VOLKSTURM pictures of interest

Doktor Krollspell · Post by **Doktor Krollspell** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 12:45 pm

Hello!

I found this polish website (unfortunately I don't understand a word

) but it contains several good and interesting pictures on the Volksturm. For example older men in civilian clothes armed with nothing but Panzerschrecks...

http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/volksst.htm

Regards,

Krollspell

TheFerret · Post by **TheFerret** » Mon May 02, 2005 11:34 pm

Those were some old looking guys there. I guess the reich was pretty desperate in the closing days.

Tom Houlihan · Post by **Tom Houlihan** » Mon May 02, 2005 11:36 pm

A far cry from the "glory days," eh?

sid guttridge · Post by **sid guttridge** » Tue May 03, 2005 9:05 am

Hi Guys,

Those are particularly interesting photos because they appear to be of ethnic Germans from the Posen/Poznan region, which was in Poland over 1919-1939 and since 1945.

Cheers,

Sid.

Rosselsprung · Post by **Rosselsprung** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 9:25 am

Despite it was obviously a measure of desperation, if I was an allied tanker, I would be hesistant at entering a village defended by a few old men with Panzerschreks. As a military unit in prolonged combat, the Volksturm were clearly pathetic, but as one shot units that would kill a few allied soldiers, they could pull that off.

A few old men with Panzerschreks is still a rather dangerous adversary.

max painless · Post by **max painless** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 11:25 am

Also, many WWI vets, and people who in a militaristic society, probably always felt inadequate. Here's there chance, with additional atrocity based influences to fanatically motivate themselves. If I am not mistaken they caused alot Russian casualties in Berlin. I mean were talking about old men, invalids, etc. In the photo where they're lining up, I at first thought it was at a concentration camp, with inmates lining up. Very emaciated.

Alex Dekker · Post by **Alex Dekker** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 3:29 am

Most of the time the VS did not engaged in any fighting on the Eastern Front. The few times they did, those units were wiped out. Guderian (or Manstein) asked if the VS could be kept away from any of the fightings. The older man could not stop the Russians after a few hours of combartraining. A lot of men of the Volksstuirm ended up as guards of prisoners (indeed concentration kamps) or were abandond by the other troops of the Wehrmacht. Some were luckier and were added to Wehrmacht divisions and moved westwards. The socalled Volkssturm divisionen ended up in chaos all over.

Alex D.

Benoit Douville · Post by **Benoit Douville** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 9:12 pm

I wonder if there were some guys in the Volksturm who distinguished themselves by putting Soviet tanks out of combat with their Panzerfaust. Is there a list of the ones who received medals or they were really that bad?

Regards

Doktor Krollspell · Post by **Doktor Krollspell** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 12:29 am

Hello Benoit!

The most famous Volksturm-Battalionführer was Ernst Tiburzy who fought in Königsberg and recieved the Knight's Cross. For his story and picture go to the thread "Favorite Knight's Cross action page 3:

http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6404

There were some other Knight's Cross holders in the Volksturm, I will get back with some info on them...

Regards,

Krollspell

Benoit Douville · Post by **Benoit Douville** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 10:45 am

Krollspell,

I have never heard of Ernst Tiburzy before. The info is really appreciated and of course if you have more info concerning the Knight Cross holder in the Volksturm don't hesitated to post it.

Regards

Alex Dekker · Post by **Alex Dekker** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 12:03 pm

There's a great looking portait of him in German Auxiliary forces, from the man at arms serie. It's the man!

Doktor Krollspell · Post by **Doktor Krollspell** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 12:33 pm

Hello again Benoit!

Other RKT in the Volksturm were:

Wilhelm Sitt, RK 07.02.1945. "Führer eines Btls. d. Kölner Volksturmes u. Abschnittsleiter (ehrenamtl.) im Gau-Org. Amt der NSDAP-Gauleitnung Köln-Aachen." As a note, Sitt recieved his RK for having defused hundreds of unexploded bombs. Found dead in Köln 07.03.1945.

Otto Herzog, RK 15.04.1945. SA-Obergruppenführer, Fhr. d. Volksturm-Einheiten i. d. Festung Breslau u. Fhr. einer Kampfgruppe. Herzog committed suicide in Breslau 06.05.1945.

Karl Packebusch, RK 26.04.1945. Führer eines Volksturm-Btl. in Berlin-Wedding. No info when, or if he died.

Source for information/quotes: Veit Scherzer "Ritterkreuzträger 1939-1945" (2005). There is a great portrait photo of Wilhelm Sitt in the Osprey Men-at-Arms book "Wehrmacht Auxiliary Forces" that Alex recommended.

Regards,

Krollspell

Doktor Krollspell · Post by **Doktor Krollspell** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 12:54 pm

Another thing on Ernst Tiburzy. I remember seeing a video many years ago with the last official "Deutsche Wochenschau" newsreels from the winter and spring of 1945. When the fighting for Königsberg was featured, there was a interview/presentation kind of scene with Volksturm-Bataillonsführer Ernst Tiburzy with his newly awarded Knight's Cross and wearing a black eyepatch (it looked rather dramatic).

Hmm, I think I have to look for new copies... or in the best of worlds, DVD's!

Regards,

Krollspell

Alex Dekker · Post by **Alex Dekker** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:14 am

I wonder if there were some guys in the Volksturm who distinguished themselves by putting Soviet tanks out of combat with their Panzerfaust. Is there a list of the ones who received medals or they were really that bad?

They would have received the tankbadge, but there isn't a list (or lists) of people who received that badge.

xausa · Post by **xausa** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 2:41 am

While I do recognize the bravery of some of the volkssturm, I do think that the whole concept of forcing old men & school boys to act as cannon fodder was among the worst criminal acts that the nazi regime committed during it's tenure.

Feldgrau.net

VOLKSTURM pictures of interest

VOLKSTURM pictures of interest

Volksturm pictures