Part 8/14:
The number of soldiers executed officially was relatively low. Estimates suggest around 158,000 executions during the war, which is a small fraction compared to the total casualties (over 14 million).
Most punishments involved judicial procedures, court-martials, or internal disciplinary measures.
The extreme measures—such as shootings of entire units—were rare exceptions aimed at serious cases of cowardice, treason, or insubordination.
Furthermore, Germans also applied brutal discipline. German units executed retreating or panicked soldiers en masse, establishing punitive units and harsh deterrents themselves.