With the tide of war now against Germany, the Volkssturm (People’s Militia) represents its last line of defence. The Volkssturm was drawn from ranks of the population previously considered unfit for military service, including younger boys (aged 13-18) and older men (many of whom were veterans of World War I).

After being called up, the units received only rudimentary military training, and their equipment was a motley collection of standard-issue German equipment and simplified weapons designed for militia use.