An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

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Germanicus
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Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#766

Post by Germanicus » 21 Sep 2021, 00:10

T78 R131 Feldpost
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01008.jpg
01009.jpg
01010.jpg

Germanicus
Member
Posts: 2184
Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 14:26
Location: Shell Cove NSW Australia

Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#767

Post by Germanicus » 21 Sep 2021, 00:11

T78 R131 Feldpost
01011.jpg
01012.jpg


Germanicus
Member
Posts: 2184
Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 14:26
Location: Shell Cove NSW Australia

Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#768

Post by Germanicus » 21 Sep 2021, 10:06

T78 R131 Feldpost - The Volkssturm-Bataillones in the above Feldposts are as follows. I identified 6 new Bataillones. There is also 1 undifentied Bataillon.

Deutscher-Volkssturm Gaustabfuhrer Gau 26

Volkssturm-Kreisstabsfuhrung 21 Glatz FPN 58641
Volkssturm-Kreisstabsfuhrung 23 Neisse FPN 57983
Volkssturm-Kreisstabsfuhrung 32 Freiwaldau FPN 57996

Volkssturm-Kreisstabsfuhrung Ohlau FPN 40484 A

Volkssturm-Bataillon 1/141 FPN
Volkssturm-Bataillon 1/143 FPN 65993
Volkssturm-Bataillon 1/331 FPN 57579 [add]
Volkssturm-Bataillon 1/332 FPN 64497
Volkssturm-Bataillon 3/803 FPN 45213
Volkssturm-Bataillon 6/6 FPN 45975
Volkssturm-Bataillon 6/19 FPN 42586
Volkssturm-Bataillon 6/52 FPN 46157
Volkssturm-Bataillon 6/102 FPN 65531
Volkssturm-Bataillon 6/107 FPN 64996
Volkssturm-Bataillon 6/410 FPN 47122
Volkssturm-Bataillon 7/108 [Franken] FPN 37424
Volkssturm-Bataillon z.b.V 8/16 [Halle-Merseburg] FPN 38461
Volkssturm-Bataillon z.b.V 10/10 Hessen-Nassau FPN 31259
Volkssturm-Bataillon 13/17 FPN 64731
Volkssturm-Bataillon 13/31 FPN 65280
Volkssturm-Bataillon 14/1 FPN 67283
Volkssturm-Bataillon 14/2 Magdeburg Anhalt FPN 27712
Volkssturm-Bataillon z.b.V 15/1 [Mainfranken] FPN 37632
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/47 FPN 47347
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/47 A FPN 46662
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/49 FPN 65136
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/51 FPN 45272
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/55 FPN 66132
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/57 FPN 66806
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/59 FPN 64761
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/61 FPN 45571
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/77 FPN 65808
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/93 FPN 45123
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/95 FPN 46398
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/101 FPN 59082
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/156 [Brieskow] FPN 65022
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/167 FPN 44136
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/234 FPN 64856
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/261 FPN 58464
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/265 FPN 64676
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/313 FPN 57774
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/317 FPN 66456
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/319 FPN 67455
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/321 FPN 65391
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/340 FPN 47433
Volkssturm-Bataillon 17/1 FPN 40501
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/1 FPN 08235
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/2 FPN 32469
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/3 FPN 09891
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/4 FPN 10834
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/5 FPN 18561
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/6 FPN 19623
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/7 FPN 34314
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/8 FPN 35152
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/9 FPN 20635
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/10 FPN 21586
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/41 FPN 10834
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/51 FPN 18561
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/52 FPN 19623
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/91 FPN 20635 [add]
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/101 FPN 21586
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/111 FPN 22045 [add]
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/121 FPN 22554
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/141 FPN 23641
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/151 FPN 25136
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/171 FPN 25879
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/201 FPN 26311
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/231 FPN 30065
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/241 FPN 27086
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/251 FPN 27478
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/252 FPN 28067
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/281 FPN 28597
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/291 FPN 29489
Volkssturm-Bataillon 20/341 FPN 30924
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/1 FPN 39588
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/15 FPN 57673
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/16 FPN 48452
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/58 FPN 64831
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/62 FPN 66795
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/85 FPN 59503
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/86 FPN 64768
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/89 FPN 65191
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/100 FPN 47568
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/147 FPN 47590
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/155 FPN 65367
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/156 FPN 57690
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/225 FPN 58909
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/226 FPN 59747 [add]
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/295 FPN 66283
Volkssturm-Bataillon 21/296 FPN 67526
Volkssturm-Bataillon z.b.V 22/1 FPN 36120
Volkssturm-Bataillon 23/271 FPN 58619
Volkssturm-Bataillon 23/272 FPN 58918
Volkssturm-Bataillon 23/273 FPN 59184
Volkssturm-Bataillon 23/274 FPN 59208
Volkssturm-Bataillon 23/275 FPN 59827
Volkssturm-Bataillon 23/276 FPN 65446
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/39 FPN 43292
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/66 FPN 03823
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/68 FPN 05769
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/70 FPN 08516
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/72 FPN 11928
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/74 FPN 47594
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/76 FPN 45973
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/78 FPN 46222
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/80 FPN 56113
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/97 FPN 58331
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/157 FPN 16571
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/158 FPN 23705
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/159 FPN 20456
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/162 FPN 21905
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/168 FPN 18248
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/170 FPN 22887
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/172 FPN 31145
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/251 FPN 44218
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/401 FPN 57293
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/Hitlerjugend FPN 32771
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/2 FPN 18628
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/8 FPN 19631
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/15 FPN 23525
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/16 FPN 30727
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/23 FPN 19627
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/24 FPN 22381
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/25 FPN 22956
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/26 FPN 20871
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/27 FPN 23811
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/28 FPN 29721
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/33 FPN 64226
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/34 FPN 65798
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/37 FPN 31515
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/38 FPN 20530
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/42 FPN 23547
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/44 FPN 20528
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/45 FPN 23821
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/46 FPN 21448
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/64 FPN 28436
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/66 FPN 43283
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/67 FPN 44549
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/69 FPN 64044
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/70 FPN 65261
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/71 FPN 66085
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/72 FPN 67270
Volkssturm-Bataillon 26/239 FPN 67019
Volkssturm-Bataillon 27/32 FPN 66419
Volkssturm-Bataillon 27/33 FPN 65931
Volkssturm-Bataillon 27/51 FPN 65981
Volkssturm-Bataillon 27/95 FPN 39824
Volkssturm-Bataillon z.b.V 27/454 FPN 43964
Volkssturm-Bataillon 31/16 FPN 37146
Volkssturm-Bataillon 31/96 FPN 38154
Volkssturm-Bataillon 31/106 FPN 39111
Volkssturm-Bataillon 31/176 FPN 67611
Volkssturm-Bataillon 31/181 FPN 64818
Volkssturm-Bataillon 31/191 FPN 65828
Volkssturm-Bataillon 31/211 FPN 47844
Volkssturm-Bataillon 31/241 FPN 57118
Volkssturm-Bataillon 31/261 FPN 64201
Volkssturm-Bataillon 31/271 FPN 57423
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/33 FPN 25698
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/181 FPN 40563
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/246 FPN 35990
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/268 FPN 33378
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/338 FPN 38437
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/400 FPN 31829
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/412 FPN 36832
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/521 FPN 58635
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/522 FPN 59192
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/523 FPN 59237
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/524 FPN 59558
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/525 FPN 64243
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/526 FPN 65082
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/527 FPN 66203
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/528 FPN 67378
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/529 FPN 67696
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/530 FPN 64670
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/531 FPN 65356
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/546 FPN 38992
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/563 FPN 39277
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/570 FPN 44991
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/586 FPN 38236
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/587 FPN 37654
Volkssturm-Bataillon 32/645 FPN 37330
Volkssturm-Bataillon 34/69 [Thuringen] FPN 65576
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/1 FPN 36495
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/3 FPN 37213
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/5 FPN 67209
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/11 FPN 22162
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/13 FPN 32783
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/15 FPN 36424
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/19 FPN 34697
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/21 FPN 37151
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/23 FPN 45980
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/25 FPN 34268
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/29 FPN 32341
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/31 FPN 31390
Volkssturm-Bataillon 40/47 FPN 35239
Volkssturm-Bataillon 41/12 FPN 39664
Volkssturm-Bataillon 41/36 FPN 40310
Volkssturm-Bataillon 41/41 FPN 41392
Volkssturm-Bataillon 41/54 FPN 42664
Volkssturm-Bataillon 41/62 FPN 43131
Volkssturm-Bataillon 41/94 FPN 44665
Volkssturm-Bataillon 42/V FPN 64844
Volkssturm-Bataillon 42/VI FPN 65443

Volkssturm-Bataillon 21 FPN 40848
Volkssturm-Bataillon 22 FPN 41862
Volkssturm-Bataillon 23 FPN 42569
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33 FPN 25698
Volkssturm-Bataillon 50 FPN 35982
Volkssturm-Bataillon 51 FPN 37681
Volkssturm-Bataillon 52 FPN 38432
Volkssturm-Bataillon 53 FPN 38919
Volkssturm-Bataillon 54 FPN 38819
Volkssturm-Bataillon 55 FPN 39521
Volkssturm-Bataillon 200 FPN 39577
Volkssturm-Bataillon 201 FPN 19983
Volkssturm-Bataillon 266 FPN 46673
Volkssturm-Bataillon 268 FPN 26414
Volkssturm-Bataillon 400 FPN 28890
Volkssturm-Bataillon 412 FPN 29337
Volkssturm-Bataillon 586 FPN 34579

Volkssturm-Bataillon 592
Volkssturm-Kompanie 1 FPN 44662
Volkssturm-Kompanie 2 FPN 45588

Volkssturm-Bataillon 24/Panzer-AOK 4 FPN 39453
Volkssturm-Bataillon 25/Panzer-AOK 4 FPN 41092
Volkssturm-Bataillon 27/Panzer-AOK 4 FPN 42039
Volkssturm-Bataillon 39/Panzer-AOK 4 FPN 43009
Volkssturm-Bataillon 46/Panzer-AOK 4 FPN 44474
Volkssturm-Bataillon 47/Panzer-AOK 4 FPN 42055
Volkssturm-Bataillon 53/Panzer-AOK 4 FPN 67503
Volkssturm-Bataillon 59/Panzer-AOK 4 FPN 39448
Volkssturm-Bataillon 60/Panzer-AOK 4 FPN 40149
Volkssturm-Bataillon 64/Panzer-AOK 4 FPN 39455
Volkssturm-Bataillon 65/Panzer-AOK 4 FPN 40132
Volkssturm-Bataillon 66/Panzer-AOK 4 FPN 39442

Volkssturm-Bataillon FPN 04976 [unknown]

Volkssturm-Sperr-Bataillon Adamek Schweidnitz FPN 43634
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches I FPN 17006
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches II FPN 21676
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches III FPN 27411
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches IV FPN 29050
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches V FPN 30042
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches X FPN 41757
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches XI FPN 65463
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches XII FPN 40306
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches XIII FPN 41385
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches XIV FPN 42665
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches XV FPN 43097
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches XVI FPN 44672
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches XX FPN 34834
Volkssturm-Bataillon Badisches XXII FPN 42539
Volkssturm-Bataillon Baer FPN 27951
Volkssturm-Bataillon Bannwitz [Waldenburg] FPN 29117
Volkssturm-Bataillon Beckmann FPN 28538
Volkssturm-Bataillon Bischoff [Reichbad] FPN 65422
Volkssturm-Bataillon z.b.V Brandenburg X FPN 47841
Volkssturm-Bataillon Breitkopf FPN 46868
Volkssturm-Bataillon Buhr FPN 67229
Volkssturm-Bataillon Calau I FPN 46079
Volkssturm-Bataillon Calau II FPN 47150
Volkssturm-Bataillon Cibic FPN 56081
Volkssturm-Bataillon Degenkolbe FPN 05737
Volkssturm-Bataillon Eifel FPN 01533
Volkssturm-Bataillon Glatz FPN 20683
Volkssturm-Bataillon Goebel FPN 28913
Volkssturm-Bataillon Harung FPN 15245
Volkssturm-Bataillon Hechenleitner FPN 64032
Volkssturm-Bataillon Herpischbohn FPN 65266
Volkssturm-Bataillon Hohentwiel FPN 67386
Volkssturm-Bataillon Junak FPN 40484 C Volkssturm-Kreisstab Ohlau [add]
Volkssturm-Bataillon Kessler FPN 27621
Volkssturm-Bataillon Klose FPN 28474
Volkssturm-Bataillon Kluger FPN 67009
Volkssturm-Bataillon Krakau FPN 25057
Volkssturm-Bataillon Krakau 5 FPN 39267
Volkssturm-Bataillon Kreisling FPN 67931
Volkssturm-Bataillon Kreuznach FPN 16249
Volkssturm-Bataillon Mackensen FPN 46087
Volkssturm-Bataillon Milau FPN 43055 *
Volkssturm-Bataillon Moselland FPN 13202
Volkssturm-Bataillon Müller FPN 26062
Volkssturm-Bataillon Munchen z.b.V 1 FPN 30550
Volkssturm-Bataillon Munchen z.b.V 2 FPN 19647
Volkssturm-Hitlerjugend-Bataillon Murswick FPN 64860
Volkssturm-Bataillon Oels II FPN 40489
Volkssturm-Bataillon Oels III FPN 42769
Volkssturm-Bataillon Oppeln Falkenberg FPN 37060
Volkssturm-Bataillon Peschke FPN 67649
Volkssturm-Bataillon Peters FPN 10054
Volkssturm-Bataillon Pietsch FPN 26591
Volkssturm-Bataillon Poehlemann FPN 22495
Volkssturm-Bataillon Potsdam I FPN 43878
Volkssturm-Bataillon Potsdam II FPN 44925
Volkssturm-Bataillon Ratibor 6 FPN 47068
Volkssturm-Bataillon Ratibor 7 FPN 66105
Volkssturm-Bataillon Rhein-Hahe FPN 16249
Volkssturm-Bataillon Rudolf FPN 09026
Volkssturm-Bataillon Saarbrucken VI FPN 09134
Volkssturm-Bataillon Saarlautern IV FPN 67208
Volkssturm-Bataillon Scharz FPN 24791
Volkssturm-Bataillon Schönwolf FPN 30379
Volkssturm-Eingreif-Bataillon Schweidnitz I FPN 40489
Volkssturm-Eingreif-Bataillon Schweidnitz II FPN 42769
Volkssturm-Reserve-Bataillon Seidel FPN 30460
Volkssturm-Bataillon Smolen FPN 57382
Volkssturm-Bataillon Sontowski FPN 11776
Volkssturm-Bataillon Sprottau FPN 65952
Volkssturm-Bataillon Staufen FPN 29043
Volkssturm-Bataillon Stemmler FPN 66534
Volkssturm-Bataillon Stephan FPN 27026
Volkssturm-Bataillon Stettenfels FPN 30979
Volkssturm-Bataillon Strauss FPN 64482
Volkssturm-Bataillon Tessmann FPN 20504
Volkssturm-Bataillon Tilsit-Ragnit 1 FPN 65951
Volkssturm-Bataillon Tilsit-Ragnit 2 FPN 65951
Volkssturm-Bataillon Tilsit-Ragnit 3 FPN 65951
Volkssturm-Bataillon Tilsit-Ragnit 4 FPN 65951
Volkssturm-Bataillon Tilsit-Ragnit 5 FPN 65951
Volkssturm-Bataillon Tilsit-Ragnit 6 FPN 65951
Volkssturm-Bataillon Tilsit-Ragnit 7 FPN 65951
Volkssturm-Bataillon Tilsit-Ragnit 8 FPN 65951
Volkssturm-Bataillon Tilsit-Ragnit 9 FPN 65951
Volkssturm-Bataillon Torzewski FPN 23833
Volkssturm-Bataillon Trier FPN 01576
Volkssturm-Bataillon Vecera FPN 08468
Volkssturm-Bataillon Wachlin FPN 26899
Volkssturm-Bataillon Wartberg FPN 66109
Volkssturm-Bataillon Wilde FPN 40484 B Volkssturm-Kreisstab Ohlau [add]
Volkssturm-Bataillon Wolanke FPN 67437

Volkssturm-Hitlerjugend-Kampfeinheit Beier FPN 30729

Halfdan S.
Member
Posts: 2698
Joined: 08 Oct 2007, 03:02
Location: Copenhagen

3/111

#769

Post by Halfdan S. » 21 Sep 2021, 20:15

Came across this:
Uden navn.png
Best
Halfdan S.

Germanicus
Member
Posts: 2184
Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 14:26
Location: Shell Cove NSW Australia

Re: 3/111

#770

Post by Germanicus » 21 Sep 2021, 22:15

Halfdan S. wrote:
21 Sep 2021, 20:15
Came across this:
Uden navn.png
Best
Halfdan S.
Thank you very much Halfdan S.

Volkssturm-Bataillon 3/111 // Volkssturm-Bataillon Hoffmann

Most respectfully

Germanicus

Germanicus
Member
Posts: 2184
Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 14:26
Location: Shell Cove NSW Australia

Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#771

Post by Germanicus » 22 Sep 2021, 01:31

"Volkssturm des Kr[eise]s Posen mit B[atallion] 36, 36/1, 36/3, 36/4, 36/9, 36/11, 36/15, 36/17, 36/19, 36/25, 36/27, 36/100, 36/147, 36/161
Einsatz Bataillon I des Volkssturms Posen
'Volkssturm (Wehrkreis XXI)'", 20. Februar 1945 [Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv Signatur RH 53-21/17]
Volkssturmeinsatz im Bataillon 9 in Posen
Deutscher Volkssturm Gau 1 Kreis Karlsruhe
Gauleitung Westfalen-Süd/ Deutscher Volkssturm Rundschreiben
Volkssturms in verschiedenen Reichsgauen in Verbindung mit den Gauleitungen (Baden/Elsass, Moselland, Hessen/Nassau, Kreis Sauerland, Kreis Bremen, Kreis Hamburg, Kreis Eger)
Deutscher Volkssturm Gau 1 Kreis Karlsruhe
Deutscher Volkssturm/ Gau 18 an Bataillonsführer des Deutschen Volkssturms 18/8
Deutscher Volkssturm Kreis Bonn

http://archiv.ifz-muenchen.de/hzeig.FAU ... 0000E00%23

Germanicus
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Posts: 2184
Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 14:26
Location: Shell Cove NSW Australia

Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#772

Post by Germanicus » 22 Sep 2021, 01:40

Wehrkreiskommandos XXI (Posen)

Archivsignatur : RH 53-21/17
Bandnummer : 4
Titel : Bd. 4: Sonderbeilage I.- Einsatz des Volkssturmes im Wehrkreis
Laufzeit : Feb. 1945
Unterlagenart : Sachakte
Alte Signaturen : H 13-21/14
Benutzungsort : Freiburg

Archivsignatur : RH 53-21/35
Bandnummer : 5
Titel : Bd. 5: Schematische Übersicht über Stärke und Ausrüstung der im Warthegau eingesetzten Volkssturm-Bataillone
Laufzeit : Feb. 1945
Enthält : fol. 1 bis fol. 2
Unterlagenart : Sachakte
Alte Signaturen : RH 53-21/17
Benutzungsort : Freiburg

https://invenio.bundesarchiv.de/invenio ... Export.pdf

Germanicus
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Posts: 2184
Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 14:26
Location: Shell Cove NSW Australia

Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#773

Post by Germanicus » 22 Sep 2021, 11:18

The following is as stated. I have only included in the Post that which relates to the Volkssturm.

MS # P-136
THE GERMAN DEFENSE OF BERLIN
by
Wilhelm Willemar, Oberst a.D.
WITH A FOREWORD BY
GENERALOBERST a.D. FRANZ HALDER


Also consulted were the Police Commander for Berlin, Colonel Erich Duensing, and numerous veterans of the fighting, from platoon leaders to regimental commanders, including leaders of such organizations as the Volkssturm and the Plant Protection Service.

Volkssturm, and the construction of field fortifications.

There was no clearly-defined division of authority between the military agencies and the Reich Defense Commissioners, although they were expected to work together. The territorial authority of the Army ended ten kilometers behind the battle line. To the rear of this line, all measures of a purely military nature - even the construction of field fortifications by civilian labor - were subject to the approval of the Reich Defense Commissioner. He was also responsible for carrying out these measures with the aid of the civilian population and the Volkssturm.

This dualism had serious consequences. In many instances, especially in the construction of field fortifications, the Army attempted to take matters into its own hands, while the Reich Defense Commissioners jealously guarded their own prerogatives. The atmosphere between the two authorities tended to be highly strained. As a result, numerous rear positions were laid out without the slightest understanding of tactical requirements. A great number of antitank obstacles were constructed, which were either totally ineffective or so hindered friendly troop movements that they had to be destroyed. Construction workers and materials were taken away from the forces in the field. Weapons and ammunition urgently needed to arm strong young replacement troops were hoarded for use by old Volkssturm men far to the rear.

The Volkssturm, the tactical use of which was to have been left to the discretion of military authorities, received orders from the Party even during battle. One report describes how during the fighting a Volkssturm battalion in Berlin received orders alternately from both the sector commander and the Party district headquarters. Since these orders were usually contradictory, the battalion commander was genuinely happy when the Party district headquarters was destroyed by bombs.

The Reich Commissioner for Berlin, Goebbels, and the Commissioner for Brandenburg, Stuerz, often worked at cross purposes. In one instance, without telling anyone, Stuerz withdrew a Brandenburg Volkssturm battalion that was assigned in Berlin, leaving a gap in the city's defense lines on the following day.

2. The Hitler Youth.

The Hitler Youth were led by Reich Youth Leader Axmann, who called them up for battle and committed them to action, partly on his own initiative and partly in agreement with the Commander of the Defense Area. On 24 April a Hitler Youth brigade armed with Panzerfaeuste10 appeared in the Strausberg region to hunt down Russian tanks on a freelance basis. In response to urgent protests from General Weidling, Axmann tried to withdraw this youthful and inexperienced brigade from the fighting, but he was no longer able to get his orders through.

In Berlin itself the Hitler Youth fought partly in separate battalions and partly as small units attached to the field forces or the Volkssturm. This use of the Hitler Youth as a combat force had not been anticipated, and their commitment was not included in the plans of the Defense Area. When eventually called upon, the Reich Youth Leader and subordinate Hitler Youth leaders loyally followed instructions of the military agencies.

The commander in Berlin had unlimited authority only over the few Army units present in the city. He had only very limited authority over the Volkssturm, (the bulk of the available defense forces), SS troops, Flak units, Hitler Youth, and the Todt Organization and Labor Service. He had no authority at all over the population, which carried the greatest burden in the construction of positions. Another example will serve to illustrate this limitation of authority. The Commander of a battery manned by permanent local troops received a Volkssturm platoon to serve his guns. Yet, he was not allowed to give these men orders except during battle, and so was reduced to using persuasion. Under these circumstances even a man with the clear vision and conscious purpose of Generalleutnant Reymann could accomplish little.

The broad organizational picture gives indications of complete chaos. The overlapping, confusion, and contradiction in the issuing of orders, the precipitous changes in the distribution of authority, and the constant dismissal and elimination of responsible individuals are signs of fundamental disintegration and imminent collapse. The effects on the fighting troops were devastating. Even now all accounts by veterans of the fighting in Berlin speak of a complete breakdown in leadership, and many even of sabotage. This impression was certain to be widespread.

Just what happened to a commander who failed to defend a fortified place to the last man can be seen in the case of the Commander of Koenigsberg, General der Infanterie Lasch. General Lasch was sentenced in absentia to death by hanging; the sentence was made public in a communique of the High Command and his whole family was placed under arrest.

2. Tactical Considerations.

The actual defense was to be carried out along the perimeter itself, full use being made of available obstacles. Even this position extended along a circumference of about one hundred kilometers. At least one hundred battle-worthy divisions would normally have been required to occupy it, whereas the Commander of the Defense Area had at his disposal as infantry only 60,000 Volkssturm troops, one third of whom were unarmed and two-thirds poorly armed. In addition there were between twenty and thirty artillery batteries and the city's permanent antiaircraft units.

3. Manpower and Means Available for Construction.

Engineer forces subordinate to the Commander of the Defense Area were commanded by Colonel Lobeck. Engineer officers and engineer detachments were assigned to the sector commanders to supervise the construction workers and carry out demolition measures. Since only one construction engineer battalion was available, General Reymann ordered two engineer battalions to be organized from Volkssturm troops trained for that purpose.

The construction manpower on hand consisted of some units of the Todt Organization and the Labor Service, the Volkssturm, and the civilian population. The total number of persons working on the positions amounted at the most to 70,000 on any one day. While that number seems small considering that Berlin contained over three million inhabitants, it must be remembered that until the very last the countless factories and workshops in and around the city were still working day and night.

II. THE INDIVIDUAL POSITIONS

l. Outpost Area and Forward Defense Position. Building the obstacle ring consisted merely in erecting road blocks at suitable points, mostly in inhabited localities. In conjunction with these, foxholes were dug as protection against tanks. Each road block was guarded by a security detachment of from thirty to forty Volkssturm men armed with infantry and antitank weapons.

Few of the outpost area installations had any practical value. From the beginning the weak Volkssturm units were without heavy weapons, means of reconnaissance, and common leadership. They even lacked contact with one another. Only in exceptional instances did they delay the approach of the Russians for even a few hours. In most cases there was probably no defensive action at all, especially since the obstacles could usually be by-passed.

The forward defense position was inherently strong, since it took advantage of a favorable sector of terrain. The constructed defenses, however, were only those found in an ordinary field position. Luftwaffe personnel who had been made available in large numbers by Goering at the beginning of April, but who were unarmed and untrained in ground warfare, were assigned to hold this position, supplemented by Volkssturm troops.

The following excerpts from reports by men who took part in the fighting illustrate the condition of Berlin's defenses at the time contact was first made with the advancing enemy. Each report describes a company or battalion sector in one of the city's four quarters.

Volkssturm platoon:

Preparations for defense of the Teltow Canal included the construction of works along the northern bank and the organization of a bridge demolition team. A fire trench was laid out at a varying distance from the canal and machine gun emplacements were established 500-600 meters apart. Each emplacement was connected with a protected shelter by means of a communications trench.

The trenches led partly through marshy terrain and interfered greatly with troop movements. A machine gun emplacement, protected with cement slabs, was constructed on the grounds of an asbestos factory. There were no artillery emplacements to the rear, although two antiaircraft guns
had been brought into position. A rocket projector had also been set up.

The only complete unit which figured in this sector was the Klein-Machnow Volkssturm Company, which was joined by a few stragglers from the Wehrmacht. The platoon was armed with only one machine gun, of Czech manufacture, which went out of action after being fired only once. In addition, there were rifles of various foreign makes, including even some Italian Balilla rifles.

Of further interest is the fact, mentioned later in the report, that on the evening after the first encounter with the enemy the platoon adjacent to that of the writer went back to its quarters for the night and reappeared the next morning. Since the Russians attacked weakly here, the Volkssturm troops were able to hold this sector for two days.

b. Sector east of Friedrichshagen (Mueggelsee); report of Master Sergeant Guempe1, fortifications construction superintendent:

Sergeant Guempel and ten men from the cadre of the replacement battalion of the Gruenheide administrative unit were responsible after the middle of February for directing the construction of fortifications east of Friedrichshagen and to the north of the Mueggelsee, a sector about three kilometers in width. Manpower was recruited from the Friedrichshagen population and from workers in the local factories.

It had been planned to occupy the position with a force of 250 men, comprising elements of the replacement battalion and Volkssturm troops. With the approach of the Russians, the force holding the position disintegrated and the position was left virtually unmanned. Only the battalion commander and about twenty-five men offered resistance. The defenders were overcome, after which Sergeant Guempel and his group tried to collect stragglers.

d. Gatow sector; report of Major Komorowski, commander of a composite battalion:

The battalion, as part of a regiment, defended a section of the first position, located along the western perimeter of the Gatow Airfield, which was to be protected against attack from the west. If the first position were lost, the troops were to cross the Wannsee in boats lying in readiness in
order to occupy the second position along the east bank of the lake.

The position consisted of a well-built, continuous trench. The battalion was composed of construction and Volkssturm troops, none of whom had had combat experience. They were armed with captured rifles and a few machine guns, and had only a limited supply of ammunition. The infantry was supported by an 88-mm antiaircraft gun battery and a heavy infantry gun platoon, although the latter unit had never fired its weapons. Support was also received from the garrison of the Zoo Flak Tower. On the evening of the first day of battle all the Volkssturm troops deserted, and the gap was filled only by recruiting stragglers. In two days of fighting all the defenders were either killed or captured.

3. Position Along the Town Circuit Railroad and the Innermost Defenses.

These preparations are described in a report by a former Volkssturm battalion commander, Heinrich Bath:

The Volkssturm battalion, organized in Charlottenburg West, was to serve as a reserve for another Volkssturm battalion, which was drawn up along the city circuit railroad. Defense fortifications were to be built along the street behind the forward battalion. The reserve battalion had a strength of eight hundred men. Weapons and tools, especially entrenching tools, were lacking. Many of the men had no proper work clothes. The battalion was under the orders of Party District Headquarters I on Wittenbergplatz. At the same time, the battalion was also subordinate to a military sector headquarters. This situation often caused confusion in command.

First of all, fixed and movable tank obstacles were constructed. The three main thoroughfares in the battalion sector were provided with stationary concrete obstacles with movable middle sections to allow the passage of streetcars and other vehicles. The openings were closed after dark and were always strongly guarded. At night all traffic was suspended. Side streets were provided with stationary obstacles which completely blocked vehicle traffic and left only a narrow opening on one side for pedestrians. These obstacles - some twelve barricades, each three meters high - consisted of beams and steel girders rammed into the street bed and covered with heaps of rubble.

To cover the streets, machine-gun emplacements were set up on upper stories. Passageways were constructed from the cellars into the street as posts from which to attack tanks with Panzerfaeuste. Cellars were converted into shelters and connected with one another so that troop
movements could be carried out under cover. The roofs were also prepared for battle; sniper posts were set up and passages for access were devised.

As a result of the extensive construction work training was largely neglected, although lectures were given to bolster morale. Shortly before the battle the battalion received about a hundred rifles. During the fighting only about sixty men remained at their posts, the greater number having returned to their homes.

In Berlin some positions were stoutly defended, while others fell into Russian hands almost without a struggle.

V. SUMMARY

The entire build-up of defenses in Berlin was characterized by lack of specialized personnel and facilities of all kinds. Despite all efforts by the city's skilled commander, General Reymann, Berlin could only be provided with a number of field positions of moderate strength. These acquired real combat value only in the heart of the city, where more favorable conditions were offered by the blocks of rubble and devastated buildings.
The city's designation as a "fortified place" was pure fiction. The build-up of the defenses could not be adapted to a fighting force capable of effective defense, since no such force was available. Instead, preparations were carried out only with regard to the terrain features; no one asked whether the necessary defenders would be available at the critical moment. In many places the weak security troops of the Volkssturm put up no resistance at all. Even if they had shown the greatest courage, however, they would never have succeeded in their mission. On the whole, the positions had only a delaying effect, largely because their very existence caused the Russians to proceed slowly and cautiously. The resistance encountered by the Russians in Berlin from 23 April to 1 May was not based wholly on the prepared positions. To a large extent, the defenders, especially the LVI Panzer Corps, clung tenaciously to the numerous possibilities for defense offered by the rubble and ruins of the great city.

On 25 April, as the Russians were approaching the Hohenzollerndamm, the staff moved to the bunker on Bendlerstrasse. The Artillery Commander had established his command post in the flak control tower near the Zoo.

2. The Volkssturm. Numerically, the Volkssturm was by far the strongest component of the defense forces. Generalleutnant Reymann listed its strength at 92 battalions (60,000 men), of which about 30 battalions, according to his report, were moved into the forward defense position. Remnants of these forces may have been swept back into Berlin.

a. Formation and Organization.

The Volkssturm was set up in the fall of 1944 under Party auspices by the Reich Defense Commissioner, and was not a component part of the Army. Its mission was to protect rear areas against minor enemy infiltrations or break-throughs and against parachute troops, to serve as security forces for the manning of rear positions, and to engage in the building of fortifications. Originally Volkssturm troops were not to be committed at the front within the framework of the Army. Their mission could be compared to that of the British Home Guards.

Once the enemy had set foot on Reich territory, the emergency situation at the front made it necessary to utilize the Volkssturm in the front lines in ever increasing numbers, though it was by no means fit for such service. With front-line commitment, difficulties resulting from divided authority immediately arose. Undoubtedly the Volkssturm should have been organized as a component part of the Army, a plan for which Generaloberst Guderian had tried vainly to secure approval.

In Berlin the Volkssturm was divided into two categories, designated Volkssturm I and Volkssturm II; Volkssturm I had only a few weapons while Volkssturm II had none at all. Volkssturm II was intended as a manpower reserve for Volkssturm 1. The use of these forces in Berlin was planned so that Volkssturm I would occupy a forward position - for instance, along the city perimeter - while Volkssturm II would be close behind along a second position to serve as a security force and as a reserve for replacing casualties. This plan was actually followed in some sectors.

The Volkssturm was composed of men who could bear arms in emergency, but who were not physically fit for active duty. They ranged in age to sixty years and over, the majority being in upper age brackets. Among members of the Volkssturm were men who had had no service and veterans of World War I. These latter often distinguished themselves by their sense of duty. The Volkssturm was broken down into companies and battalions. Unit commanders were appointed by the Party; hence they were partly Party functionaries and partly reserve officers. In one instance a staff officer who had been dismissed by Hitler found himself a private under a commander who had never before held a military rank.

The Volkssturm was organized on a local basis; all the male inhabitants of a locality or section of a city were grouped in one battalion. When not actually fighting, the men pursued their normal occupation during the day, lived with their families, and took their meals at home.

The strength of the companies and battalions depended on the number of eligible inhabitants in each locality; in Berlin each battalion comprised between 600 and l,500 men.

b. Training.

Before being assigned to duty Volkssturm members received training on week-ends or in the evenings from about l700 to 1900 hours unless they were employed in building fortifications. Training was given in the use of rifles and machine guns, wherever such weapons were available. Only in a few isolated instances did any practice firing take place. The commanders received instruction and were familiarized with their local combat duties. Three-day courses in SA training camps were also offered. The degree or training varied greatly but was generally insufficient.

c. Equipment and Weapons.

Members of the Volkssturm wore civilian clothes with arm bands. Their weapons were as varied as they were inadequate. Troops of Volkssturm I were issued rifles, and to some extent also machine guns. These included many European models, among them Czech, Belgian, and Italian. A very few battalions were equipped with German rifles. The supply of ammunition amounted in many cases to five rounds per rifle; in some cases, however, the ammunition on hand did not fit any rifle. No heavy weapons and only a small number of Panzerfaeuste were available. Apart from the aforementioned thirty battalions, which were relatively well armed, the bulk of the Volkssturm was practically defenseless. None or the Volkssturm units were issued signal equipment.

Rations for the Volkssturm were provided by the population even during the fighting, but these were usually inadequate. The Volkssturm troops had no field kitchens or ration supply vehicles of their own, so that outside of their own home area they found themselves without rations.

d. Combat value.

Against the well equipped and battle-tried troops of the Red Army, the combat value of the battalions remaining in Berlin was almost nil, in spite of the will that was frequently present. This does not mean that detachments of Volkssturm men did not in many instances put up a gallant fight. When it came time for serious fighting, however, the bulk of the Volkssturm simply stayed at home. In some cases entire unarmed battalions were dismissed by clear-sighted military commanders. However, in places where the Russians attacked either feebly or not at all Volkssturm unites were able to occupy a sector or delay the enemy advance for some days.

6. Permanent Local Artillery Forces.

Among the battery commanders there were three paymaster officials, who were not even from the artillery, but had merely completed a short artillery course in which each had fired a gun once. The gun crews were made up of soldiers from all branches of the service, few of whom were artillerymen, and of members of the Volkssturm. There was no battalion or regimental staff.

9. The Hitler Youth. Besides participating in the fighting as flak auxiliaries and in small groups attached to the regular troops and the Volkssturm, the Hitler Youth were organized into their own battalions. Some battalions were combined to form the Axmann Brigade and were engaged in antitank operations east of the forward defense position. They were armed with rifles and Panzerfaeuste.

The total strength of the Hitler Youth in Berlin is not known. In the western part of the city some battalions were fighting under the Reich Youth Leader in the radio tower sector and near Pichelsdorf, where they held a bridgehead. Enthusiastic fighting spirit only partly made up for lack of weapons and training.

V. SUMMARY

1. Fighting Power

Numerically, a rough survey of all troops available after the encirclement of the city gives the following picture: The LVI Panzer Corps was equal to about two divisions, the Waffen SS forces to about half a division, and all other forces in the city to from two to three divisions, a total of about four to five divisions.

The city contained an estimated 60,000 soldiers and from fifty to sixty tanks.

The "other forces" estimated above as corresponding to between two and three divisions were largely splinter units of various types. Volkssturm companies, alert units, members of the Hitler Youth, parties of stragglers from the front, and SS units were to be found side by side and intermingled, without any over-all organization. A Latvian battalion in this category immediately went over to the enemy. The adjacent unit was often completely unknown and just as often unreliable. As a result the Russians repeatedly reached positions to the rear of valiantly fighting units.

There were no command communications channels. Messengers often took hours to proceed a few hundred meters through the rubble-strewn streets. There were no heavy weapons, and only here and there a single assault gun or antiaircraft installation. The procurement of ammunition and rations depended on chance and the ingenuity of the unit commander.

2. Fighting Spirit.

Toward the end of the battle the man who still held a weapon in his hand did so either from a sense of duty or with the courage of despair. A great many examples of heroic resistance were shown by troops of all types - regular army, SS, Volkssturm, Hitler Youth, and others.

SUPPLY

I. AMMUNITION

It is possible that in the depots there was no ammunition for the weapons of foreign make, which constituted the greater part of the armament of the Volkssturm and the permanent local artillery.

III. FOOD

One large Wehrmacht ration supply depot was located on the south bank of the Teltow Canal near Klein-Machnow, outside of the outer defense ring. No steps were taken to remove the supplies from this depot or to assure their quick distribution. On the contrary, even when the first Russian tank was only a few hundred meters away, the army official administering the depot refused to let rations be distributed to the Volkssturm troops on the north bank of the canal because a regulation issue certificate had not been filled out. At the last moment the supplies were set on fire, careful preparations for their destruction having been made well in advance.

MEASURES ON BEHALF OF THE CIVILIAN POPULATION

An evacuation of the population in anticipation of the defense and possible encirclement of the city was never considered. People were encouraged to stay where they were, since it would have been impossible to assemble everybody in a safe place. On the other hand, those who wished to leave of their own accord were free to do so, provided they were not bound by duties in offices or factories or with the Volkssturm. Thus the number of inhabitants at the time of the encirclement of the city may have totaled between 3 and 3.5 million.

Despite the preparations for the defense of Berlin, by 22 April the city was almost helpless against a powerful attack from the south, northeast or north. Along the approximately sixty kilometers of the city perimeter defense ring (not including the western front, which had not yet been attacked), and in the positions along the city circuit railroad, the lines were held almost solely by the Volkssturm and other units of low combat value. The government sector, of course, was still guarded by units of the SS.

END

Germanicus
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Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#774

Post by Germanicus » 24 Sep 2021, 10:41

Klaus Mammach
Der Volkssturm - Das Letzte Aufgebot 1944/45
Pahl-Rugenstein

Relevant Extracts.

Everywhere made in those days when the formation of the Volkssturm was announced, the formation of the units is making rapid progress. For example, the Gauleiter of South Hanover reported Braunschweig Hitler on October 20, that 50,000 men in 100 Volkssturm-Bataillones are recorded and the construction of another 100 Volkssturm-Bataillones is imminent. Two days later, the Gauleitung from Upper Silesia reported over 100 Volkssturm-Bataillones in formation; six Volkssturm-Bataillones have already been relocated to the "Upper Silesian Position" for security been. The Gauleiter of Danzig-West Prussia informed on 24. October the party chancellery had a combat strength of 432 companies 7344 Unterführer and 70474 men. Mid November there were about 90 Volkssturm-Batailloness in East Prussia. The smaller part of were barracked, the larger one was in positions. The second contingent had to build all-round fortifications. In total there were about 80,000 men under arms or spades, such as Gauleiter Erich Koch Bormann announced. In Thuringia were at the beginning of November 210,000 men in 320 Volkssturm-Bataillones recorded, in Franconia in December 146 Volkssturm-Bataillones have been formed.
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The Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Guderian, requested on October 8th the Gauleiter of East Prussia, Danzig-West Prussia, Wartheland,
Upper Silesia, Lower Silesia, Pomerania and Berlin-Brandenburg, 103 Volkssturm-Bataillones ready to serve them immediately as to be able to use security crews from positions. From Guderians showed what illusions high military officials were guided by request for infantry and machine gun battalions. However, there was no such structure at all in the Volkssturm. The formation of machine gun units had to be done from the start
fail due to a lack of weapons. According to a request from Guderian from mid-December 1944 z. B. in Lower and Upper Silesia 40 Volkssturm-Bataillones of the first contingent - only ones Equipped with Italian booty rifles - as a security crew in the Border position relocated, which was still being developed. Since it's in This position is essentially just a ditch, but no shelters there, the units had to be in barracks and in nearby towns be accommodated. In mid-January 1945 the Red Army this position very quickly.
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In his telex, Koch informed Bormann that the 1st company of the Volkssturm-Bataillon Angerapp connection no longer existed. The Volkssturm-Bataillon Schloßberg was from the Tannsee position, in which the Volkssturm-Bataillon Königsberg remained, pulled out and into the Rominte position and relocated to the Ebenrode-Gumbinnen road.
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One of the last efforts of the Nazi party in the wake of the total War deployment was at the end of March 1945 an attempt to get out of functionaries the NSDAP and its branches a "Freikorps, Adolf Hitler" to build. Each district initially had to provide 100 men. The task of the "Freikorps" was "special combat operations advanced enemy tank pack and destroy it'.
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Although the Volkssturm is already completely inadequately armed all battalions that were not yet ready for combat had to be commanded, but had weapons, theirs at the beginning of March were tohand over the carbine to the Wehrmacht, as it was dated June 1st, 1944 to 1. March 1945 a total of 3.5 million rifles on average lost, almost 400,000 per month had been lost.
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Volkssturm-Bataillon 16. im Gau München Oberbayern für Apri/1945
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As Reich plenipotentiary for the total war effort, Goebbels had suggested this measure to Hitler on January 26th in order to free "several divisions of men from the army, air force and navy" for the front. After Hitler's consent, Berger issued a corresponding order on the same day. In addition, Himller's staff leader didn't order much later, on February 18th, who barracked in the individual districts Volkssturm-Bataillones z. b. V. in the vicinity of prisoner of war camps to relocate in order to have 'a reserve of action there'. Should the case be of anti-fascist mass actions by prisoners of war can be used.
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In Küstrin, Frankfurt / Oder, Berlin and other cities to and from Volkssturm units had to be behind the German-Soviet front as in 1944. In addition, the Volkssturm had barriers to build. Himmler's chief of staff ordered on February 6th: "In every town, at every transport hub, at every bridge
barriers must be prepared and put in place. "Berger issued this order because the "situation on the Eastern Front" proved again "that the preparation and construction of barriers has not been carried out adequately. Bridges are undamaged fell intothe enemy hands.
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Two Soviet tanks appear with mounted infantry - according to the operational report of the leader of Volkssturm-Bataillon 36/69 - "considerable parts of the battalion panicked". A Volkssturmmann then shot down both tanks, but was hit by the back beam of his Panzerfaust were he was killed.
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The Volkssturm-Bataillon 36/35 with a strength of 206 men and next Rifles equipped with 75 Panzerfausten, already suffered after First fighting suffered great losses and was blown up during the retreat. Seven men came to Breslau via Oels, where another 14 Members of the battalion arrived. Before even reaching this, Volkssturm-Bataillon 36/39 was completely destroyed in the operational area. A Part could be re-recorded in Breslau. Soviet tanks attacked the Volkssturm-Bataillon 36/57. which consisted of 386 men, suffered considerable losses. On January 21, the 1st Company of Volkssturm-Bataillon 36/81, to which 561 men belonged, 72 rounds of rifle ammunition per man. After the fighting began on the same day, the Ammunition used up quickly. Some of the men deserted, one another was captured. The 2nd company was from overrun by Soviet troops.
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A member of the Volkssturm-Bataillon 36/19, which was released on January 21st from Ostrowo had marched to Adelnau, gave the following after his mission Characteristic description of the situation for other front sections as well: "On January 22nd, in the morning, the bridge was blown by pioneers. Russian attack from the south and east. Intense confusion. Attack by Russian tank and Polish insurgents with a white and red armband. Complete failure of their own weapons. Withdrawal as there is no Ammunition. Fire from the flanks. General dissolution. Above Schönfeld to Krotoschin. First security of the Wehrmacht there. Great mess in town. The companies find each other partly together again. On January 23rd to Koppelstädt. From there by train to Lissa on January 24th. Many Volkssturm Soldiers, including also the battalion leader cross, simply drove on towards Glogau '.
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About the catastrophic state of some of the district's battalions in Wartheland, which as real cannon fodder in the foremost line were sent, give the operational reports of their leaders from March Information desk. So discovered the 510 man, with 450 Italian Carbines, 27 captured Soviet machine guns and 240 Panzerfaust equipped Volkssturm-Bataillon 36/29 after it was in position that the machine gun ammunition handed over to him consisted of blank cartridges and the hand grenades, of which there were five had received boxes, had no detonators. The leader of the around 280 men in Volkssturm-Bataillon 36/45 reported "that A large number of arm and hand amputee at the Bataillon. Heart patients as well as men with all sorts of other ailments found. Most have no military training, so they do not understand military command. "A company member commented on his Volkssturm-Bataillon 36/167, which had a rifle and 30 bullets perman, decreed: "Most people showed negative attitudes against Volkssturm. .. 20% deserters. "
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That affected the 20 Volkssturm-Bataillones z. b. V., which set the Supreme Command on the march to Poznan in the second half of January.
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The other battalions had been stopped, unloaded and deployed as part of the Vistula Army Group commanded by Himmler: in the Frankfurt / Oder-Landsberg/Warthe-Küstrin area, the Volkssturm-Bataillon from Bayreuth, Franconia, Halle-Merseburg, Kurhessen, Mainfranken, Munich-Upper Bavaria, Upper Danube, East Hanover, Saxony and Thuringia; in the Stargard-Deutsch-Krone area the battalion from Hamburg, Hesse-Nassau, Magdeburg-Anhalt, Mecklenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, South Hanover-Braunschweig and Pomerania.
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Even these special units - the so-called elite of the Volksturm - were sometimes poorly trained, equipped and armed. One of their leaders, from Volkssturm-Bataillon 7/108 Franken, remarked in his combat report of February 15, that when he took over his function five days earlier, he was the Volkssturm men "in a very depressed and not very enthusiastic mood".
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Conclusions from the combat operations of the Volkssturm-Bataillones z.b.V. Himmler's Chief of Staff in his order of February 18, 1945, then once again made it clear what a low combat value even these Units owned. For the time being, it was said, one would be accordingly that Himmler ordered no further Volkssturm-Bataillones from within Germany sent to the German-Soviet front. Those, The Reichsführer SS intended those who were already there to be subdivided into the horse and supply services of divisions of the Wehrmacht. Unarmed or poorly armed Volkssturm-Bataillones should serve as construction departments. That was the opposite to the praises of propaganda the indirect admission of the failure of these units too.
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In Silesia there were the same phenomena as in the Oder-Warthe-Position: Wehrmacht units withdrew without informing subordinate Volkssturm-Bataillones about it, for example in Hindenburg. The Volkssturm-Bataillones were also very bad equipped and often not trained, so was the Volkssturm-Bataillon in Pless. "The men are at the approach of the first Russian tanks all ran away. In other places have turned Volkssturm-Bataillones have proven their worth again, provided they were previously used militarily appropriately trained and also politically and ideologically were aligned."
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The deployment was often done in a rushed manner. One of the Volkssturm-Bataillones in Opole, for example, there was no exploration at the end of January and Fuse sent to the front line. That's what he saw herself 2nd company of this battalion when they entered a village, suddenly surrounded by soldiers of the Red Army. In the following Skirmish went - as in a memory report of the former Kreisstabsführer was called - this company "except for a few men were lost ". Soon the entire battalion had to be reorganized. When it was used again together with Wehrmacht units, it got caught in a cauldron. It stayed after attempts to break out were lost.
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Took part in the defense of the city of Breslau, which had been declared a fortress about 15,000 men of the Volkssturm took part, those of SA-Obergruppenführer Herzog und Oberst Göllnitz combined in 38 Volkssturm-Bataillones.
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At the beginning of February there were 32 Volkssturm-Bataillones in the Gau Mark Brandenburg of the Volkssturm was subordinated to the Wehrmacht to participate in the Neisse, from Muskau via Forst and Guben to build a position on the Oder and then occupy it. In addition came some Volkssturm-Bataillones, which after fighting in further east had withdrawn here. At the same time with the the formation of the 32 Volkssturm-Bataillones were equipped with rifles of different origins.
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Young people from the age of fourteen were not only in the Volkssturm, but also sent into battle in special Hitler Youth units. A battalion of 700 Hitler Youths, that of the tank close combat brigade belonged to the Berlin HJ, sat down after three weeks Training on April 1, 1945 in March in Gotha. Another 2,000 young people from the brigade came as part of the 9th Army deployed in the Beeskow-Storkow-Strausberg area remaining 1500 on the outskirts of Berlin.
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200 Volkssturm-Bataillones of the Volkssturm should be next to around 80,000 Wehrmacht and 32,000 police members the "Reich capital" up to to defend "to the last round". The Nazi propagandists were looking to make them believe that it will only be a short time to hold out, then the relief army would be under General of the Panzer Force Walther Wenck in Berlin and the military situation fundamentally changed. "We stand and stop," announced the "Panzerbar" the "combat sheet for the defenders of Greater Berlin" on April 29, four days after the encirclement of the capital the Red Army and eight days after the liberation of the first Suburbs and outskirts. "The Führer is with us. But where he is, we are". The day before Hitler's suicide was said to be the motto of the day before Hitler's suicide.
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With regard to the deployment of the Volkssturm in the area of ​​the Army Group G ordered Berger on Himmler's orders and with consent the party chancellery on March 5, 1945 that the Gau Baden including of the units already subordinate to the 19th Army in total 30 Volkssturm-Bataillones of the first and second contingent deployed in combat on the Upper Rhine, in the Rhine plain, on the edge of the Black Forest and mobilizes at the Swiss border. For the Gau Wuerttemberg-Hohenzollem were a total of ten Volkssturm-Bataillones for them Black Forest ridge position and for the Gau Westmark except 14 Volkssturm-Bataillones. Another four Volkssturm-Bataillones already deployed are intended for the Westmark position. Berger demanded the completion notification of this order at the latest until March 25th.
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The Gauleiter, for example, was subordinate to the order in Baden on March 12th, the 19th Army another four Volkssturm-Bataillones, namely from Waldshut, Mannheim, Heidelberg and Donaueschingen, on March 15th, two Volkssturm-Bataillones from Konstanz and Kebl. Two Thirds of these Volkssturm-Bataillones received Italian and Belgian booty weapons, the rest of the German carbines.
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For the areas on the North Sea coast, the relevant ones decided Gaustabsführer and the Führungsstab Nordseeküste of the Wehrmacht on
March 13th regarding the construction and deployment of the Volkssturm:

,, I. The general situation in the field of armament leaves the formation of combat units on a larger scale not to. The main focus of the tasks of the Volkssturm must therefore be placed on the following areas:

a) Establishing the anti-tank organization and setting up the Anti-tank troops,

b) Establishment of the Volkssturm-Sperrverbände,

c) Volkssturrn-Baueinheiten from the units of the OT according to the proposal of the Hansa Task Force,

d) Setting up Volkssturrn units for special tasks (e.g. for Höh. SS and police leaders).
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The Volkssturm-Bataillones ordered to fight on the western front either mostly withdrew, dissolved, or surrendered when Western Allied forces attacked. In a circle Sinsheim (Baden) was when American troops were approaching the Volkssturm in the night from March 31st to April 1st the entrances ordered. When the Wehrmacht units withdrew, so did the Volkssturm on the evening of April 1st. At the the next day he was deputy on the border of the county area Kreisleiter dissolved.
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The high command of Army Group G had the Gauleiter on March 6th von Moselland informed that the Volkssturm-Bataillones of this Gaues "failed in the battle". "The Volkssturm-Bataillon 'Porta Nigra' is at the attack of the American on the city (Trier - K. M.) diverged in the majority. The Volkssturm-Bataillon Ruwer got drunk before using in the battle. This in List of the Volkssturm-Bataillon Wittlich is during the Lineup diverged. The party services are trying to to bring the Bataillon back together. "
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However, this could not prevent that after how not appeared in front of men. So occurred on January 7, 1945 only 55 men of the 2nd company of the 16th München Volkssturm-Bataillon stayed away from work without excuse, 16 had each other sorry. On January 21, there were only 52 who went to training came, 59 were absent without excuse. On duty in 5th Company of the Volkssturm-Bataillon 37/66, Bremen-Gröpelingen, were missing on February 4th 56 men; 21 of them had made an excuse to apologize let, 19 had stayed away unexcused, the rest ill.
Last edited by Germanicus on 25 Sep 2021, 02:29, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#775

Post by Germanicus » 24 Sep 2021, 11:09

New finds [Named Volksturm-Bataillones] from - Klaus Mammach - Der Volkssturm - Das Letzte Aufgebot 1944/45.

Volkssturm-Bataillon Donaueschingen
Volkssturm-Bataillon Kebl
Volkssturm-Bataillon Konstanz
Volkssturm-Bataillon Waldshut

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Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#776

Post by Germanicus » 24 Sep 2021, 11:51

New finds [Numbered Volksturm-Bataillones] from - Klaus Mammach - Der Volkssturm - Das Letzte Aufgebot 1944/45

Gau Mark Brandenburg

Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/4
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/5
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/6
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/7

Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/12
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/13
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/14
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/15
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/16
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/17
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/18

Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/20
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/21
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/22

Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/24
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/25

Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/30
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/31
Volkssturm-Bataillon 16/32
Last edited by Germanicus on 24 Sep 2021, 12:44, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#777

Post by Germanicus » 24 Sep 2021, 11:56

New finds [Numbered Volksturm-Bataillones] from - Klaus Mammach - Der Volkssturm - Das Letzte Aufgebot 1944/45

33 Reichsgau Süd-Hannover-Braunschweig

Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/101
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/102
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/103
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/104
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/105
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/106
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/107
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/108
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/109
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/110
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/111
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/112
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/113
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/114
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/115
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/116
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/117
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/118
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/119
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/120
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/121
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/122
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/123
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/124
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/125
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/126
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/127
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/128
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/129
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/130
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/131
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/132
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/133
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/134
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/135
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/136
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/137
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/138
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/139
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/140
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/141
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/142
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/143
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/144
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/145
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/146
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/147
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/148
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/149
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/150
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/151
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/152
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/153
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/154
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/155
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/156
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/157
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/158
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/159
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/160
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/161
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/162
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/163
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/164
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/165
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/166
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/167
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/168
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/169
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/170
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/171
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/172
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/173
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/174
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/175
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/176
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/177
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/178
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/179

Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/181
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/182
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/183
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/184
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/185
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/186
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/187
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/188
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/189
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/190
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/191
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/192
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/193
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/194
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/195
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/196
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/197
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/198
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/199
Volkssturm-Bataillon 33/200

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Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#778

Post by Germanicus » 25 Sep 2021, 01:33

Der Deutsche Volkssturm 1944/45: Eine territoriale Miliz im Rahmen der Landesverteidigung - Hans Kissel

“Führungsstab Deutscher Volkssturm”

On the basis of the Führer Decree of 25 September, Reichsführer-SS Himmler, “in agreement with the Leader of the Party Chancellery, Reichsleiter
Bormann”, also nominated SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Gottlob Berger as Stabsführer des deutschen Volkssturms, “with
responsibility for the tasks, assigned in the first instance to me, of military organisation, training, armament, equipment, and combat deployment of the German Volkssturm”. To deal with this additional area of responsibility now assigned to him, Berger sets up a permanent working staff under an Army staff officer (later Generalmajor Kissel), which included a round dozen Army and Waffen-SS officers as specialist advisors. An Army Staff major was appointed as head of the organisation section. At no time did the strength of this working staff, including subordinate and clerical staff, ever exceed about 40 personnel. It was assigned the name (in actual fact, not entirely accurate) of “Führungsstab Deutscher Volkssturm” (Volkssturm Command Staff ), and a headquarters in Douglassstrasse, Berlin-Grünewald.

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While consideration was being given at the highest levels to the formation of the Volkssturm, and the first organisational measures were already being taken, elements of the Wehrmacht, which knew nothing of the Volkssturm project, were turning their attention to the current problem of reinforcing resistance forces on the soil of the German homeland. Thus, based on an instruction issued by the Wehrmacht Command Staff, the
Oberbefehlshaber West issued the following order on 30 September 1944:

“In every place on German soil which becomes involved in combat operations, all men capable of bearing arms, irrespective of their age, will be
subject to the command of the local military commander for the purpose of reinforcing the defensive forces. If it is not possible to provide them with Wehrmacht uniform, they will be provided with a yellow armband bearing the inscription ‘Deutsche Wehrmacht’ and a military pass.” Only if orders were given to evacuate the population of a district would the men capable of bearing arms not be retained. The formation of the
Volkssturm brought to an end all measures of this kind and superseded the orders issued by the Wehrmacht authorities.

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If, as is evident from the telegram sent by Bormann to his representative Friedrich on 1 October, 1944 and later comments, we take into account
the many difficulties which mounted up from the outset, then it is amazing that by the second half of October, all Gaue were able to report positively on the state of preparation of their Volkssturm forces.

For example, as early as 18 October, in Königsberg, many thousands of Volkssturm men had turned up to Himmler’s speech and in response to the
“First Appeal”, and as early as 20 October, seven East Prussian Volkssturm battalions were fighting at the front, with their combat readiness being
mentioned “in glowing terms” by the 170th Infantry Division. On 20 October, in Upper Silesia, some 60 Volkssturm battalions were in the process of being formed. In Danzig-West Prussia, on 24 October, “432 companies with 7,344 NCOs and 70,474 other ranks” had been called up to registration parades.

East Prussia

On 20 October, seven East Prussian Volkssturm battalions were in action at the front. One month later, on 21 November, according to a report made by the East Prussian Volkssturm command, “almost 90 combat ready battalions with 80,000 men were standing under arms, or rather, under spades.”
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With regard to the overall number of German men born between 1884 and 1928 who became liable for service in the Volkssturm, it has already
been mentioned that in 1944 alone there were over 5 million men with dates of birth between 1895 and 1925 who were registered as exempt from military service.

The following figures give more indications. On 30 September 1944 there were, not taking into account women and foreign workers, a total of 13.5 million German men registered as civilian workers. One “Statement of Weapons Requirements” prepared by the Chief of Staff in the office of
the Reichsführer-SS on 30 November 1944 and available among the documents, estimates, on the basis of the reports made by the Gaue and an extremely careful enquiry into the number of men potentially available in the various age groups, that around 6 million men were available for service in the Volkssturm. Of these 6 million men, 4 million were in the first and second levies, from which no fewer than 6,710
Volkssturm battalions could have been formed. And one final figure: in the city of Stuttgart, more than 35,000 men were registered as liable for service in the Volkssturm.
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Dated 27 September and 12 October respectively, did not envisage any plans for combining several Volkssturm battalions
under more senior Volkssturm command staffs either during the formation and training of the units or when units were deployed in combat.

Gauleiters were responsible for dealing with all questions relating to the formation and leadership of the Volkssturm, “even if they had to carry out the appropriate tasks in person”, and the second schedule of instructions for implementation specified that the Kreisleiter similarly had to
appoint assistants who were designated as Gau-Stabsführer (Chief of Staff, Gau) and Kreis-Stabsführer (Chief of Staff, Kreis).

Gauleiters and Kreisleiters were personally responsible for the selection of suitable battalion, company, platoon and section commanders.
The Gauleiter was responsible for appointing the battalion commanders, the Kreisleiter was responsible for appointing the company commanders, the battalion commander was responsible for appointing the platoon commanders, and the company commander was responsible for appointing
the section commanders. All appointments were to be regarded as ‘temporary’ until properly approved.

All commanders in the Volkssturm were to be selected on the basis that they were “reliable and steadfast National Socialists, who,
if at all possible, had gained military experience in frontline actions in the present war”, and had proved themselves in a position of command.

The distinct emphasis on the ‘committed’ and ‘reliable’ National Socialist indicates the increasing mistrust the Party leaders had of the soldiers of the Wehrmacht. This had the consequence that initially it was often inexperienced young party functionaries who were placed in command positions within the Volkssturm, while older NCOs and officers with greater combat experience – up to the rank of Oberst and even of General – had to enlist in the ranks as ordinary Volkssturmänner. The problems which inevitably resulted from this procedure, however, soon made it necessary to make the principal criterion for selecting Volkssturm commanders their military suitability for the post. Even Reichsleiter Bormann, who was certainly by no means inclined to be kindly disposed to the Wehrmacht, and even if it was only in mid-February 1945, felt obliged to send a telegram
to his Gauleiters, in which he stated that the prime consideration for selecting all unit commanders and the Kreisstabsfuhrer of the German Volkssturm was evidence that they possessed “the necessary military knowledge, and, if at all possible, frontline combat experience
in the present war, but in any event that they have proved and distinguished themselves as military commanders in one of the two World Wars ... They are then to be selected, without taking any account of any position they may hold in the Party, within the State or within the economy,
solely on the basis of their military suitability”.
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it was originally only intended to form Volkssturm (infantry) battalions, because the most urgent need seemed to be to reinforce the infantry strength of the Army in the field. For this reason, the organisation of the normal Volkssturm Battalion with staff, signals and pioneer sections, medical and dispatch rider sections, three companies of infantry and one heavy weapons company largely resembled the organisation of an Army infantry battalion.

There were Volkssturm battalions with only two, and some with four, rifle companies and also companies with three and four platoons, the platoons
consisting of three or four sections. The sections had an average strength of one Gruppenführer and nine men.

Units of the Volkssturm were assigned numbers in Arabic numerals corresponding to the appropriate Party identification number for the individual Gau (see Appendix VIII), the battalion number and the company number. Battalions were then sequentially numbered within each Gau and the
companies within each battalion
. The two or three figures were written together and separated by diagonal slashes. For example, the numerals 21/43/1 designated the first company of Volkssturm Battalion No. 43 of the Gau of Lower Silesia.

On documents, the designation of battalions and companies was shown at the top left-hand corner under the heading ‘Deutscher Volkssturm’, e.g.:
Deutscher Volkssturm 2/31/2 [Volkssturm Battalion - Gau 2, Batallion 31, Company 2]
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It very soon proved to be necessary to provide lorry companies for transport purposes for the Stabsführer in the office of the Reichsführer-SS, for the
Gaue and also for the Kreise.

Thus, as early as 14 October 1944, the Stabsführer in the office of the Reichsführer-SS ordered the formation of motorised Volkssturm transport
squadrons within the respective Gaue, together with the repair and maintenance services required to support them. Generally the leaders of the
motorised groups of the NSKK within the individual Gaue were responsible for the formation and organisation of these motorised transport squadrons.

The number and the strength of the transport sections depended on local circumstances.

Each Volkssturm Battalion formed a dispatch rider section within , consisting of one leader and four men.

The medical service within the Volkssturm was regulated by the Party Chancellery Directive 393/44 issued on 9 November 1944 in agreement with the Reichsfuhrer-SS. Its tasks included carrying out medical examinations on enlistment and the general medical care of the Volkssturmsoldaten,
and also the management and deployment of medical personnel, medical materials and ambulance transport.

The German Red Cross was responsible for providing the equipment for the medical services within the German Volkssturm.

The Wehrmacht was to supply any additional materials etc which could not be provided from within the stocks of the German Red Cross or of the Party.

Medical Officer : This officer, or a local doctor appointed for the purpose, was responsible for providing the medical service. At least one ranking medical officer was to be assigned to every battalion and If possible every company.

The Volkssturm had no medical services of its own within the lines of communications.

Medical officers had to use the arrangements provided by the German Red Cross, the Volkssturm transport squadrons and, in actual combat situations, the transport services of the Wehrmacht.

All personnel serving in the medical services of the Volkssturm had to wear the Red Cross armband on their upper left arm.

Members of the general emergency services often formed the pioneer detachments of Volkssturm battalions.

There were also no longer any field kitchens to supply the Volkssturm battalions. Therefore the units called up in support of the Wehrmacht had to make do with makeshift boilers mounted on agricultural vehicles or with locally-based cooking facilities behind the front lines. Instead of normal military baggage train vehicles, which of course were also no longer being delivered, vehicles and horses were commandeered from the
agricultural sector of the economy to serve the needs of the Volkssturm.
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By far the largest number of all men liable for service in the Volkssturm belonged to the second levy. Volkssturm battalions from the second levy
could only be deployed in combat if the enemy was actually standing ‘at the gates’, and therefore could only be deployed on a local basis. Generally, deployment on a local basis meant deployment within an individual district or Kreis.

The negotiations with the many civilian authorities lasted from the beginning of November 1944 until the beginning of March 1945. It was therefore not possible before the war ended to enlist all those liable for service in the Volkssturm into formations formed within the framework of the first and second levies.

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The Third Levy

The senior command of the Volkssturm had not contemplated deploying any units of the Hitler Youth in actual combat. Even Directive 36/45, issued by the Party Chancellery as late as 7 March 1945, stated that men with dates of birth in 1928 and earlier and serving in the Volkssturm were not to be deployed in combat situations, even on a voluntary basis. The only exceptions to this were ‘special missions’ which the Führer himself had ordered.

Thus, when, in the inferno of the last weeks of the war, units of the Hitler Youth came to be used in combat, it must have been on the basis of such ‘special missions’, or have been as the result of measures agreed in situations of extreme urgency between subordinate authorities of the Wehrmacht and the Party.

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The Fourth Levy

The fourth levy of the German Volkssturm included all those men liable for service with the Volkssturm who were not fit for armed combat, but could still be used for guard and security duties. In cases where there was doubt about the degree of fitness of men liable for service in the
Volkssturm, doctors appointed by the Kreisleiters had to decide – without taking any account of other medical evidence.

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On 12 January 1945 the large-scale Soviet attacks began and on 14 January the entire Volkssturm within Eastern Germany was called up for deployment alongside the Wehrmacht on the request of the Army Chief of General Staff, the relatively few German weapons which were actually in the hands of the Volkssturm were distributed throughout all 42 Gaue within the Reich and the General Government of Poland.

The result of this was that the majority of the countless Volkssturm battalions which had been called up for service had to go into action armed with
weapons from captured stocks which were already available to the Gauleiters or which had been assigned expressly for this purpose by Stab Ib of the
Allgemeine Heeresamt. Overall, the stocks of ammunition for these weapons were so small, that often only 10 rounds per rifle could be issued. These captured foreign weapons mostly consisted of Italian carbines which were difficult to use in the field, and for which, in any event, there was little ammunition available. The original plan to adapt the available 800,000 Italian carbines to take standard cartridges had to be abandoned.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Local defence against surprise breakthroughs by enemy point units.

The precondition for such cases was the availability of units which were ready for action and able to respond quickly to emergencies. If the
localities under threat were occupied by combat troops of the Wehrmacht and particularly of the Army, the local units of the Volkssturm were placed under the command of the military combat commander. In places where there were no regular troops holding positions, combat by the local units of the Volkssturm was to be carried out independently under their own commander. The concept of combat troops thus included any unit of troops
which was organised for combat, irrespective as to whether this belonged to the Wehrmacht forces in the field or the Reserve forces of the Wehrmacht.

Securing anti-tank blockades.

On the basis of a Führer Decree issued at the end of September 1944, “the approaches to all localities west of the Rhine were to be provided with antitank blockades by military units or by appeals to the local population”. Later, such barricades were also set up in Eastern Germany and east of
the Rhine. The local Volkssturm was called up to secure these blockades.

Construction and entrenching work.

Large numbers of Volkssturm units were drafted in to develop and maintain the border positions and other positions behind the lines in the East
and in the West. Volkssturm battalions for whom there were no weapons available worked as construction battalions assisting in the defence of
countless fortresses in the East. As examples of this, it is only necessary to mention Königsberg and Breslau.
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The Werwolf Organisation.

This organisation was entirely composed of volunteers and had no connection whatever with the Volkssturm, a fact which is confirmed by the report on the Werwolf organisation made by the Institute for Contemporary History in 1956.

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Border areas of Silesia

The Soviet advance on the Vistula bridgeheads in mid-December 1944 caused Generaloberst Guderian, the chief of the Army General Staff, to request the Volkssturm as a security garrison for the border positions in Lower and Upper Silesia.

The “deployment exercise” of the few Volkssturm battalions which had been manning the positions on the initiative of the appropriate Gauleiters since the end of October now became transformed into deployment in support of the Wehrmacht (Wehrmachteinsatz). The security garrison of these
positions was reinforced to the strength of about 40 battalions, mainly from the first levy, which came from all political districts in both parts of Silesia. As before, the battalions were to be relieved by other battalions in a three to four-week rotation system in which weapons and equipment
were to be handed over.

Although these Volkssturm battalions were deployed in support of the Wehrmacht, and were under the command of senior officers of the Army who
had been installed as sector and sub-sector commanders, it had not been possible to organise supply arrangements for them, because none were available. The responsibility for supplying the battalions with food therefore largely fell to the Party. It also proved difficult to exercise tactical command, because the Army’s sector commanders had neither fully operational staffs nor sufficient command resources.

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Volkssturm battalions from the first and second levy were available for service with the Wehrmacht. The battalions of the first levy could be deployed over a wider area than their immediate home locality, which generally meant that they could be deployed anywhere within their
respective Gaue. The battalions of the second levy, because of the importance for the war effort of the civilian work carried out by their members, could only be provided in circumstances of the highest emergency and could generally only be deployed within their home district.
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At least eight combat battalions and many construction battalions of the Volkssturm with around 10,000 Volkssturmsoldaten took part in
the defence of the fortress of Königsberg. The commander of the Königsberg Volkssturm was the Kreisleiter and Leutnant der Reserve Wag.
Last edited by Germanicus on 25 Sep 2021, 05:27, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#779

Post by Germanicus » 25 Sep 2021, 02:09

How many Volkssturm-Bataillones actually saw combat?

The number of units listed by German Red Cross search categories for the missing in the Gaue from Western and Central Germany pales into insignificance besides the battalions mobilised and sent into action in support of the Wehrmacht in the East.

To state the overall number of Volkssturmsoldaten who were killed is not possible, because it is also not known to the ‘German Authority for the Notification of Relatives of Men Killed in the Former German Wehrmacht’ in Berlin-Wittenau, and this authority is also not in a position to make any appropriate estimates.

The number of members of the Volkssturm who were killed is also not known to the German Red Cross.

Therefore the attempt must be made to gain a certain overview from the following information.

In the offices of the ‘German Authority’ in Berlin-Wittenau there is a Volkssturm card index which was created as a result of search requests from relatives and other authorities, and which contains approximately 175,000 index cards.

Within this overall number it is estimated that there are 5,000 clear reports of deaths, which come in the first instance in the West from the
International Red Cross in Geneva and from the War Graves lists of the war graves administrative authorities.

The search lists for the missing at the German Red Cross contain a total of 29,687 names of members of the Volkssturm, 11,182 of them with
photographs, who are still registered as missing. But this number of the missing may be far too low, because it must be assumed that the relatives
of many former members of the Volkssturm who were living in the Soviet occupied zone and in Austria have not submitted any requests for searches. Also, there are no requests for searches on the part of relatives of missing men whose place of residence was east of the Oder-Neisse line.


In addition, those Volkssturmsoldaten who were members of Wehrmacht units are not recorded in the Volkssturm registers for the missing, but in
the corresponding registers for the Wehrmacht.

According to the registers of the missing, the 29,687 missing members of the Volkssturm belonged to about 700 different Volkssturm battalions which are designated by their battalion numbers or by the names of their commanders. But because missing members of the Volkssturm are
also recorded under the Volkssturm designation of their home Kreis -without any Battalion details – and also because details of the men recorded
as missing in the ‘fortresses’ of Königsberg and Breslau are not shown within the context of their battalions, the overall number of
Volkssturm battalions which were in contact with the enemy and suffered casualties is likely to be higher than 700
.

Certainly, many battalions which are indicated by their battalion numbers or by the names of their officers had only a few members or
occasionally only one single member missing.

The following individual details may be of interest: as a result of the fighting around Königsberg there are still 2,400 Volkssturmsoldaten registered as missing, and from the fighting around Breslau 1,894 Volkssturm members are registered as missing. From Kurhessen Volkssturm-
Battalion 13/17, which saw action on the Oder, and from Volkssturm Battalion 36/161 (Warthbrücken), respectively 256 and 115 members of the battalions are registered as missing.

Der Deutsche Volkssturm 1944/45: Eine territoriale Miliz im Rahmen der Landesverteidigung - Hans Kissel

Germanicus
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Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 14:26
Location: Shell Cove NSW Australia

Re: An extensive list of Volkssturm-Bataillons?

#780

Post by Germanicus » 25 Sep 2021, 02:27

New find

Volkssturm-Battalion Spielschen [Reichsgau Ostpreußen}

Der Deutsche Volkssturm 1944/45: Eine territoriale Miliz im Rahmen der Landesverteidigung - Hans Kissel

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