# How were frontline WW2 German & Russian troops paid? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-frontline-ww2-german-russian-troops-paid/480434 "2009-01-08T22:19:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sassafras\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Sassafras\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassafras_Kid)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-frontline-ww2-german-russian-troops-paid/480434/1 "2009-01-08T22:19:02Z")
Was it payday every two weeks for the German troops in combat on the Eastern Front? Did Russin conscripts line up to get paycheck on the push to Berlin. Why not add Japan. Did Japanese troops in the tunnels of Iwo Jima get there salary? In other words, did combat troops in non-Democratic nations get paid? ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-frontline-ww2-german-russian-troops-paid/480434/2 "2009-01-08T22:33:58Z")
No idea to the answer, but if I may be so bold and add a question: how were Allied frontline troops paid as well? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-frontline-ww2-german-russian-troops-paid/480434/3 "2009-01-08T22:37:01Z")
Money? Dude, you were lucky you weren’t shot. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-frontline-ww2-german-russian-troops-paid/480434/4 "2009-01-08T22:39:40Z")
My brother is currently in Iraq. His paycheck is automatically deposited to his banking accounts. However, I’m sure that was a fairly rare thing back during WW2. I imagine payday was handled differently in different theaters. If you were fighting on Iwo Jima, for example, I’m sure you accumulated paychecks, held in the rear area, and would get it all paid to you when you were given some R&R time. In an example like German soldiers fighting in Berlin at the end, I’m sure pay was in theory being held, but in reality was non-existant. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-frontline-ww2-german-russian-troops-paid/480434/5 "2009-01-08T22:45:08Z")
> [@Tristan](#): > > My brother is currently in Iraq. His paycheck is automatically deposited to his banking accounts. However, I’m sure that was a fairly rare thing back during WW2. > > I imagine payday was handled differently in different theaters. If you were fighting on Iwo Jima, for example, I’m sure you accumulated paychecks, held in the rear area, and would get it all paid to you when you were given some R&R time. > > In an example like German soldiers fighting in Berlin at the end, I’m sure pay was in theory being held, but in reality was non-existant. They also used a different script. “Military Currency” google hits with coin shop type buisnesses. [http://www.kcshop.com/foreigncurrency/0-Military.htm](http://www.kcshop.com/foreigncurrency/0-Military.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-frontline-ww2-german-russian-troops-paid/480434/6 "2009-01-08T23:09:20Z")
The Russian troops were lucky when they got fed. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-frontline-ww2-german-russian-troops-paid/480434/7 "2009-01-09T00:20:40Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > The Russian troops were lucky when they got fed. For most of the war they were better fed, supplied and supported than their German counterparts. After the initial shock and reorganization the Soviet army was much, much better logistically organized than the Germans. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-frontline-ww2-german-russian-troops-paid/480434/8 "2009-01-09T01:15:24Z")
By the way, what was a military “pay book?” Why was that such an important piece of paper? ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-frontline-ww2-german-russian-troops-paid/480434/9 "2009-01-09T01:56:50Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > By the way, what was a military “pay book?” Why was that such an important piece of paper? At least in the German army every soldier had a little booklet that contained all kinds of documentation.[ul] [li]Official ID, both for military purposes and when dealing with civilian authorities[/li][li]All promotions, including of course the current rank[/li][li]Paygrades and their changes[/li][li]Receipts for some special payments[/li][li]Past and present units and deployments[/li][li]Equipment issued[/li][li]Vaccinations, blood type, gas mask size[/li][li]Wounds, time spend in hospital[/li][li]Contact info of the next of kin[/li][li]Decorations[/li][li]Leave[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-frontline-ww2-german-russian-troops-paid/480434/10 "2009-01-09T03:34:00Z")
Presumably many had families back home who would starve if no money was coming in. How did money get back to them?