Penal Unit. Festungs-Infanterie-Bataillon XIV./999.

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Ander
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Penal Unit. Festungs-Infanterie-Bataillon XIV./999.

#1

Post by Ander » 28 Apr 2007, 22:53

Hello All,

The penal unit "Festungs-Infanterie-Bataillon XIV./999" served in Tighina, today Moldavia, at the Dnjester River. The Sowjet forces probably reached the east side of the river around the 12th April 1944. The position was then probably held until the Red Army encircled and defeated the German and Romanian forces in the area around 21st August 1944.

Very little is known about "slave soldiers" serving in german penal units. For example what crime had the soldiers and officers committed who served in the Festungsbataillon XIV./999? How were the losses in the battalion replaced? Were did the replacements come from? Did the replacements arrive as individuals or did they arrive as large groups under guard? When arriving at the penal unit did the soldiers carry arms? If an inmate from a concentration camp was despatched to one of these units he had first to undergo some military training. Did an experienced soldier, who had been court-martialled in the field, eg. for defaitist remarks, also have to undergo special training before joining these units? or was he sent there directly and immediately?

The commander of the above penal unit, a Hauptmann Schmidt Karl-Heinz, on 11th June 1944 was awarded the Knights Cross for his or the units actions. It would be interesting to know for which action he received the award. What sort of activities did this penal unit undertake, eg. did they engage in partisan warfare or did they cross the river in commando-style operations?

Many thanks for any information.

Regards.

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#2

Post by Christoph Awender » 28 Apr 2007, 23:06

Hello

What you wrote shows that you did get wrong informations about "who" was in such a unit what you call "penal" unit. Please do a forum search and you will find more detailed information.

\Christoph


Ander
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Penal Unit 999

#3

Post by Ander » 29 Apr 2007, 22:34

Hello All,

I found the following information about WWII german penal units in Wikepedia and the Feldgrau Forum. As not to bore readers, the quoting is selectiv and short. The quote may inform people about who went to these units.
“Penal battalion, penal company, etc., are military units consisting of convicted persons for which military service was either the assigned punishment or a voluntary replacement of imprisonment.”
“The 999 series units are most popularly known to history by way of the 999. Leichte Afrika Division. all made up of lost souls dredged from the bottom of military prisons throughout the Reich - men stripped of rank, decorations and dignity.”

“The 2nd class soldiers were stripped of rank, decorations and honor, and considered unworthy of bearing arms.”

“Bewährungsabteilungen (Field-punishment and probationary detachments) which performed dangerous engineer and assault functions at the blunt edge of attacks, and anti-partisan operations - ie. the dirty work of clearing mines, fighting partisans, and other so-called himmelsfahrtkommando type duties (Journey-to- heaven-mission) and descibes any operation with extremely high risk, although not nesseccarily suicidal.”

“Festungs-Inf.Btl.999, one of the notorious penal units for criminals considered unworthy to serve with regular units.”
I still hope to get some information about the specific activities of the Festungs-InfanterieBataillon XIV./999 in Tighina.

Regards.

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Christoph Awender
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#4

Post by Christoph Awender » 30 Apr 2007, 11:27

Ander these Wikipedia information does follow the same old myths.

A) (Feld-) Strafgefangenen-Abteilungen which consisted of soldiers which were condemned to prison for longer than 3 months (for a list of reasons). These Abteilungen were used for hard, dangerous labour for example in partisan endangered areas.

B) Strafvollstreckungszüge of divisions and armies consisted of soldiers condemned to prison under 3 months. There were always strict regulations what kind of crime the soldier did to come into such a unit.

C) Infanteriebataillone z.b.V.500, 540, 550, 560, 561, 609 consisted of soldiers which were condemned to probation. These units were supplied and treated nearly as normal units but used for special dangerous "missions". Usually these soldiers had to make their probation in their field unit and were transferred to these Inf.Btls.z.b.V. when their unit was not at the front or did no actions where the soldiers could stand the test.

D) Feld-Sonder-Bataillone consisted of soldiers fullfilled their prison time but are not accepted in their field unit again because of deficiencies in character.

E) The "999" units are not such units because they consisted of soldiers who were not "worthy to serve" (Wehrunwürdig) - so they were not condemned by a court in prior.

F) The Waffen-SS had also probation units (SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl 500, SS-Sturm-Btl 500, SS-Brigade ''Dirlewanger'') which consisted of soldiers from Straflager und Wehrstraflager. In these Straflager and Wehrstraflager (comparable to a KZ) they had to do very hard labour without being supplied properly and if someone survived them he was "endangered" to get into one of these units like the Brigade Dirlewanger.

\Christoph

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#5

Post by Janek19801119 » 30 Apr 2007, 14:59

Some questions:
B. Were Strafvollstreckungszüge labour units like (Feld-) Strafgefangenen-Abteilungen or were they combat unit? Exact translation suggest that they were firing squads. Am I right?
C. How many of Inf.Btls.z.b.V. were on the Eastern Front in 1941 - 08.1944 period?
D. Feld-Sonder-Bataillone - combat or labour?

Ander
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Penal Units

#6

Post by Ander » 30 Apr 2007, 18:59

Hello All,

thanks Christoph for the detailed explanations.

I wonder how serious the german military took all these classifications by the time April or November 1944 had arrived?

For example a Wehrmacht-soldier was sentenced to death by a military court for desertion in November 1944. His sentence was commuted to service in a penal unit. In which type of penal unit would he have had to serve (Debrecen, Hungary)?

Another Wehrmacht-soldier was sentenced to death by a field court at the front for defaitism in April 1944. His sentence was commuted to service in a penal unit (Chisinau, Moldavia). To which penal unit would he have had to go?

One must assume that both above soldiers were stripped of their honor and "worthiness to carry arms" and could therefore have served in a 999-penal unit if such a unit was nearby?
Or did these 2 soldiers have to serve in an Infanteriebataillon z.b.V.?

Or were 999-penal units strictly for political prisoners (communists, socialists,etc.) who arrived at their place of combat as a complete group and never had their losses replaced whilst at the front?

Regards.

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#7

Post by Christoph Awender » 01 May 2007, 15:16

Are these examples from reality or fictional?

\Christoph

Ander
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Penal Units

#8

Post by Ander » 03 May 2007, 00:27

Hello All,

No, these comments are not about fictional events.

It must be said, that at least amongst the german speaking societies in Europe the type of prosecution of deserters and pacifist-thinkers in the german armed forces during WWII was not well publicized in the post-war-time. The Wehrmacht-judges often had many reasons to keep quite and their victims were often dead.

The Debrecen ( Hungary) case was documented in the book "Flucht ohne Ausweg, auf den Spuren des Banditen Karl Gufler". A Google search will bring up details about the book published in 2005.

The Chisinau case is much more circumstancial and based on various accounts by the victim's relatives. It is today rather difficult to find relevant information about that case. Apparently the victim was sentenced by a field court around mid April 1944 and despatched to a penal unit, where he was able to escape on arrival at the unit. The penal unit was in the Chisinau, Tighina, Leontina area (Moldavia) and I would like to find out more about penal units in that area in mid-April 1944 ( 999-units, 500 z.b.V.-units, anything like that in the area which took convicted Wehrmacht soldiers into their service).

Regards.

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Re: Penal Unit. Festungs-Infanterie-Bataillon XIV/999.

#9

Post by Peter » 26 Jun 2015, 16:06

An example of a prisoner inducted into a 999 unit as shown in this Gestapo Wien identification/arrest photo.

A 3 year sentence for listening to illegal radio and then on completion of his prison term he was handed to a Military Penal 999 unit.
Johann Melka, Mannersdorf (NÖ), geboren am 30. März 1904
Der Schlosser Johann Melka wurde am 30. 1. 1941 wegen "Rundfunkverbrechens" festgenommen und in der Folge zu 3 Jahren Zuchthaus verurteilt. Er wurde am 28. 6. 1944 aus der Haft entlassen und an die Strafeinheit 999 überstellt.
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Patches
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Re: Penal Unit. Festungs-Infanterie-Bataillon XIV./999.

#10

Post by Patches » 30 Jun 2015, 10:14

In 1959 a fictional movie came out titled Punishment Battalion 999 (Strafbataillon 999). More information on the movie is here: http://ihffilm.com/22671.html.

The movie is also available for free in German: https://archive.org/details/Strafbatail ... erOstfront and with English subtitles and an irritating (unless one speaks it) Russian voice over, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr8dN712fus

It has been a very long time since I watched this movie, so much so that I no longer recall how accurate it is. However, it has received some good reviews and perhaps it will give one an idea of what life in a penal battalion was like. The movie is based on this book: http://www.amazon.com/Straf-battalion-9 ... 057&sr=1-6 and more information on the author is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_G._Konsalik.

My understanding is that being posted to a Wehrmacht penal battalion was arguably equivalent to a death sentence because of the way these units were employed. Discipline was harsh, leaves were infrequent to non-existent and there was no mail, etc. SS penal units I have no knowledge of.

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