Figure 1.--Here is a NAZI funeral, we think for a soldier killed in World War II. Most of the uniformed individuals look to be SA Stromtroopers sand not Wehrmacht soldiers. Notice that the service is being held outdoors and not in sa church.

Despite the massive Allied bombing of German cities, most of the German World War II casualties were military personnel. This contrasts to most other European countries where civilians perished in large numbers, largely because of genocidal German policies. The exception here is the Germans living in Eastern and Central Europe that were driven out by authorities after the War. NAZI German launched World War II with the Blitzkrieg on Poland in cooperation with the Soviet Union (September 1939). Germany held the ininitative in the early years of the War ewith its early development of Blitzkrieg tactics. After the success in Poland, the Wehrmacht swept over most of Western Europe and later the Balkans. Caualties were very light--especially in the Baslkans. This was startling in view of the horific casualties sustained on the Western Front during World War I. The doctrine of war developed by the Wehrmacht overwealmed poorly prepared European armies, even the French Army which had been considered the strongest in Europe. The Wehrmacht continued its string of victories with the invasion of the Soviet Union--Operation Barbarossa (June 1941). Again casualties were at first relattively light, but stiffened as the Wehrmact drove beyond the non-Russian areas of the western Soviet Union and the Wehrmacht for the first time in the War began to sustain sizeable casualties. Zukov's Winter Offence (December 1941) inflicted massive casualties on the Wehrmacht--casualties that the Germans could not possibly make up. After successes during the summer 1942, casualties again mounted culminating in the Stalingrad disaster. And after Stalingrad the Red Army through a series of offensives steadily bled the Wehrmacht. This was combined with the loss of another entire army in Tuniia (May 1942). Competent generalship kept losses low in Sicily and Italy (where Hitler did not intefere as much) (1943-44). The Allied invasion of France (June 1944) reopened the Western Front another front and more heavy losses. The NAZIs finally surrendered only after Hitler's suiside in Berlin (May 1945). The German military is believed to have suffered about 3.5 million killed and 4.6 million wounded during the War. A substantial portion of the men killed died after being taken prisioner by the Red Army. The casualties Germany inflicted on countries it invaded were astomomical, especially in the Soviet Union, Poland, and Yugoslavia, because of the genocidal treatment of POWs and civilians. German civilians were not much affected by the War until the fighting began to go decisively against Germany in 1943. Probably about 2 million German civilians died in the War. The Reich was not occupied until the final months of the War, but civilians began to be affected when the allies began to serious escalate the strategic bombing campaign. Even so, only about 0.3 million Germans were killed by the bombing, largely as a result of effective civilian defense measures. Most of the civilian casualties occurred when German civilians were driven out of the countries they occupied and the German territory transferred to Poland.

Military Campaigns

NAZI German launched World War II with the Blitzkrieg on Poland in cooperation with the Soviet Union (September 1939). Germany held the ininitative in the early years of the War ewith its early development of Blitzkrieg tactics. After the success in Poland, the Wehrmacht swept over most of Western Europe, invading Denmark and Norway (April 1940) and Belgium, Holland and France (May 1940). Plans to invade Britain (September 1940) had to be scraped when the Luftwaffe failed to gain air supremecy. Diplomatic efforts to secure the Balkans failed, resulting in another Blitkrieg (April 1941). German casualties in these campaigns were extremely light--especially in the Balkans. This was startling in view of the horific casualties sustained on the Western Front during World War I. The doctrine of war developed by the Wehrmacht overwealmed poorly prepared European armies, even the French Army which had been considered the strongest in Europe. The Wehrmacht continued its string of victories with the invasion of the Soviet Union--Operation Barbarossa (June 1941). Again casualties were at first relattively light, but stiffened as the Wehrmact drove beyond the non-Russian areas of the western Soviet Union and the Wehrmacht for the first time in the War began to sustain sizeable casualties. Zukov's Winter Offence (December 1941) inflicted massive casualties on the Wehrmacht--casualties that the Germans could not possibly make up. After successes during the summer 1942, casualties again mounted culminating in the Stalingrad disaster. And after Stalingrad the Red Army through a series of offensives steadily bled the Wehrmacht. This was combined with the loss of another entire army in Tuniia (May 1942). Competent generalship kept losses low in Sicily and Italy (where Hitler did not intefere as much) (1943-44). The Allied invasion of France (June 1944) reopened the Western Front another front and more heavy losses. The NAZIs finally surrendered only after Hitler's suiside in Berlin (May 1945). The German military is believed to have suffered about 3.5 million killed and 4.6 million wounded during the War.

Prisioners of War

Beginning with the Red Army offensive befire Moscow, large numbers of German soldiers becane POWs. Huge numbers of Soviet POWs were starved to death or died from exposure. It is not clear how the Soviets would have treated German POWs had German treatment of POWs followed established norms. But the Soviets repaid the Germans in kind. A substantial portion of the German soldiers killed during the War died after being taken prisioner by the Red Army. The first substantial numbers of German POWs were taken in North Africa, especially after the fall of Tunisia (May 1943). More POWs were take after D-Day in France and then massive numbers with the invasion of Germany (March 1945). The POWS taken by the Western Allies were for the most poart treated correctly and survived the War.

German Civilians

German civilian are often associated with the Allied strategic bombing campsign. That was certainly a fctor, but onle one contributing factor. The Germans themselves killed about the same number of their own people, through ethnic, religious and political persecution campigns and the T-4 euthensia campaign of targetting the handocapped. :arge numbers of ethnic Germans also perished in expulsion of Gernans from Eastern Europe. Despite the massive Allied bombing of German cities, most of the German World War II casualties were military personnel. This contrasts to most other European countries where civilians perished in large numbers, largely becasuse of genocidal German policies.The casualties Germany inflicted on countries it invaded were astomomical, especially in the Soviet Union, Poland, and Yugoslavia, because of the genocidal treatment of POWs and civilians. German civilians, on the other hand, were not much affected by the War until the fighting began to go decisively against Germany in 1943. Probably about 2 million German civilians died in the War. The Reich was not occupied until the final months of the War, but civilians began to be affected when the allies began to serious escalate the strategic bombing campaign. Even so, only about 0.5 million Germans were killed by the bombing, largely as a result of effective civilian defense measures. This of course is just an estimate, there is no precise accounting. The sctual numner may have been as low as 0.3 million. And there are higher wstimates. We tend to see the 0.5 million mumber being used more and more by historians. This number my have included the foreign workers in Germny. Proportionally the fireign workers brought into Germany died in higher numbers as they were denined access to municipal bomb shelters. Unlike World War I, German civilians were not affected by food shortages until very late in the War. Food was more of a post-War problem. This was because the Germans exploited the occupied twerritiries for food and introduced an effective ratioining program. Most of the German World War II civilian casualties occurred when German civilians were driven out of the countries they occupied and the German territory transferred to Poland. Some contemporary German authors complain about the treatment of Germans in these countries and the lack of historical attention to their plight. Here they are essentially correct. Rarely do these authors, however, mention the behavior of German minorities in the occupied areas or the lack of sympathy (often hostility) in Germany for the foreigners dragooned in the occupied countries nd brought to the Reich to work in war industries. nd often not mention are the some 0.5 million Germans killed by the Germans themselves. This includes Jews and others targeted for ethnic, religious, nd political persecution. It also includes the Germsns murdered as part of the T-4 euthensia campign to elimanate the handicapped..

Created: 6:46 AM 6/7/2007
Last updated: 12:14 AM 1/4/2015