Joseph Goebbels and other propagandists depicted the Volkssturm as an outburst of enthusiasm and the will to resist.[9] While it had some marginal effect on morale, it was undermined by the recruits' visible lack of uniforms and weaponry.[10] Nazi themes of death, transcendence, and commemoration were given full play to encourage the fight.[11] Many German civilians realized that this was a desperate attempt to turn the course of the war.