In films, books, comics, games etc. A German soldier who has made a bad mistake is often threatened with being transfered to the Ostfront.
Did this ever happen, or is it pure fiction?
Transfered to the Eastern front?
Moderator: Commissar D, the Evil
Yes freqauntly 
although i'm sure it was more often used as an idle threat really. as the war dragged on and man power in the east became more and more scarce, it was often put into practice. especially for the more recalcitrant among the heer and SS.
all in all though it would be an altogether bad day out to get your eastern front ticket at any stage of the war.
although i'm sure it was more often used as an idle threat really. as the war dragged on and man power in the east became more and more scarce, it was often put into practice. especially for the more recalcitrant among the heer and SS.
all in all though it would be an altogether bad day out to get your eastern front ticket at any stage of the war.
Will
"Where The German Soldier Sets Foot, There He Remains"
Adolf Hitler-27 September 1942
"Where The German Soldier Sets Foot, There He Remains"
Adolf Hitler-27 September 1942
As 80% of the Heer was fighting at the Ostfront, the vast majority of German soldiers could never have been confronted with such a threat.
"Das Attentat muß erfolgen, Coute que Coute. Denn es kommt nicht mehr auf den praktischen Zweck an, sondern darauf, daß die deutsche Widerstandsbewegung vor der Welt und vor der Geschichte den entscheidenden Wurf gewagt hat."
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sid guttridge
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Hi Guys,
I imagine that the threat was probably applicable to rear area personnel. From 1942 onwards the Army repeatedly "combed out" under utilised rear area Ersatzheer personnel to find replacements for the Feldheer at the front. As has been pointed out by Stefan, the vast majority of the army was on the Eastern Front and that was where the manpower drain was most serious, so a threat to send someone to the "front" essentially meant "Eastern Front", even if the word "Eastern" was never used.
Units in the West were routinely rotated through the Eastern Front before D-Day, so the threat had less significance there.
Cheers,
Sid.
I imagine that the threat was probably applicable to rear area personnel. From 1942 onwards the Army repeatedly "combed out" under utilised rear area Ersatzheer personnel to find replacements for the Feldheer at the front. As has been pointed out by Stefan, the vast majority of the army was on the Eastern Front and that was where the manpower drain was most serious, so a threat to send someone to the "front" essentially meant "Eastern Front", even if the word "Eastern" was never used.
Units in the West were routinely rotated through the Eastern Front before D-Day, so the threat had less significance there.
Cheers,
Sid.
Actually, they could - not even the Feldheer alone had 80% of its personnel on the Eastern Front, and the majority of Wehrmacht personnel, all included, were in fact elsewhere, at almost any given point I should think. For instance, in June 44 the LW and the KM combined had more men than the Ostheer, and the Training Army almost as many.As 80% of the Heer was fighting at the Ostfront, the vast majority of German soldiers could never have been confronted with such a threat.
cheers