Penalty Division 500

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Probation battalions of the Wehrmacht

Lineup June 16, 1942
Country German Reich NSGerman Reich (Nazi era) German Empire
Armed forces Wehrmacht
Armed forces army
Branch of service infantry
structure No uniform structure
Strength min. 29,700
garrison Wroclaw later Skierniewice
Second World War Eastern Front

Counter-partisan
Western Front

The "500 probation units " of the Wehrmacht were army troop combat units with the strength of a battalion or reinforced battalion with a non-uniform structure, formed from German soldiers sentenced to short prison terms by the Wehrmacht judiciary, who were supposed to " prove themselves" against the enemy in increased danger . The infantry replacement and training battalions e.g. V., the Grenadier replacement battalions e.g. V, the infantry battalions e.g. V., the grenadier battalions e.g. V., were set up from July 1941 and as independent, not in regimental, Brigade and division association incorporated battalions directly subordinate to the army commanders. The service in the "500" probation units was arduous and strict, the supervision keen, the missions long and dangerous. By the end of the war, around 82,000 soldiers had served in the "500" probation units. The total strength of the "500" probation units was last on record with 29,700 soldiers, including 5,400 permanent staff. The number of around 33,000 soldiers is more likely, including 6,000 permanent staff. There is a breakdown for June 1943 of the composition of the battalion members by Wehrmacht part, but it is not representative for other times. Of 447 selected for probation, 235 men (52.6%) were from the army , 147 men (32.9%) from the navy and 65 men (14.5%) from the air force . The "500 Probation Battalions " are not to be confused with the " Probation Battalions 999 ". The "500" probation force was one of seven divisions of the military justice system when there were: special departments of the Wehrmacht in peacetime, special departments of the substitute army in war, field special departments, " field prisoner departments ", execution trains, Wehrmacht penal institutions, the probation force.

List of probation units - background and implementation

Since the restoration of military sovereignty on March 16, 1935, the group of people “unworthy of military service” had been excluded from military service in the Nazi state. "Unworthy of military service" were according to Section 13 of the Defense Act and a. those who were deprived of their civil rights, those sentenced to prison and soldiers of the Wehrmacht who were convicted by a military court.

With the Fuehrer's decree of December 21, 1940, Adolf Hitler approved the establishment of probation units in the Wehrmacht. Soldiers derailed once should be given the opportunity to rehabilitate. The Wehrmacht High Command had been examining the possibility of this since the summer of 1940. The soldiers were declared "conditionally" worthy of military service for the duration of their service. They were offered the prospect of remission of the remaining sentence and regaining full military worth. The convicts did not serve their remaining sentences in the parole force. These were only suspended until the end of the war. In February 1941, the OKW began preparing for the formation of parole battalions and issued an executive order on April 5, 1942. The probation troops were first called up on June 16, 1942. The probation troops were increased in the course of the war. The 5th battalions 501, 528, 540, 548, 560, 561, 562, 563 and 564 were set up in Brno and Olomouc in the last two years of the war. The convicts were given the opportunity to prove themselves in combat. The opportunity to do so did not exist as long as the parole unit was undergoing intensified training for "educational" action and was not in the front line or in another dangerous operation, e.g. B. in the fight against gangs, stood on the enemy. The increased service in the parole troops should also have a deterrent effect in the Wehrmacht. The transfer to a probation unit is “not exclusively in the interests of the convicted person”, but should rather have positive effects on “ male discipline ” and counteract cowardice . The regime pursued three purposes with the establishment of the parole troops: expansion of the "deterrent instruments" to maintain discipline and effectiveness of the troops in war; without exception exploitation of the male population of military age for warfare; Ending the situation that was perceived as intolerable, that the prisoners who were not convicted of a crime and therefore considered "serviceable as a soldier" were kept safe in prisons and fed a carefree life, while the soldier at the front was always exposed to great dangers this had to exist. In view of the impending attack on the Soviet Union , the second purpose had special weight.

Personnel composition of the probation units

The soldiers of the parole troops, with the exception of the permanent staff, were exclusively members of the Wehrmacht who had been punished by a military court. Those who were sentenced to prison terms in Wehrmacht prisons or in field prison departments for the execution of sentences were transferred from there to the parole troops. The second larger group consisted of those sentenced to prison. Soldiers were occasionally selected from those sentenced to death and were given a chance at the 500s for “special probation”. But their number was small. The Navy and the Air Force also transferred their punished soldiers to the Army's probation battalions. Soldiers from Battalions 999 who were not fit for use in the tropics were transferred to the 500 battalions.

The respective judges worked with the prison administrations to select the “probationers” and selected potential candidates. Soldiers had to meet certain requirements in order to be eligible for the probation unit: physical and mental aptitude, but above all the "honest will" to prove the enemy. The candidates were initially placed in the Wehrmacht prison Fort Zinna in Torgau , Saxony , to be “assessed” to determine their suitability . These regulations were relaxed from the winter of 1942/43, when the shortage of soldiers on the fronts became more and more noticeable.

There were only a few political opponents in the division in the true sense of the word, in contrast to the 999 parole troops. The most common offenses that resulted in criminal imprisonment are unlawful removal and theft or embezzlement.

Locations and character of the missions

The Infantry Replacement Battalion 500 zbV was set up in Wildflecken in the summer of 1942 , stationed in Fulda , in December 1943 to Skierniewice and Tomaszów in the General Government of Poland and in September 1944 to Brno in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia . In Olomouc there was a similar Luftwaffe field battalion zbV. The individual units were deployed on almost all parts of the Eastern Front during the entire war . Two units were also used on the Western Front.

According to their character, the battalions were deployed as “probation troops” mostly at “hot spots”. Not only the assigned front sections were extremely dangerous, but also the type of operations. The 500s were preferred for mine clearance , fighting partisans , as shock troops or advance commandos. The casualty lists of the 500 parole battalions were long. The regular Wehrmacht units were, if possible, relieved at the front and withdrawn in a resting position or withdrawn from the front completely to refresh themselves and relocated to the rear. The units of the 500, on the other hand, stood uninterruptedly in line or in the front for most of the time. The fighting on the Eastern Front was unexpectedly costly for the Germans from the start. The losses continued to increase from 1943 onwards. Therefore it happened that regular units suffered equal or higher losses than the parole troops. The relatively higher losses of the parole troops can therefore only be foreseen in comparison over a longer period of time. Another factor is that commanders and permanent staff were usually very ambitious and pushed their teams to high-risk performance.

From the perspective of the Wehrmacht, the creation of the 500 parole troops was a military success. What this meant from the soldiers' point of view is shown by the following message: “Probation Btl. did an excellent job, almost wore it out ... "

Treatment of soldiers and inappropriate behavior in the force

In the said Führer decree of December 21, 1940 it says: “Service in this troop is an honorary service like any other military service. In no way does it have the character of a criminal group. ”In terms of service law, the soldiers of this probation unit were formally equal to the regular Wehrmacht. The vacation policy was tightened. The soldiers of the probation battalions 500 were not set back in terms of food, equipment, accommodation and pay compared to the regular Wehrmacht. The relationship between permanent staff and parole soldiers is described by some contemporary witnesses as good, sometimes as comradely. However, this only applies to the part of the soldiers who unconditionally subordinated and participated.

Many of the 500 soldiers were hopeful and willing to prove their "will to probation". This raised the combat value of the troops. In the face of endless threats to life and limb on the Eastern and Western Fronts, many soldiers showed a high level of commitment and camaraderie, primarily out of self-preservation. Therefore, inappropriate behavior or politically motivated resistance was rare. The promised “pardon” was actually granted on a case-by-case basis, but many soldiers did not experience their rehabilitation. They fell in the field before the lengthy bureaucratic procedures affecting them were completed.

"Probation" was an essential purpose in these units. Misconduct resulted in more severe penalties than in regular units. In the case of "failure", the probation officer was sent back to the prison or department of the Wehrmacht from which he had come and ended up in the concentration camp . Denunciation was expressly encouraged to “stamp out” such “incorrigible elements” . Due to their unconditional authority in war, the unit commanders had every opportunity to get rid of those soldiers whose return was undesirable through dangerous individual assignments such as mine clearing, exploration, and raiding troops. The death penalty was also used to maintain troop discipline . The number of 136 executed death sentences is documented, the last three from April 9, 1945. The total number is at least 300 executions , although the number of death sentences is to be assumed higher. The soldiers suffered from the double burden of the dangers of their war missions and the stricter conditions of their military service. The statement that serving in the parole troops should not be punitive was therefore unrealistic.

See also

Bibliography

  • Hans-Peter Klausch : pardon for hero's death. About Torgau-Fort Zinna to the probation troop 500. In: Norbert Haase, Brigitte Oleschinski (Ed.): The Torgau tabu. Wehrmacht penal system, NKVD special camp, GDR penal system. 2nd Edition. Forum Verlag Leipzig, Leipzig 1998, ISBN 3-931801-46-2 , pp. 61-78.
  • Hans-Peter Klausch: The probation troop 500. Position and function of the probation troop 500 in the system of Nazi military law, Nazi military justice and Wehrmacht penal execution. Temmen, Bremen 1995, ISBN 3-86108-260-8 ( DIZ-Schriften 8).
  • Klausch, Hans-Peter: "Educators" and "Unworthy of Defense". In: Norbert Haase, Gerhard Paul (ed.): The other soldiers. Destruction of military strength, refusal to obey and desertion in World War II. 6-7 Tsd. Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1997, ISBN 3-596-12769-6 , pp. 66-82 ( History. The time of National Socialism 12769).
  • Manfred Messerschmidt : The Wehrmacht Justice 1933-1945. Schöningh, Paderborn et al. 2005, ISBN 3-506-71349-3 .
  • Martin Moll: "Leader Decrees" 1939–1945. Edition of all surviving directives in the fields of state, party, economy, occupation policy and military administration issued by Hitler in writing during the Second World War, not printed in the Reichsgesetzblatt. Steiner, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-515-06873-2 .
  • Fritz Wüllner: The Nazi military justice and the misery of historiography. A basic research report. Nomos-Verlags-Gesellschaft, Baden-Baden 1991, ISBN 3-7890-1833-3 .
  • Ingo Müller : Terrible lawyers - the unresolved past of our judiciary. With a foreword by Martin Hirsch. Kindler, Munich 1987, ISBN 3-463-40038-3 ; Paperback edition: Droemer-Knaur, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-426-03960-5 ; numerous editions, 8th edition 2000.
  • The mirror 16/1951, 17/1951, 18/1951, z. B. 17/1951, pp. 23–26 “You have something to make up for” , a factual report on the use of the criminal soldiers.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Klausch, 500, p. 121, p. 81, p. 91.
  2. ^ Reichsgesetzblatt, p. 610 .; Klausch, “Unworthy of Defense”, pp. 157–158.
  3. ↑ Moll, p. 156.
  4. ↑ Messerschmidt, p. 368, note 181.
  5. ↑ Moll, p. 156.; Messerschmidt, p. 369.
  6. ↑ Wüllner, Nazi military justice, p. 716.
  7. ↑ Wüllner u. a., Disposal, p. 83.
  8. ^ Moll, p. 234.
  9. ↑ Absolon, Wehrmacht, p. 573.
  10. ↑ Klausch, Heldentod, p. 62.
  11. ↑ Klausch, Erziehungsmänner, p. 73.
  12. ↑ Wüllner u. a., Ausderung, p. 83; Moll, p. 156.
  13. ↑ Klausch, 500, pp. 68–69, p. 91.
  14. ↑ Messerschmidt, p. 382.
  15. ↑ Klausch, 500, p. 82.
  16. ↑ Wüllner, Wehrmachtsgefängigte, pp. 33–34; Klausch, Heldentod, pp. 64–66.
  17. ↑ Klausch, 500, p. 83.
  18. ↑ Klausch, “Erziehungsmänner”, p. 73; Klausch, “Unworthy of Defense”, p. 171.
  19. ↑ Klausch, 500, p. 131.
  20. ↑ Messerschmidt, p. 371.
  21. ↑ Michael Eberlein et al .: Torgau in the hinterland of the Second World War . Leipzig 1999, ISBN 3-378-01039-8 , p. 63.
  22. ↑ Wüllner, Nazi military justice, p. 714.
  23. ↑ Tessin, Vol. 9, p. 32, p. 36.
  24. ↑ Moll, p. 156.
  25. ↑ Wüllner, Nazi military justice, p. 722.
  26. ↑ Klausch, 500, pp. 203-204.
  27. ↑ Overmans, pp. 318-319.
  28. ↑ Klausch, 500, p. 203.
  29. ↑ Klausch, 500, p. 185.
  30. ↑ Quoted from: Klausch, "Erziehungsmänner", p. 73.
  31. ↑ Moll, p. 156.
  32. ↑ Klausch, “Erziehungsmänner”, p. 72.
  33. ↑ Klausch, 500, p. 166, p. 170.
  34. ↑ Messerschmidt, p. 379.
  35. ↑ Klausch, “Erziehungsmänner”, p. 74, Klausch, 500, p. 226.
  36. ↑ Klausch, 500, p. 189.
  37. ↑ Klausch, 500, p. 69, pp. 170–171.
  38. ↑ Klausch, 500, pp. 173-176; Messerschmidt, p. 378.