Strafbattalion

The "Strafbattalion" was a type of punishment unit of the Wehrmacht Heer during Second World War. This units were the destination of military criminals who were not sentenced to be executed. During the final days of the war, the Strafbattalion was a popular division for recruits or soldiers who committed even the slightest wrongdoing, as any infraction either earned a spot on the gallows, or a spot in the strafbattalion.

Mainly used on the eastern front, the strafbattalion was used in some of the most dangerous missions of the war, many of which yielded nothing. Most in the strafbattalion were killed in one of their suicide missions, which included clearing minefields with their bodies, charging a fortress unarmed, or storming a heavily defended position. When a member of the strafbattalion was injured in battle, many doctors would not take the strafbattalion soldier, and they were shot or simply left to die. It was described by Helmut Jung in his book, "But Not for the Fuehrer" as "prolonged death". The men of the strafbattalion were not treated as people, and many were shot for not being aryan, for example. When a soldier was killed, his body was not buried, but left to rot. If one survived their sentence, they were released. If they were injured and lived, they were either sent home, or deemed 'fit to fight', and sent into the field.