In World War II, Alois Beck, a Nazi German army chaplain, watched German soldiers die in Stalingrad on the Eastern Front in the fall of 1942. He crouched beside the bodies of soldiers left on the ground, scribbling their names and addresses in his notepad, having fought in the Battle of Stalingrad from September 8, 1941.
War chaplains were attached to priests and pastors who had served the German army in World War II, against the backdrop of Article 27 of the Reich Agreement and its secret principles.On July 20, 1933, the Pope and the Nazi German Reich had signed the Reich Agreement. It incorporated Christianity as the unshakable foundation of moral and ethical life and regulated and enforced the restraint of the political activities of the clergy. In Article 27, the activities of military chaplains were exempted under the guidance of the Army Bishop. Furthermore, in the case of military chaplains, the costs of personnel, business operations, vehicles and facilities were paid from the defense budget. The Protestant bishops of Germany brought Catholic pastors under their protection by withdrawing them from the political arena altogether. After the war, the Reich Agreement remained in place, binding the federal government and the states under international agreements. Nazi Germany made an agreement with the Church and propagated that it would not be hostile to Christianity. The Catholic Church avoided repression from Nazi Germany.
The war chaplain inspired the German soldiers by granting absolution to the masses and organizing exchange celebrations before the big battle. War chaplains recorded the wills of German soldiers and sent letters of comfort to the families of the fallen. They wore the same field uniforms as German soldiers, no insignia on their shoulders, but a purple collar with silver embroidery and a small cross. He helped organize funerals and funeral services. He served only in the army and navy; there were about 900 war chaplains serving in the battle against the Soviet Union in 1941. Whenever a war chaplain came, they simply prayed with him, suggesting that a violent attack was imminent. War chaplains were also involved in the genocide of the Jews with full knowledge of it. He supported the sacrifices of the German soldiers and admonished them that killing the enemy would lead to the love of hair.
