Self-Mutilation to Escape the Eastern Front

German soldiers during World War Two deliberately injured themselves to escape the horror

of the Eastern Front. They called it self-mutilation or Selbstverstümmelung. Thousands shot themselves in the foot or hand,

faked illnesses, or exposed wounds to infection. The punishment if caught was execution

by firing squad. But many were so desperate to leave the brutal combat against Soviet forces

that they risked death anyway. Some estimates suggest up to fifteen percent of German casualties

were self-inflicted. The fear of battle outweighed the fear of execution for countless young

men trapped in an unwinnable war.