In the German army during the Second World War, supply issues were treated very thoroughly. This also applied to monetary allowance. Until 1944, the Wehrmacht servicemen regularly received their money.
Safety is more important
We learn about the income of German soldiers during the Second World War from various sources, including from the memoirs of military personnel. Thus, the Wehrmacht veteran Armin Scheiderbauer, who came to the front in 1943 at the age of 18, noted that he was immediately given the rank of lieutenant and a salary of 220 Reichsmarks (RM), which was transferred to the savings account of the Stockerau bank.
Even without the front-line allowance, this was a significant amount, especially for yesterday's cadet. In addition to his monetary allowance, Scheiderbauer received a one-time sewing allowance - 750 RM, for which he could buy very decent uniforms.
At the beginning of 1944, Scheiderbauer's monthly salary, still in the rank of lieutenant, was 300 RM. By this time, 4000 RM had accumulated in his savings account, since during the period of constant hostilities he had no opportunity to spend money. But the officer could contact one of the branches of the bank at any time and withdraw the necessary amount.
By the end of the war, the lieutenant was taken prisoner, and after his release, he learned that his bank had burst, and with him all the accumulated funds with which he was going to build a new life with his bride went. However, according to Scheiderbauer, then he was more concerned not with money, but with his own safety.
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First of all, associates
Predictably, the German generals did the best financially. For his closest associates, Hitler spared no expense. According to some information, the best lived Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, whose total monthly income reached 30 thousand RM. No wonder he was called "the second man" after the Fuhrer.
Hitler very generously honored the highest army ranks for their next anniversary. So, in the spring of 1941, Grand Admiral Erich Raeder was paid a bonus of 250 thousand RM on his 65th birthday. Field Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb received the same number a year later for his 65th birthday. Impressive sums were also written out for the anniversaries of Rundstedt, Keitel and von Kluge, and Kleist and Guderian were granted extensive estates by the Fuhrer.
As for the constant monthly income of the top commanding staff of the German army - field marshals and grand admirals - they fluctuated around 4 thousand RM, while their monetary allowance, even in the pre-war period, was only partially taxed. For the entire period of their service, the German generals could provide themselves with a well-fed and carefree old age.
To each his own
During World War II, all members of the German army could count on a tax-free salary (the so-called Wehrsold). True, for a significant part of the military, Wehrsold was frozen for the entire period of their being in captivity.
The salary was paid either in advance once a month, or at regular intervals, for example, every 10 days. If the family of a soldier had dependents, then he was entitled to an allowance, which was paid to his relatives by the civil authorities, whether the soldier was in an active unit or in captivity.
In addition to Wehrsold (it was also called the front salary), the professional military received a regular salary (including for the period spent in captivity) - Freidensbesoldung, which was laid down in peacetime. This salary consisted of the main part, quarterly bonuses and allowance for each child.
The serviceman could receive his salary in the form of a check at the commandant's office at the place of stay, while cash was transferred to one of the German banks. Until 1945, Freidensbesoldung was usually paid 2 months in advance, in the final period of the war - only 1 month.
Non-personnel military personnel, starting with the rank of chief corporal, could apply to the commandant's office with a request to pay Freidensbesoldung, but in this case they had to refuse dependents benefits. There were cases when the amount of dependent payments exceeded the regular salary, and then such an exchange became meaningless.
The financial support of the Wehrmacht soldiers also included additional payments for participation in hostilities (Frontzulage) - regardless of the rank of 0.50 RM per day. Every German soldier, in addition to his monetary allowance, could count on free three meals a day, housing and uniforms. Food could be exchanged for its monetary equivalent - up to RM 3 per day.
Below are the salaries of some categories of Wehrmacht military personnel in modern US dollars, excluding taxes (1 US dollar or 0.40 Reichsmarks in 1945 roughly corresponds to 17 US dollars in 2018). The first figure stands for the regular Freidensbesoldung salary, the second for the Wehrsold front allowance:
Field Marshal 19,040 $ + 2,040 $
Colonel General 13 107 $ + 1836 $
General $ 11,985 + $ 1,632
Lieutenant General 9 520 $ + 1 428 $
Major General $ 7,939 + $ 1,224
Colonel 6,324 $ + 1,020 $
Major 4 029 $ + 731 $
Lieutenant 1 360 $ + 476 $
Feldwebel 1 088 $ + 357 $
Non-commissioned officer $ 952 + $ 272
Soldier $ 204 (Wehrsold only)
In the military formations of the Wehrmacht, salaries were also received by legionnaires - for an ordinary mercenary until 1945, this amount was equal to 30 RM. According to the recollections of a Pole who fought in the 352nd artillery regiment, his salary was 52.50 - 54.50 RM per month.
Volunteer assistants to the Wehrmacht, the so-called "hivi", earned depending on their nationality. So, the Russian "Khivi" received 24 RM per month, the Poles - 45-55 RM, the Balts - 72 RM + 30 front line RM.
There is almost no information about the level of salaries in other branches of the German troops. However, the Luftwaffe pilot Wolfgang Dirich wrote in his memoirs that for each mission of the "destroyer crew" to attack dangerous targets (for example, British factories), a risk surcharge of 400 RM was in addition to the usual salary.
For comparison, the average salary of a German worker per month during the war years was about 190 RM. A pack of Eckstein cigarettes (12 pcs.) Cost 3.33 RM, the price of a German serviceman's daily food ration was 1.35-1.50 RM, a card for visiting a soldier's brothel could be purchased for 2 RM.
