Osttruppen

[Lützow]

This might be a gap in education. [:o]

But can anybody enlighten me what exactly are Osttruppen? Since those do not speak German I guess they should portray foreign volunteers. On the other hand I don't remember eastern Europeans in Wehrmacht's ranks fighting at normandy.

[Andrew Williams]

Ostruppen were east european volunteers.


http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=15604

[Lützow]

In June 1944 there were 32 Russian battalions and one regiment in France. The were located mainly on the coast of Normandy, where they subsequently took part in the battle with the Anglo-Americans.

Alright, that was new to me.

[Andrew Williams]

Russians, they are your friends.

[GaryChildress]

I notice that Osttruppen also seem to have some Russian weapons in their composition like PPsh submachine guns and light machine guns. I thought foreign volunteers still used German weapons. [&:]

[RD Oddball]

I've heard Ostruppen described as conscripts as opposed to volunteers.  World of difference.[;)]  I suppose "volunteers" might work as a description.[:D]  And it may have been the joke around the nazi water cooler back in '44 albiet a bad joke.[8|]  I suppose it's also possible some were bonified volunteers.  Yesterday while watching many of the history and military channels D-Day 65th anniversary programming they mentioned the Ostruppen at Normandy and described them the way I have.  Forced into service basically, not very well motivated and not very well equipped or trained.

[Pzt_Serk]

Weren't they former soviet POW?? Then I guess they were volunters in the sense they prefered to serve in a bunker on normand coast instead of a forced labor camp in Poland or Germany.

EDIT: Here is an interesting thread on the that topic at Axishistory: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=148342

[british exil]

Osttruppen units had German officers and NCO's. They were not rated as Ayran people so were not reckoned on performing so well.

They were kitted out with foreign weapons as not being classed as 1a troops why waste good weapons on them.

But then again often German units were fighting with captured field guns near the end of some campaigns.

[Jonathan Pollard]

How far down the chain of command did the German officers go? If it was down to the company level, it may be more accurate to have them speak Russian-accented German instead of Russian, since they would be speaking to a German officer. Many of my relatives were Ostarbeiters and they all spoke German fluently by the time they got to the USA.

[british exil]

Ostbatalions had about 950 men with 36 German officers and NCO's.

They were not always frontline troops and so served in the rear as guards, drivers and other rear echleon duties.

As they were often attached to other German Inf units they would always be hearing German words and orders.

Might have been similar to the Foreign Legion where they all have to speak French.

[Oliver Heindorf]

Do not forget that the SS had Ostbattalions as well. Many Ukrains and Belarus ppl werent happy with comrade Stalin and actually there were serveral cities in Ukraine that had a crowd on ghe street cheering the german panzers for freeing them from Stalin despite the fact that the new rulers werent any better....alot of them joind the german army as volunteers.

[Senior Drill]

Well, ya know, to be totally historically accurate, a few of those Ost Truppen should be speaking Korean. Totally Ost, but there none the least! [;)]