3,060,000 German military personnel were taken prisoner by the USSR and that 1,094,250 died in captivity (549,360 from 1941 to April 1945; 542,911 from May 1945 to June 1950 and 1,979 from July 1950 to 1955).[4]
Deserting is always an option, and the most ethical one
If you were caught deserting you were killed. And your family often killed as well.
If you were called to conscript and failed to appear. SS would visit your home. You either went with them or was killed… or your family killed. It may be the most “ethical” in your eyes… but these decisions are hard and come with a lot of strife and pain.
Source: First hand account from a conscripted German. Aka my grandfather, who was lucky enough to be conscripted in the very end of the war and DID manage to get a way with desertion only due to that luck. I have family which accounts were documented of the SS killing them for even mentioning that the SS did something inhumane ( a great-uncle of mine).
Deserting is always an option, and the most ethical one
That isnt without risks itself and it might not have been practically possible in some cases.
Would you desert if your family gets sent to a concentration camp when the army finds out?
If you were caught deserting you were killed. And your family often killed as well.
If you were called to conscript and failed to appear. SS would visit your home. You either went with them or was killed… or your family killed. It may be the most “ethical” in your eyes… but these decisions are hard and come with a lot of strife and pain.
Source: First hand account from a conscripted German. Aka my grandfather, who was lucky enough to be conscripted in the very end of the war and DID manage to get a way with desertion only due to that luck. I have family which accounts were documented of the SS killing them for even mentioning that the SS did something inhumane ( a great-uncle of mine).