A little query about Volkstrum

[History Buff]

Ok, our favourite Militia of oldies, hitler youth is under scrutiny, (or a possible inaccuracy). I was testing one of my first scenarios where an SS battalion is hastely formed in the dies days of WW2 in Europe by a loyal commander. Half way through a force of Volkstrum come in as reinforcements and quickly mingle with the SS, who are designed to be overwhelmed by yankees. It is here I noticed that a squad off SS had a command line connecting it to one of the Volkstrum platoon H.Q's.

Now is this a historic inaccuracy? Would the "elite SS" ever come under the command of a retirery with stomach problems? (No offense to anyone who falls into this catogary honestly)

:confused: :confused:

[M Hofbauer]

First of all, it's "Volkssturm", not "Volkstrum" (imagine "Nun Volk steh' auf und Trum (?!) brich los!" !!).

As to the second part of your post, I don't see a problem in WSS-soldiers coming under the command of a local commander (if that is your question).

Unlike the basic soldiers of the Volkssturm, which were recruited from old and physically unfit vcivilians, the Volkssturm leaders were recruited from Wehrmacht or WSS professional soldiers, usually WSS. That was because the Volkssturm itself was designed by the WSS; even the Volkssturm rank insignia had roughly the same design as the W-SS rank collar tabs. The rank structure of the Volkssturm was centered around the organizational level which the respective rank commanded.

Therefore, there was a

junior leader rank called Gruppenführer (~"group leader", a squad leader), which equalled a Unteroffizier in the Wehrmacht or a Untersturmführer in the WSS,

a leader rank of Zugführer (~"platoon leader", just that), equalling a Leutnant in the WH or a Unterscharführer in the WSS and

a leader rank of "Kompanieführer" (~"company leader", just that), equalling a Hauptmann in the WH or a Hauptsturmführer in the WSS.

And since the largest organizational level for a Volkssturm unit was the battallion,. the most senior rank in the Volkssturm would be the Bataillonsführer (~"battalion leader", notice the french spelling in the german word), equalling a Major in the WH or a Sturmbannführer in the WSS.

Now, if a WSS Untersturmführer met a Volkssturm Kompanieführer, of course the latter outranked the former.

Now to your situation in the scenario you made. You admit yourself that it is an ahistoric fictional scenario. Usually in reality a hasty local defense made up of several leftover units from different military organizations like the situation you seem to recreate would be organized under a local "Kampfkommandant", which would be the most senior local soldier. His command authority would encompass all the units (Wehrmacht, Volkssturm, W-SS, Luftwaffe, whatever) involved in the defense of the local area (usually town) he is responsible for.

Now, on the squad level, to have an (elite) W-SS squad come under the command of a Volkssturm Zugführer would be unlikely, but not impossible.

[Mattias]

If it indeed was a Volkssturm platoon HQ that took command of a SS infantry squad I would be surprised too, to my knowledge that can't happen in CM. Company or higher HQ's take command over otherwise out of contact infantry squads or support units. But platoon HQ's never give C&C to an infantry squad that was not originally attached to it.

But if it indeed was a higher echelon HQ I would say, sure, the SS squad would need to coordinate with the Volkssturm company or battalion if they themselves where out of command. They would probably have a say in the decision but they couldn't fight the war alone.

In your case though, I would just move the SS squad back in command

M.

[Mr. Johnson--]

I'd listen to anyone that managed to live through WW1.

[Redwolf]

I think that HistoryBuff's question is better answered with: there is only one limit in the game engine's HQ control code, that platoon HQ only control their own squads, not other squads. No code exists to prevent any HQ from controlling any non-HQ units, no matter what the units or situation.