Page "Heinrich Himmler" Paragraph 58

On 26 September 1944 Hitler ordered Himmler to create special army units, the Volkssturm (" People's Storm ").

All men between the ages of sixteen and sixty were required to join, over the protests of Armaments Minister Albert Speer, who noted that irreplaceable skilled workers were being removed from armaments production.

In October 1944, children as young as fourteen were being enlisted.

Because of severe shortages in weapons and equipment and lack of training, members of the Volkssturm were poorly prepared for combat, and about 175, 000 of them lost their lives in the final months of the war.