Ludwigsburg Garrison in the Second World War @museum.de

F: In March 1936, a law setting up the German Wehrmacht came into force. Something that sounds so bureaucratic would bring death and devastation across the whole of Europe just three years later. German rearmament also made itself felt in Ludwigsburg. By 1937, the town once again had 5,000 soldiers stationed here; barracks had to be extended or newly built. Ludwigsburg organised commemorations and grand parades to celebrate itself.

M: One of the photographs shows the Ludwigsburg troops returning from France. It was taken in October 1940, a period when everything was going according to plan for the Wehrmacht. People were still cheering and waving, the houses were still festively decorated, and the flags were being proudly carried at the head of the procession. But the town’s appearance was changing: more and more wounded were coming home from the front. Prisoners of war were being interned in Ludwigsburg, and German soldiers were also being captured.

F: The display case features the typical uniforms of the Wehrmacht. They include the decorated Feldbluse, the field tunic of a captain serving with the Infantry Regiment 13. It has the typical double collar tabs in the shape of a Roman number two. For officers, the tabs were usually hand-embroidered in silver. Next to the tunic are the officers' dagger, which was part of the uniform from 1936 to 1944, and the peaked cap worn by infantry officers.

M: When the advancing Allies arrived in Ludwigsburg, there was no battle – thanks to a man called Karl Dieter, the site surgeon. In April 1945, he ensured that large parts of the town were designated as a military hospital. Ludwigsburg was handed over to French troops without a fight on the 21st of that month. 14_The US Army in Ludwigsburg