The death march went through the villages of Mülsen, Ortmannsdorf, Zschocken, Hartenstein, Schlema, Schneeberg, and Zschorlau, ending in Wolfsgrün. The people living there were able to come out of their homes and observe what was happening. However, their behavior toward the prisoners varied greatly. Sometimes, they tried to help. For example, in Zschocken the miner Kurt Zierold provided potatoes for the prisoners , who rushed towards them hungrily.

Other people turned away in shame, or were even afraid of the prisoners.

Another part of the civilian population was organized in so called Volkssturm. These men, who were not fit for combat, were tasked with defending the local villages. They became perpetrators for prisoners on the death march: Volkssturm men persecuted and killed prisoners who escaped or took them back to the column.

(Titzmann 2024)