Osprey Warrior 110 : Hitler's Home Guard : Volkssturmmann : Western Front 1944-1945

The creation of the Volkssturm on October 18, 1944 was a desperate measure by the Nazi government. All able-bodied males between the ages of 16 and 60 who were not already members of the German Armed Forces were conscripted into one organization. Poor equipment, lack of training and low morale took their toll on these men, who were unused to fighting and had little interest in needlessly dying just to prolong the Nazi regime. David K. Yelton follows the experience of a Volkssturmmann from his call-to-arms through to his capture and treatment as a PoW, examining his reaction to the creation of the German Home Guard and his response to the fighting into which he was thrust. Text by David K. Yelton with illustrations by Seán Ó'Brógáin.

Contents

• Introduction
• Chronology
• "Ein Volk steht auf! The Creation of the German Volkssturm"
• Volkssturm Training
• Manning the Ramparts at the Westfalenwall
• To the Rhine
• The Test of Combat
• The PoW Cage
• Returning Home
• Collecting and Recollecting the Volkssturm
• Colour Plate Commentaries
• Glossary and Bibliography