If you were a 17 year old german in 1941

joefraser · Post by **joefraser** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:12 am

hi,
If you were a 17 year old in Germany in 1941 what service would you try for? Luftwaffe, kreigsmarine, wermacht or waffen s.s. Bear in mind, you know nothing at all about death camps or attrocities for this hypothetical question. Myself,I would try for the Luftwaffe. Then again, I would probably be turned down for being colour blind like the r.a.f did but that would be my choice. How about anyone else.
regards
Joefraser

M.H. · Post by **M.H.** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:38 am

Tanks!

Something with tanks!

ANYTHING with Tanks! (even just cleaning them....)

derGespenst · Post by **derGespenst** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:47 am

Most of the men in my family went to the Waffen SS, so I'd probably follow them.

TPMM · Post by **TPMM** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:58 am

Luftwaffe, of course. Especially Nachtjagdwaffe.

Best Wishes

Rajin Cajun · Post by **Rajin Cajun** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 2:27 pm

Wehrmacht or Waffen-SS its a family tradition to serve in the Infantry.

Doktor Krollspell · Post by **Doktor Krollspell** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 2:44 pm

Well, as my father's family lived (lives) in Graz, Steiermark in Austria (or to be correct à la 1941 - the Ostmark part of the Deutsches Reich), I would probably have ended up as a Gebirgsjäger in the 3. Gebirgs-Division. With the prospect (?) to spend the coming four years on the Eastern front... And with all certainty winning a wooden cross and maybe some Iron cross to go with it...

But I would proudly have worn the Edelweiss!

Regards,

Krollspell

M.H. · Post by **M.H.** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 2:53 pm

Rajin Cajun wrote:Wehrmacht or Waffen-SS its a family tradition to serve in the Infantry.

All my grand's were serving in the Wehrmacht Infantery...I could see myself as a puberting, rebelling youth stomping his feets and screaming:
"I WANT TO THE PANZERS!"

Luftman129 · Post by **Luftman129** » Fri Sep 08, 2006 3:57 pm

I'd probably be in the Luftwaffe since everyone in my family has been in some air-related industry be it airlines or, in the case of my grandfather, the USAAF.

Thanks,
Chris

Willhelm Gruber II · Post by **Willhelm Gruber II** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 8:01 pm

Heer Infatry/Panzer, another family tradition

Spinechicken · Post by **Spinechicken** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:26 pm

Wehrmacht - Artillery (family tradition again)

-SC

Paulus II · Post by **Paulus II** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 4:33 am

Ah, all these mighty warriors.
Whenever a warrior get's hurt he first screams for the medic and only when he has arrived will he start crying for his mum.

Nah, forget the above (which is quite tongue in cheeck of course!) but I would want to be in the medical corps, helping those in need is something I can't help doing.

Cheers,

Paul

M.H. · Post by **M.H.** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 4:52 am

Great decision Paulus!

...I would do so myself the moment I can imagine sawing limbs without any narcotics...

philippe_jehl · Post by **philippe_jehl** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 5:13 am

not sure what I would have done being a 17 year old during that time period. I think I would have wanted to be a volunteer for the Waffen SS but would have been concerned about how other in my Alsatian village would have seen me (collaborator or doing my duty). I do know that most males in my family served in either the German Army or Waffen SS (many more than would admit today in my village served in the Waffen SS including 3 of my Grand Father's nephews as well as his son in law).
At 17 I glorified being in the military and war and would have been anxious to join up in 1941 just as i was when I vol;unteered for military service in my own era. Now being a veteran and having seen the horrors of war.Reflecting back I was a fool to ever see anything glorious about war.

Doktor Krollspell · Post by **Doktor Krollspell** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 7:54 am

Ah, all these mighty warriors.

Being a not so mighty or for that matter not so much a warrior myself, I quite agree with you Paul, about the soldier's best friend being the medic. I actually spent my compulsory military service as a kind of medic in the swedish army (infantry), albeit well over 20 years ago today. So maybe I could/should humbly change my answer to the original question to a Gebirgsjäger-Sanitäter in the 3. Gebirgs-Division?

Still with the same coming four years on the Eastern front ahead of me and still risking being rewarded with the Wooden Cross well before any eventual Iron version.

And yes, most certainly wanting my Mum with me in the end...

But still wearing the Edelweiss...

With best regards,

Krollspell

sid guttridge · Post by **sid guttridge** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 8:34 am

Hi Guys,

To throw a practical spanner in the works, I wonder whether the German Army was accepting 17 year olds at that stage? It was the Waffen-SS that was harvesting under conscript age volunteers before they were old enough to be called up by the Army. (Peacetime Army conscript age was, I think 20 or 21, but fell during the war. Somewhere on Feldgrau I have long since posted the dates and ages of different year groups when called up.)

Cheers,

Sid.