The Impact of War Experiences in Europe

The Conscription of Non-German Men and Women into the ‘Wehrmacht’ and ‘Reichsarbeitsdienst’ (1938–1945)
1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-3-11-108311-7
Verlag: De Gruyter

Buch, Englisch, Band 2, 443 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 230 mm, Gewicht: 755 g

Reihe: Studien zur transnationalen Zeitgeschichte Luxemburgs

During World War II, over half a million men and women under Nazi occupation, who lacked German citizenship, were forcibly conscripted into the German Reichsarbeitsdienst and the Wehrmacht. The Nazis sought to legitimize this conscription by labeling these individuals as “deutsche Volkszugehörige” or “Deutschstämmige,” despite it being a clear violation of international law.
This collection explores the lives of these non-German conscripts, focusing on individuals from Slovenia, Poland (Silesia), Luxembourg, Belgium, and France. Each chapter adopts an actor-centered approach, examining their daily lives, social dynamics, recruitment, military deployment, and experiences in German uniform under coercion.
The authors cover cases of desertion and escapes to neutral countries, along with the repercussions for families, tracing the capture of conscripts as POWs and the complex processes of redeployment by the Allies against the Germans and the re-conscription by national governments. Through a rich collection of ego documents and personal records, this work vividly captures their complex realities, offering nuanced insights into the dynamics of occupation, coercion, and the shifting allegiances that defined wartime and post-war Europe.

Zielgruppe

Academics in the field of history, military history, social histo

Autoren/Hrsg.

Janz, Nina

Scuto, Denis

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Mentalitäts- und Sozialgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Besondere Kriege und Kampagnen

Über Autor(innen)

Nina Janz ; Denis Scuto;Sarah Maya Vercruysse , C2DH, University of Luxembourg.