Volkssturm (redirected from Deutscher Volkssturm)

Volkssturm 

a militia created in fascist Germany during World War II (1939–45) as a result of the total mobilization of men from 16 to 60 years of age.

The Volkssturm was created on orders of A. Hitler on Sept. 25, 1944, at the suggestion of the chief of the General Staff of Infantry, General H. Guderian. The Volkssturm was organized by the Nazi Party and was led and trained by SS Reichsführer H. Himmler. It was organized into battalions made up of two to four companies, armed mainly with firearms. Legally, those mobilized into the Volkssturm had the same status as soldiers in the Wehrmacht. The Volkssturm saw combat in Silesia (40 battalions) from December 1944 to January 1945, in Hungary and on the Austrian border (30 battalions) from December 1944 to March 1945, and on the Oder, the Neisse, and around Berlin (up to 50 battalions). The Volkssturm was also used to provide replacements for army units.