Heer Penal Battalion Wehrpass

[Gordon Williamson]

Having concentrated for some time on Feldgendarmerie and related Provost type units, I decided to go for some showing the other side of the fence - the fate of some of those who fell foul of the Feldgendarmerie.

The subject of Penal units can be very confusing and much incorrect info has been posted in various sites.

Germany had three basic forms of what might be considered "punishment" units of some sort.

The "Bewährungs" units which were Probationary units, not Penal units and were filled with those whose transgressions were not especially serious and were able to fully rehabilitate themselves.

The "999" numbered units which were not filled with soldiers being punished but by those who, up to then, had been considered unworthy of serving in the military (Wehrunwürdig). This included habitual criminals and those who were considered "unreliable" such as Socialists, Communists etc. It was considered that allowing them to languish in the "comfort" of Prison whilst others served and died at the front was wrong. Some of these, when eventually accepted into these units, actually performed well, 999 leichte Afrika Division being the prime example.

The real "Penal" units were the Feldstrafgefangenenabteilungen. Twenty two of these Battalions were formed and were filled with those who had committed serious crimes - desertion, undermining military morale, etc etc and were fortunate enough to avoid execution.

They were used on the Eastern Front on arduous tasks such as mine clearing, builing roads and building bunkers etc. These duties were most often in areas which were infested with partisans and these guys were unarmed.

This Wehrpass is to a Gefreiter with Feldstrafgefangenenabteilung 14 serving on the Eastern Front.

[Gordon Williamson]

Note his first unit entry is to a construction unit (Baukolonne 13) that plus the fact that there is a promotion entry during the period he is with Feldstrafgefangenenabteilung (prisoners were not eligible for promotions) suggests that he was transferred to the unit as a supervisor or guard.

[Gordon Williamson]

Front line service on the Eastern Front.

[hucks216]

Nice WP - I like that the combat entries have still been filled in. I haven't been able to find much information on the movements of such units so to have those entries in your WP is a big plus.

If he was with the unit as a supervisor/guard what would his status of been within the military - would he still be considered a regular soldier or was he a prisoner but trusted to be capable of extra responisbility (i.e. armed)? It seems that while such units were deemed extremely hazardous for the prisoners it couldn't of been much fun for regular soldiers to of been assigned to them either.

[Gordon Williamson]

As far as I am aware, the Guards/Supervisors would be regular army soldiers, not "trusted" prisoners. The fact that he was promoted while with the unit probably confirms he was considered a normal regular soldier. I'd agree though that if they were working in a hazardous area, it couldn't have been much fun for the Guards either, being one of a small number who were actually armed.

[Bernhard H.Holst]

Hello Gordon:

Thank you for clarifying this still misinterpreted subject.

Of note as illustrated in your #2 is that your man was discharged in late 1939 and not called back until 1942 into a Landesschuetzen unit then transferred to the Feldstrafgefangenen outfit. There the last entry clearly listed him as being on staff.

So we can safely believe that he belonged to the cadre all along.

Some books in the German language have been published shedding light on the

Wehrmacht's judicial system.

BTW: in 1944 a Knightscross recipient (other ranks) was sentenced to death in Vienna for self mutilation. The literature is somewhat incomplete but he survived this ordeal.

Bernhard H. Holst

[Paul R]

Is that Knights Cross recipient named? Was his award revoked(did they do such things) for the deed?

[Bernhard H.Holst]

name='Paul R' timestamp='1296488849' post='439657']

Does that Knights Cross recipient named? Was his award revoked(did they do such things) for the deed?

hello Paul.

The recipient was the later Uffz. Anton Wildner, K.C. with date 10 Sep. 1944 as Obgf. DoB 24 May 1920, DoD 3 Jun. 1970. Injected with petroleum in one arm during his leave following K.C. award. Doctors detected smell and reported. Military court sentenced him to three years but reviewing authority demanded new trial at which he was sentenced to death. Records being incomplete but A. Wildner survived. Information I received indicated that he had lost the arm.

As to revoking awards: this seems to be somewhat unclear. The law before 1945 made the loss of awards somewhat automatic upon sentencing following trials for severe offenses.

Sources: F. Wuellner , Die N.S. Militaerjustiz und das Elend der Geschichtsschreibung.

V.Scherzer, Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945.

Bernhard H. Holst

[Paul R]

Did such award revokations hold up even after the war? Would Mr Wildner still be able to claim himself to be a RKT, and wear the 1957 award?

[Bernhard H.Holst]

Did such award revokations hold up even after the war? Would Mr Wildner still be able to claim himself to be a RKT, and wear the 1957 award?

Hello Paul.

Mr. Wildner was a native of Austria where he also resided after the war. Austria had different statutes/laws with which I am even less familiar than Germany's postwar. The persons so involved in Germany had all lost their lives mainly in connection with the 20 July, 1944 plot. So the matter did not come up postwar. Veit Scherzer states that judicial authorities in Berlin reported not to have received any demands to reverse the loss of decorations by sentences prior to 1945.

Of course there is a judicial side and a side we could apply that they earned their decorations and therefore are forever entitled to them. Veit Scherzer has all such recipients in his reference book in a separate section together with other personnel for which the award status is unclear or not supported by official records.

Bernhard H. Holst

[Paul R]

Thanks for that information Bernhard.

[Tony]

That's very interesting Gordon.

A relative of my wife was in some kind of penal battalion, unfortunately I don't know which one, I do know the land he bought to build a house on in the 1930s was seized, he spent time in various prisons, then a concentration camp and in 1944 was sent to a penal battalion. I do know he was a member of the SPD and refused to do the Hitler gruss. Doesn't sound bad to me but it obviously must have been during the 33-45 period.

I posted his post war ID card somewhere on the forum quite a while ago, it had been issued by the British, stated he had been politically persecuted and was also noted holders of these ID cards should be offered the chance of employment before any former German soldiers who towed the line.

Tony

[Gordon Williamson]

Hi Tony,

Very interesting indeed. I'd be fairly sure that he must have been in one of the 999 units. Probationary units were for those who were already soldiers and had committed minor offences ( I think those attracting sentences of up to 3 months). It was considered honourable service and those sent to these units could win awards. Strafgefangenenabteilungen were real Penal units for those who deserted, undermined morale. etc etc.

The "999"s were for those in exactly the circumstances you describe for your wife's relative, a political opponent of the regime. Of course the Nazi attitude that such people were "unworthy" of serving in the Wehrmacht soon changed when they had to make up huge combat losses and could no longer ignore this source of manpower.

[Paul R]

Tony,

Do you ahve any of his stuff from when he was in the military?

[PKeating]

Interesting Wehrpass. Feldstrafgefangenen-Abt 14 was sent to the Newel zone, about 100 km east of the Latvian border, late in 1943. The unit remained in defence near Newel until the summer of 1944 before being transferred to the western front as part of Army Group Upper Rhine. It was on the ORBAT of 19th Army in May 1945. Your man was with 1. Kompanie from July 1943 until August 1944, when he was transferred to Stab/Feldstrafgefangenen-Abt 14. This does not mean that he was on the Staff or that he was cadre. Stab merely means HQ Coy in this context. However, if he was promoted during his time with the unit, then he must have been a non-penal member of the unit. In other words, for want of a better term, a guard.

There is another WP from this unit here: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=174737

Probationary units were for those who were already soldiers and had committed minor offences ( I think those attracting sentences of up to 3 months). It was considered honourable service and those sent to these units could win awards. Strafgefangenenabteilungen were real Penal units for those who deserted, undermined morale. etc etc.

My study of units like SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl 500 indicates that Bewährungseinheiten or Probationary Units also had 'politicals', petty thieves (as in guys who stole from comrades' lockers etc), Final Victory doubters, suspected homosexuals and anyone who fell foul of even quite minor disciplinary code offences in their ranks. A couple of men who ended up in SS-FJ-Btl 500 had actually been on death row, one of them in Dachau, and at least one other had spent time breaking and hauling rocks in the Mauthausen camp.

These Bewährungs-Soldaten or Schützen (B-Soldat/B-Schütz) were non-citizens and, militarily, considered beneath the lowest recruit-level rank. In the Waffen-SS, they were forbidden to wear the sigrunen and any prestige insignia such as unit cuff titles. They were also fobidden to wear awards and decorations. However, as you say, they were barred from winning them. Such awards were duly noted by unit HQ and when the soldier was deemed to have rehabilitated himself through honourable service on the field of battle - or clearing minefields - he was allowed to put his awards back on, including any he had earned during his probation. For instance, SS-Fallschirmjäger who earned their parachutist badges at Kraljevo and Papà as B-Schützen were only allowed to wear them once rehabilitated. Not many of the initial probationary intake of some 80% of the recruits transferred to SS-FJ-Btl 500 during the autumn and winter of 1943/44 survived to the autumn of 1944, when Himmler issued the rehabilitation order to the unit.

I believe that they were also required to wear plain belt buckles as the Meine Ehre Heißt Treue slogan was considered inappropriate for probationers but I cannot recall seeing an SS paratrooper wearing such a buckle in any of the hundreds of photographs I have studied. There may have been a shortage of these buckles. As Gordon can confirm, these plain buckles appear in photos of men serving in serious penal units. As an aside, the probationary nature of SS-Fallschirmjäger-Btl 500 in itself renders all these SS-Fallschirmjäger cuff titles and M38/40 jump helmets with runic decals a fanstastic nonsense. In any case, the order banning helmet decals predated the formation of this unit so no supplier would have sent runic-badged jump helmets out. On top of that, most of the parachuting kit issued to the Waffen-SS came from Luftwaffe sources anyway, which is why one sees these men in photos with LW decals and, sometimes, LW eagles on their smocks. As for the cuff titles, these were in the gift of the Führer and of the Reichsführer-SS, neither of whom instituted such a cuff title.

Back on topic, it is often said that the second SS parachute unit formed was given the number '600' as the '500' number was considered tainted by the men of these units. However, I never met a veteran or read a memoir or diary that even mentioned this issue. The men of the 500 were intensely proud of their unit, as were the men of the 600, although parachute training had been suspended by the time the 600 was formed. Veterans used to bristle when they heard the unit described as "penal". In fact, they sometimes denied that there was anything disciplinary about it because recruits with clean records were welcome too.

As another aside, quite a few of the younger disciplinary cases sent to the Dirlewanger Brigade were treated fairly well and released sooner than one might expect by the Soviets, who considered them 'politicals' and victims of Nazism. Strange but true. However, NCOs and officers got the usual rough time. Coming back to the SS-FJ, the 80-odd survivors of the 600, numbering a few 500 veterans in their ranks, who reached US forces with the Soviets at their hells escaped being handed back to the Reds because their officers managed to convince the Yanks that they were all anti-Nazis - some of them were very convinced Nazis, even sixty years later! - and therefore 'politicals'. They served time in work camps but were also released earlier than a lot of Waffen-SS veterans in Allied hands.

[hucks216]

There is another WP from this unit here: http://forum.axishis...p?f=50&t=174737

That would be my one.

I am glad that you have been able to add some meat to the bones as other than what is mentioned on the campaign pages of Gordon's one I have not been able to find much information as to its movements. I think someone, somewhere has sold off their collection of such Wehrpasses as there is a third one listed for sale here to the same unit...

https://www.history-...Otto_77277.html

Edited February 8, 2011 by hucks216

[Paul R]

Very well written and informational. Thank you Prosper.

[leigh kitchen]

I think this is the only "999" wehrpas that I have - a member of a fortress unit, killed in the Balkans in March 1945.

Entry "Bandenkampf" in Greece, December 1943 - February 1944.

Poor photos I'm afraid, as provided by the vendor when I bought it some years ago, I don't have the wehrpas to hand.

[Gordon Williamson]

Interesting book Leigh, thanks for posting.

XVI Festungs Infanterie Battaillon 999 was formed in June 1943 and served initially in Greece, before moving to Serbia in 1944 and ended the war in Bosnia and Croatia, so it spent the entire war in the Balkans.

[Gordon Williamson]

On the subject of "erring" soldiers here is an interesting period "Wanted" notice from December 1944. Despite being well decorated with EK2, EK1, East Front Medal, Infantry Assault Badge, Krim Shield and Wound Badge in Silver, the subject appears to have deserted and is noted as roaming around between the east and west fronts allegedly looking for his unit. He is to be arrested on sight and delivered to the nearest Court Martial (Kriegsgericht).

I wonder if they ever caught him.

[Paul R]

That is almost comical... his comeback was- But I am not a deserter. I have been looking for my unit the whole time!

[Gordon Williamson]

Yeah, somehow I don't see the Feldgendarmerie or the Feldjäger swallowing that excuse :rolleyes:

[Bernhard H.Holst]

On the subject of "erring" soldiers here is an interesting period "Wanted" notice from December 1944. Despite being well decorated with EK2, EK1, East Front Medal, Infantry Assault Badge, Krim Shield and Wound Badge in Silver, the subject appears to have deserted and is noted as roaming around between the east and west fronts allegedly looking for his unit. He is to be arrested on sight and delivered to the nearest Court Martial (Kriegsgericht).

I wonder if they ever caught him.

Hello Gordon.

The wording in the wanted bulletin " traegt" (wearing)the named decorations following make me wonder whether these decorations were actually earned by this person. He already inflated his rank to Unteroffizier and also masquerading as a highly decorated NCO would decrease the risk of detection.

Just my feel of this case.

Bernhard H. Holst

[Paul R]

That is an interesting twist. Where did you see the part about him wearing a "fake" NCO ranking? If this is the case, he was most definitely screwed if he were caught.

[Bernhard H.Holst]

That is an interesting twist. Where did you see the part about him wearing a "fake" NCO ranking? If this is the case, he was most definitely screwed

if he were caught.

Hello Paul. The wanted poster states that his actual rank is that of an "Obergefreiter" not that of "Unteroffizier"

Bernhard H. Holst