanted to fight, no 'brainwashing' needed.

I have never heard of any political officers attached to German units like the commissars. Are you referring to the Gestapo? Please elaborate.

 

Another example of how the Germans were great allies in helping us to defeat them.

 

No I have read this number in other books as well. It was 30,000 executions, a pretty brutal number when you consider that number vs that of many other countries. Hell the US get a bit of flak for the one guy they shot in '44. Heck they made a movie about him.

Give me a day or two to go back and dig up the reference, got other things on my plate. But the Germans had their own nazi political officers to spew out ideology to their men. Doesn't quite have the notoriety of of the commissars since they couldn't interfere and screw things up in such incredible fashion as the Russian ones did during the early years of the war, but it was there reminding the soldiers of why they needed to fight to the death against the evil bolshevik enemy.

 

I don't know the exact number but it had to be more. German officers IIRC were empowered to shoot cowards on the spot. German officers often shot their own soldiers if want to surrender when they cross the lines.

 

Short ref to this here. Although I believe there were such political officers attached to HQs since '38.

 

I too believe that "Schorners Final Tally" of German Soldier executions is probably much higher. What's kinda ironic about this is that HE-abandoned HIS men in their final needs. To me-Schorner was nothing but a hypnocrite and a coward. This Turkey was captured wearing Civilian clothes. Everytime I watch the opening sequences to Cross of Iron-they show a short clip of this tickturd in a punchbowl.

 

This whole thing is another proof of the brutality and wickedness of the totalitarian Nazi dictatorship: its last victims were the German people.

 

I consider this example sufficient enough to prove my comment while exempting me from digging through my books and spending my time trying to find that chapter.

 

Happy to help.