Missing in Action: The Female Work Force in Nazi Germany

Unlike the United States, Britain, Italy and the Soviet Union, Germany, Nazi's female workforce refused to mobilize female workforce to support their war efforts. Germany was exhausted by the lack of civilian necessities such as war supplies and food, but the Nazi authorities refused to use the female army as a worker. Amid the cruel circumstances of World War II, all of Europe except Germany is using all the resources available to survive.

Nazis forced 15 million people to work in Germany (including prisoners of war), many of whom died of poor living environment, abuse, malnutrition and execution. In its heyday, forced laborers accounted for 20% of the German labor force and were an important part of the German economic development of the conquered territory. They are particularly focused on ammunition and agriculture. For example, 1.5 million French soldiers were housed in German prison camps as hostages and forced laborers.

Women are not expected to work in Nazi Germany. There are 100,000 female teachers, 3,000 female doctors, and 13,000 female musicians in Weimar in Germany. A few months after Hitler came to power, many female doctors and civil servants were dismissed. A female teacher and a lawyer follow. By the time the World War II began, few German women worked full-time. However, this is German skill shortage, the law passed in 1937. In other words, women must be "duty years". This means that they can work in the factory to "patriotize" to help the Nazi "economic miracle". Marriage loans were also abolished this year.

Official policy downgraded women to their houses, but the demand for war effort certainly expanded to the use of large female labor. At the end of the war, there were 500,000 women supporting members in the German Defense Forces and occupied territories. Half of them are volunteers, most of which are responsible for administrative tasks, hospitals, telecommunications equipment operations, and complementary defense roles.