Feldgrau.net

Hello, and thank you for allowing me to join this forum!

I have heard several times that if a German soldier was caught raping a girl in an occupied country, he would be court marshalled and shot. I have also heard that this was standard Wehrmacht policy, and I've even heard that rape was something Hitler specifically forbade on penalty of death.

I tried googling it, but all I could find were many completely unrelated articles and the occasional mention of it in some forum.

I'm also interested in what the orders were on spoils of war. Were the soldiers aloud to rob stores for food? What about private homes?
What about general stealing of clothes, cigarettes, wine, liquor and other luxury items?
If there are any orders about such things, who gave them? The wehrmacht generals or did they come directly from Hitler?

I hope someone can help me answer these questions! I don't expect a full answer (though it would be convenient and nice ), but links to some relevant articles would be very welcome.
I would prefer internet links and internet sources, as reading a book, for instance, isn't really something I have the time to do at the moment.

Thank you for reading my post.

It all depends.
Western or eastern front, commanders, units, year of war.
What i know from my grandpa, one day soldiers could do what they want: enter to house, take food, or sleep, without asking for any permition. Other days they have to behave good.
Rapes were absolutelly forbiden. By nazi law, sexual contacts with other races (slavic were for nazi different race) was a crime. Not only for military personel but for all German citizens. It was very strict in Germany but on Russian front was different.
It's funny but sexual contact with Italians or Hungarians wasn't forbiden.
About assasinations: all civilians killed by soldiers were reported as partisans. No matter if it was true or not.

I recommend the book "The Wehrmacht - History, Myth, Reality" by Wolfram Wette. (German title "Die Wehrmacht - Feindbilder, Vernichtungskrieg, Legenden") This book looks at the role of the Wehrmacht and its members in the racial and ideological policies of the Third Reich. It covers a broad amount of territory looking at how German soldiers administered the Reich's war in the east.

Like ALL crimes under military law - rape was a military offence and soldiers could be tried by court martial for it....with the MAXIMUM pemalty of course being death. There are two relatively well-publicised incidences of this in Ocupied Paris, where allegations of rape were made and the Wehrmacht soldiers involved being court martialed. They weren't shot, but were IIRC stiffly punished.

Of course....the incidence of cases like this coming to court martial varied along with the degree to which the Germans wanted their Occupation in various nations to be seen as law-abiding Occupied France, Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Norway etc. might see a different treatment of comlaints against the Wehrmacht under law than, say, Poland or Russia...

Check out this book: Deutsche Soldaten: Mörder oder Helden? It contains a lot of orders which indeed forbade raping, plundering, etc. Interesting though because of the copies of the orginal orders which were given when Russia was attacked ('No plundering! Thiefs will be hanged!', etc.) or how German soldiers had to act friendly in occupied countries. It was written as a reaction on the Wehrmacht exhibition in Germany, which showed WM-personel shooting jews and burning down villages. Nothing about the Commissar-order on the Eastern Front, or any other criminal act of the WM.

Thank you for answering!

I'm still curious to whether these strict orders came from the generals of the Wehrmacht or from Nazi HQ, or if they were just plain old, leftover Prussian rules and regulations.

W-P, in Occupied countries it would most probably come from the particular Army HQ locally responsible for occupying forces in that country - and filter down on a per-unit basis. It's been years now since I read the list of directions for occupation troops in France as part of that rape case - but IIRC it came from Army HQ in Paris.

Excellent! Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to respond to my questions.

Lexiebabe: Thanks for the reference to the book "Deutsche Soldaten - Mörder oder Helden". I'm definitely going to get a copy.

To be frank, the German Wehrmacht was so large, it's impossible to state that it, as a whole, was guilty. There's no arguing the German regime was criminal in nature as were specific organizations. And there's also no argument that Wehrmacht units were involved in activities in contravention to the laws of war. But there is just too much evidence that units, commanders and soldiers acted under what they honestly believed were the rules of conduct to easily dismiss. (Unless one's preconceived ideas won't allow it.)

But there is just too much evidence that units, commanders and soldiers acted under what they honestly believed were the rules of conduct to easily dismiss. (Unless one's preconceived ideas won't allow it.)

Here's an example of exactly that...tho' a bit long-winded! http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... t=Kastelli