German Military Chaplains in World War II

German Mililtary Chaplains in World War II by Mark Hayden, published by Schiffer Military History, 2005 is the most recent book I have finished. This book is hardcover, in a 6" x 9" format, with 160 glossy pages and about a photo on every page. While the majority of the book covers Roman Catholic and Protestant chaplains in WWII there is some discussion of WWI, the interwar period, and post war era. They discuss both Christian and Muslim chaplains as well as a sentence on the possibility of Hindu clerics!

Many of the photos cover priests conducting communion services, funerals, and marriages. Some of the photos are portraits, and others are detailed photos of the uniforms and insignia worn by chaplains. The text covers the duties and training of chaplains in the German Army.

In my set of wargame rules, we take into account the morale of soldiers. One factor that detracts from the readiness of soldiers is if they have become "War Weary." To determine if a unit is in that state, we look at several factors. Are the troops being fed? I try and have mess sections with my units as you know if you have been keeping up on this blog. Do the troops have their leaders in place? I always try and have officer figures and commanders with my units. Do the troops get proper medical care? I have medics with all my battalions. And are the troops getting the spiritual and mental assistance they need? I have been building both chaplains and mascots for all my units.

In my Free India unit I have included both Hindu and Muslim chaplains; complete with prayer rug! My Bosnian unit has Muslim chaplains too. When a unit is preparing to go into battle the Bunkermeister will check on the unit status, any unit that does not have most of these important features, may find itself to be reduced in morale status to "War Weary." As a practical matter, not only are they more likely to fail morale checks, but they do all direct weapons firing at a level five percent below normal.

Units that have broken morale can only be reformed at certain positions. Military police, mess trailers serving food, officers, the flag, and chaplains can all rally the troops. Several good reasons to start adding chaplains to your units, so your little plastic heroes can "praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition."