Story of a German Soldier
Prolouge
I slowly walked up and down the lines. Inspecting the Kompanie under my command. As I walked I would receive the occasional "Salute Herr Hauptman!" and would talk with the soldiers and try to keep them at ease. It was still dark. Dark, damp, and cold. Most of the soldiers had their minds on girlfrieds, wives, children, but not on the attack they would be taking part in. I've been with these men since the training at Leipzig. I have made many friends in the Kompanie and was sad that many of these young men that I walk by would soon be dead or wounded. They looked so young, so youthful. I couldn't bear to see any of them die. But it had to be done, to create a Greater Germany. A greater Third Reich.
We were the 2nd Kompanie, 4th Battalion, 1st Regiment, of the 7th Infanterie Division of the 14th Armee under General von Reichenau. We were to advance straight to Warsaw linking up with German soldiers in Torun completing the encirclement of Lodz and Poznan.
I continued my walk down the lines and stop briefly to talk with Leutenant Neubach who was commanding a squad once the attack order was given. Tall, skinny, it looked like he had been starved but he had not. He always wore a smile and was a morale boost to all around him. Today he seemed grim though. The thought of death spooked him and all of the other soldiers as well I am sure. He was not a day over 21 and had just graduated officer
school when he was placed in my Kompanie. We talked about the upcoming assault and then I moved on.
I continued to a camaflouged foxhole. As I walked by it I heard a voice calling, "Herr Hauptman!" I quickly turned around and saw Unteroffizer (Sergeant) Frosch waving me over. A slightly overweight man in his mid-twenties, Frosch was always in search of a good fight and a drink. I liked his attitude towards life and had always been good friends with him. As I walked over he ask me a few questions on the attack. I told him what I knew (or was allowed to give to the soldiers) and then continued my patrol.
Then I stumbled upon a makeshift bunker. Leutenant Hals and Gefreiter (Corporal) Steigmon were talking before the assault. Hals, a very solemn soldier in his thirties gave me a wave. Steigmon, a 19 year-old farm boy was extremely excited. He was psyched and was talking rapidly on how he couldn't wait to be in combat. This zeal, I thought, was going to get him killed once we engaged the Polish forces, but for now I let him continue talking while Hals just sat back and gave the occaisional nod.
One of the maps Schoner was looking over
I then walked back to the Kompanie HQ and found my assistant, Euringer, packing up, ready to get moving at the order to attack. My adjutant (XO) was looking at some maps. His name was Schoner and he was in his late twenties. A brillant yet risky man had made it to this position with his constant persistance. He was a great man, a great friend. I sat down to go over the maps with him and finalize the many tiny details that needed to be done. I lost track of time talking with him and looked out the window of the villa that we used as an HQ and you could see the tiny bit of light the rising sun produced as a sign that it was beginning to rise. I looked at my watch. "Hmm, 5 o' clock," I said to myself. Just as I looked up my radioman took off his headphones and said, "Herr Hauptman! The attack order has been given by General von Reichenau. The 14th Armee is to advance!"
I burst out the door and blew the whistle to signal the attack. Many of these young men would be dead by the end of the day. And even more by the end of campaign, but they will just be another casualty of a monster called war...
Prolouge
I slowly walked up and down the lines. Inspecting the Kompanie under my command. As I walked I would receive the occasional "Salute Herr Hauptman!" and would talk with the soldiers and try to keep them at ease. It was still dark. Dark, damp, and cold. Most of the soldiers had their minds on girlfrieds, wives, children, but not on the attack they would be taking part in. I've been with these men since the training at Leipzig. I have made many friends in the Kompanie and was sad that many of these young men that I walk by would soon be dead or wounded. They looked so young, so youthful. I couldn't bear to see any of them die. But it had to be done, to create a Greater Germany. A greater Third Reich.
We were the 2nd Kompanie, 4th Battalion, 1st Regiment, of the 7th Infanterie Division of the 14th Armee under General von Reichenau. We were to advance straight to Warsaw linking up with German soldiers in Torun completing the encirclement of Lodz and Poznan.
I continued my walk down the lines and stop briefly to talk with Leutenant Neubach who was commanding a squad once the attack order was given. Tall, skinny, it looked like he had been starved but he had not. He always wore a smile and was a morale boost to all around him. Today he seemed grim though. The thought of death spooked him and all of the other soldiers as well I am sure. He was not a day over 21 and had just graduated officer
school when he was placed in my Kompanie. We talked about the upcoming assault and then I moved on.
I continued to a camaflouged foxhole. As I walked by it I heard a voice calling, "Herr Hauptman!" I quickly turned around and saw Unteroffizer (Sergeant) Frosch waving me over. A slightly overweight man in his mid-twenties, Frosch was always in search of a good fight and a drink. I liked his attitude towards life and had always been good friends with him. As I walked over he ask me a few questions on the attack. I told him what I knew (or was allowed to give to the soldiers) and then continued my patrol.
Then I stumbled upon a makeshift bunker. Leutenant Hals and Gefreiter (Corporal) Steigmon were talking before the assault. Hals, a very solemn soldier in his thirties gave me a wave. Steigmon, a 19 year-old farm boy was extremely excited. He was psyched and was talking rapidly on how he couldn't wait to be in combat. This zeal, I thought, was going to get him killed once we engaged the Polish forces, but for now I let him continue talking while Hals just sat back and gave the occaisional nod.
One of the maps Schoner was looking over
I then walked back to the Kompanie HQ and found my assistant, Euringer, packing up, ready to get moving at the order to attack. My adjutant (XO) was looking at some maps. His name was Schoner and he was in his late twenties. A brillant yet risky man had made it to this position with his constant persistance. He was a great man, a great friend. I sat down to go over the maps with him and finalize the many tiny details that needed to be done. I lost track of time talking with him and looked out the window of the villa that we used as an HQ and you could see the tiny bit of light the rising sun produced as a sign that it was beginning to rise. I looked at my watch. "Hmm, 5 o' clock," I said to myself. Just as I looked up my radioman took off his headphones and said, "Herr Hauptman! The attack order has been given by General von Reichenau. The 14th Armee is to advance!"
I burst out the door and blew the whistle to signal the attack. Many of these young men would be dead by the end of the day. And even more by the end of campaign, but they will just be another casualty of a monster called war...
