WHICH SIDE TO STAND ON

Initially, the Nazis conscripted only those of German ethnicity from the Czech lands, primarily the so-called Sudeten Germans, for military service. It’s estimated that over half a million of them may have served during the war. Military service for ethnic Czechs was not originally intended. However, some Czechs became victims of Germanization efforts.

These individuals were primarily spouses and sons from mixed marriages, as well as those with German ancestors or other ties to the German community. They were pressured, often under direct threats, to declare their German nationality. Those who succumbed to this pressure eventually found themselves enlisted in the German army.

As in other occupied countries, the Nazis directed their Germanization efforts in the Czech lands toward groups influenced by the German cultural or linguistic environment who also differed from the majority “enemy” populations, such as the Czechs and Poles. In the Czech lands, this primarily targeted the inhabitants of the Czechoslovak part of Silesia.

In this region of Silesia, several hundred thousand Slavic inhabitants lived under the influence of three powerful national centers—Bohemia, Poland, and Germany. Each of these national currents laid claim to Silesia. However, the blending of these different influences meant that nationality often did not play a central role in the locals‘ personal identity.

The Nazis offered certain advantages to those Silesians who, despite their “Silesian” nationality, subscribed to a program of gradual Germanization. Refusal, however, was met with threats of losing employment, property, and in some cases, imprisonment. Consequently, most Silesians complied. Eventually, these individuals were subjected to military duty, and several tens of thousands of Czechoslovak Silesians were required to wear the German uniform. After the Sudeten Germans, they constituted the second largest group of Czechoslovak citizens serving in the Nazi army.

Like their approach to other “non-German” soldiers, the Nazis generally had little trust in Czechs and Silesians. They were dispersed across various military units, rarely serving together in large groups. While some conscripts actively supported Nazi ideology, most merely sought to survive the war. They sought various means to escape from the German uniform. Especially toward the war’s end, desertions, voluntary captivity, and defections became increasingly common.

While in Allied captivity, some of these conscripts joined the Czechoslovak or other Allied armies. This was not a small group; by the end of the war, nearly four thousand had joined the Czechoslovak exile army. Among them were ethnic Czechs who had succumbed to Germanization pressures, as well as Czech compatriots from Germany and Austria, a handful of German anti-fascists, but the majority were Silesians.

Their motivations for switching sides and fighting against the Nazis were diverse. In addition to patriotism and loyalty to Czechoslovakia, concerns about their post-war future played a significant role. Refusing to join the Allies threatened loss of property, civil rights, and potentially even the possibility of returning home—fears that had initially driven them to join the Nazi army.

Once again, individuals caught between conflicting nationalisms were forced to choose a side, but this time on the opposite side of the barricade.