Pressed by advancing enemy armies on both fronts, Adolf Hitler
played his final card in World War II by mobilizing all German
civilian males between sixteen and sixty and indoctrinating them
for a final apocalyptic defense of the Reich. The Volkssturm,
created as much to boost national morale as to bolster sagging
defenses, has been viewed as a negligible factor in the war. David
Yelton counters that view with new insights into why the German
high command sought this means to prolong an unwinnable war-and why
so many civilians chose to fight to the bitter end.
"Hitler's Volkssturm" is the only book in English-and the most
comprehensive in any language-on the German militia, illuminating
its role and contributions to the Nazi war effort and shedding new
light on the last days of the Third Reich. It examines the
militia's strategic purpose, organization, training, and combat
performance on both war fronts and explores factors contributing to
its sporadic tactical successes and its overall failure.
Yelton reveals why the Nazi leadership chose to assemble such
last-ditch units rather than negotiating for peace and also why
civilians in these units were more than willing to serve. The
Volkssturm was, in fact, part of a broader, ideologically based
strategy intended to turn the tide of the war. Yelton tracks the
impact of this ideology on Nazi decision-making throughout the
war's final year and illustrates how ideological assumptions were
often a major reason for the failure of Nazi policies and
strategies.
In an unprecedented examination of the Volkssturm at the local
level, Yelton also shows the negative impact of national power
struggles and demonstrates how the Wehrmacht, industry, and public
opinion exerted influence on the militia in ways often contrary to
its official objectives. His extensive and insightful analysis
illuminates German mobilization priorities, reveals that a
substantial number of its commanders had experience in both the
military and the Nazi Party, and clarifies the impact of Volkssturm
mobilizations on the overall German war economy.
Pathbreaking in both scope and depth, "Hitler's Volkssturm"
stresses the factional lines and conflicting centers of power
within the Nazi bureaucracy, clarifies policy formulation and
implementation in the late Third Reich, and assesses the shifting
power relationships among various groups and individuals.
Ultimately, it gives us a more complete portrait of the Third Reich
during the final phase of a devastating war and conveys important
lessons about the use of militia forces in modern warfare.
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