well not just the soldiers were paying the ultimate sacrifice
Allied Bombing:
Estimates suggest that Allied strategic bombing campaigns, particularly in the latter stages of the war, resulted in the deaths of around 350,000 to 500,000 German civilians.
Flight and Expulsion:
The flight and expulsion of Germans from areas in Eastern Europe, particularly after the advance of the Soviet Red Army, led to a large number of civilian deaths, with estimates ranging from 500,000 to over 2.0 million.
Other Causes:
Some deaths were attributed to Soviet war crimes, forced labor in the Soviet Union, and the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship carrying refugees, which resulted in the deaths of about 9,000 civilians and military personnel.
Total Estimates:
Some sources suggest that the overall number of German civilian deaths could be as high as 3,000,000, with the higher end of the range including deaths from the flight and expulsion.