The German Wehrmacht was understrength, especially after continuous operations between June 1942 and February 1943, to the point where Hitler appointed a committee made up of Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Martin Bormann and Hans Lammers, to recruit 800,000 new able-bodied men—half of whom would come from "nonessential industries".
Den tyske Wehrmacht var underbemandet, ikke mindst som følge af uafbrudte operationer mellem juni 1942 og februar 1943, og det i en grad, så Hitler nedsatte en komite bestående af feltmarskal Wilhelm Keitel, Martin Bormann og Hans Lammers, som skulle rekruttere 800.000 nye ubetinget tjenstdygtige mænd – hvoraf halvdelen skulle rekrutteres fra "uvigtige erhverv".