- Summary
- "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."-- Provided by publisher.
- Variant Title
- Conscription of non-German men and women into the 'Wehrmacht' and 'Reichsarbeitsdienst' (1938-1945)
- Series
- Studies in transnational contemporary history of Luxembourg ; volume 2
- Format
- Book
- Published
- Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter Oldenbourg, [2025]
- Locale
- Germany
Europe
Allemagne
- Contents
-
War Experiences of Conscripted Non-German Men and Women / Nina Janz, Denis Scuto
National Socialist Ethnicity and Citizenship Policy under Growing Military Pressure in Occupied Luxembourg (1940-1944) / Denis Scuto
Fighting for the Enemy: Recruitment and Mobilisation of Slovenians for the Waffen-SS During the Second World War / Klemen Kocjancic
The War Experience of Non-German Soldiers in the Wehrmacht
The Luxembourg Case / Nina Janz
East Belgians in the Wehrmacht and the Reichsarbeitsdienst, 1940-1945. Biographical Turning Points and Adaptive Stances in the Beck-Peissen Family / Philippe Beck
Slovenians Forcibly Conscripted into the Wehrmacht
Analysis of Diaries of their Wartime Experiences / Monika Kokalj Kocevar
Ink and Paper in the Camp. Ego-Documents of Luxembourger Conscripts in Soviet Captivity / Inna Ganschow
"Desertion Leads to Resettlement"
The Consequences of Desertion and Draft Evasion on the Families of Luxembourgish Soldiers (1942-1945) / Sarah Maya Vercruysse
Beihilfe zur Fahnenflucht in der Rechtsprechung der deutschen Sondergerichte in den besetzten Gebieten Polens (1939-1945) / Konrad Graczyk
Alsatian Conscription Evaders in Switzerland / Tobias Kossytroz
Conflicting Loyalties Among Soldiers Fighting Both in the German Army and the Allied Forces / Machteld Venken
Malgré-Nous: Men from Alsace and Moselle held as POWs by the Western Allies During WWII / Philippe Geny
From One Uniform Into Another: Luxembourgish Men Between Nazi "Forced Conscription" and Post-War Military Service (1942-1946) / Felix Streicher, Nina Janz
Afterword: War Experiences and the History of Narratives / Jorg Echternkamp.
- Other Authors/Editors
- Janz, Nina, editor.
Scuto, Denis, editor.
- Notes
-
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
War Experiences of Conscripted Non-German Men and Women / Nina Janz, Denis Scuto -- National Socialist Ethnicity and Citizenship Policy under Growing Military Pressure in Occupied Luxembourg (1940-1944) / Denis Scuto -- Fighting for the Enemy: Recruitment and Mobilisation of Slovenians for the Waffen-SS During the Second World War / Klemen Kocjancic -- The War Experience of Non-German Soldiers in the Wehrmacht -- The Luxembourg Case / Nina Janz -- East Belgians in the Wehrmacht and the Reichsarbeitsdienst, 1940-1945. Biographical Turning Points and Adaptive Stances in the Beck-Peissen Family / Philippe Beck -- Slovenians Forcibly Conscripted into the Wehrmacht -- Analysis of Diaries of their Wartime Experiences / Monika Kokalj Kocevar -- Ink and Paper in the Camp. Ego-Documents of Luxembourger Conscripts in Soviet Captivity / Inna Ganschow -- "Desertion Leads to Resettlement" -- The Consequences of Desertion and Draft Evasion on the Families of Luxembourgish Soldiers (1942-1945) / Sarah Maya Vercruysse -- Beihilfe zur Fahnenflucht in der Rechtsprechung der deutschen Sondergerichte in den besetzten Gebieten Polens (1939-1945) / Konrad Graczyk -- Alsatian Conscription Evaders in Switzerland / Tobias Kossytroz -- Conflicting Loyalties Among Soldiers Fighting Both in the German Army and the Allied Forces / Machteld Venken -- Malgré-Nous: Men from Alsace and Moselle held as POWs by the Western Allies During WWII / Philippe Geny -- From One Uniform Into Another: Luxembourgish Men Between Nazi "Forced Conscription" and Post-War Military Service (1942-1946) / Felix Streicher, Nina Janz -- Afterword: War Experiences and the History of Narratives / Jorg Echternkamp.
