Definitions of Volksdeutsch Class I, II, III and IV?

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sid guttridge
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Definitions of Volksdeutsch Class I, II, III and IV?

Post by sid guttridge »

During the war various people with differing levels of German background were classified into four classes: Volksdeutch I, II, III and IV.

What exactly were the criteria that defined these four classes?

Who made these definitions?

How many were there in each class?

Where did they live?

Did they automatically have Reich citizenship?

How did this effect their military obligations to the Wehrmacht?

Cheers,

Sid.
Stephen
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Post by Stephen »

The classifications of I, II, III, IV sounds like it could have something to do with the number of grandparents that were ethnic German. I have not come across this designation before, but that obviously doesn’t mean anything. What I have come across is the classifications of A, O, and W. These were according to one account I read what the VOMI (Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle) would classify the volk-deutsche when the naturalization process was completed and they were ready for resettlement .
A = Altreich-Fälle, old Reich, Austrian and pre-1939 Germany.
O = Ost-Fälle, were the cases from the east.
W = West-Fälle, these were resettlement people that went to the Lorraine, France. They were assigned land that was confiscated from enemies of the German state.
An interesting tidbit here is that before naturalization was completed a group reportedly called Durchschleusungskommission checked blood type of everyone older than 18 years of age. Tattoo’s of blood type were then placed on the upper left arm of these people.

One estimate was that there were well over 500k. This included those that came from Galicia, Volhynia, the Baltic areas and Polish Germans who were resettled in the fall of 1939.
The following group accounted for about 200k people, Besserabia, Northern Bukovina, in mid 1940 and Southern Bukovina and the Dobruja in the fall of 1940.

Depending on how interested you are, you might want to look up Prof. Valdis O. Lumans, he seems to have written a number of articles and a book on the Volkdeutsche Mittelstelle. I have not read anything from this person, other than I have come across his name before.

Steve
sid guttridge
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Post by sid guttridge »

Hi Stephen,

Interesting stuff. I am sure we are in the same general area. I have a suspicion that the four classes I outline may be a specifically military classification of the same people you are talking about. Certainly I have only seen it used in a military context.

Cheers,

Sid.
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Michi
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Volksliste.....

Post by Michi »

The official NS-term was Volksliste.

So you may find something


MfG Michi


PS: This term was also used to differ between
SS-Div & SS-Frw-Div & W-Div d. SS!!!
eierlegende Wollmilchsau
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Michi
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Here are the meanings od the four Volkslisten.....

Post by Michi »

First the VOLKSLISTE was used only for the Polish. (till 1941).
After 22nd June 1941 things have changed a little bit....


Volksliste 1:
Ethnic Germans, which were active in the cause FOR Germany, in the inter-war years (1918 - 1939)

Volksliste 2:
Persons, who declared themselves for the Germanic "Volkstum"(?english?)

Volksliste 3:
Persons, in occupied countries, who were certified of Germanic origin (even if they didn't know themself) AND / OR "Eindeutschungsfähigkeit"(~possibillity to Germanization)

Volksliste 4:
Polonisierte (polished) Germans, later racial worthy (active) enemies(?)(more likely opponents) of the III. Reich; (fighting for Germany to gain the "Wehrwürde")






MfG Michi
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carsten
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Re: Definitions of Volksdeutsch Class I, II, III and IV?

Post by carsten »

I know that this is 6 years old, but anyway, and it is understood that these only applied to persons who were not known to be either jewish or habitual criminals.

Liste I was, as was said, of ethnic germans who had set themselves in for the National Socialist cause.
Liste II was persons who were, more or less, full blooded, german speaking, german feeling germans, usually
who had been german before Versailles. They had not been particularly political but at least needed not to be known as strong anti-nazis.
The above two groups were considered "Reichsbuerger" and had full political rights, as far as anybody in the Third Reich
had any rights at all.
Liste III was generally persons of mixed ancestry who could speak german passably and who had not made nuisances of themselves vis a vis the germans. They could be someone with one german granny who had learned to speak german from her, or they could be someone with four ethnic german grandparents but who could barely speak german and had made career in the polish beaurocracy. They had the german citizenship, but not the "Reichsbuergerschaft". In practice, it didn't make a difference. They had differently colored ID cards, but everything else was the about the same.
All of the above groups were subject to the german draft/Wehrpflicht.
Liste IV was made up of persons who might be for all purposes poles, didn't necessarily need to speak german, maybe had a german great granny or had a german sounding family name. Jerczy Smitz combined with no criminal record would often have been enough. They became german citizens "bis auf wiederruf", until further notice. An ethnic pole married to an ethnic german woman was basically taken in since the Reich intended that his kids would be brought up as germans. Whether the parents wanted it or not. They were expected to learn german within 5 years, and if they became a nuisance, they could be made poles again. They did not have to do military duty in the german forces, but they could if they wanted. There was a lot of pressure put on them to do so, but no one actually forced them to. If they did, they were usually made germans permanently. They had yet another color ID, but as long as they could keep their german status, were otherwise treated as germans. At least officially. They could become, in theory, Alderman (Stadtrat), for instance, or even Buergermeister, but it didn't happen very often. There were more than enough germans who took being german seriously who wanted such plum jobs. Many, if not most of these people were more or less forced to let themselves be germanized. "Hey you, either sign on the line or get deported to the General Government with the other polacks." But some of them gladly signed up because being a german was much more advantageous. Join the master race or become a slave.

In theory the last two groups were expected have shared the "german" virtues of being clean and neat and keeping their homes up. It didn't do to show up unshaven and stinking to your naturalisation interview. However, the Third Reich was a dictatorship with lots of little dictators so many people made up the rules as they went along.
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