I Shot an SS Soldier. Memoirs of a German Veteran. Eastern Front.
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- Опубликовано: 24 июн 2023
- Hello, dear friends, today we will read the memoirs of German veteran Franz Eschner. His destiny on the battlefields of World War II was remarkable! He does not hesitate to talk about the war in its true form. Some of the facts of his combat history cause outrage, while others cause mistrust. Still, I like this kind of recollections of veterans, it makes us think and check the facts...
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#history #easternfront #worldwarII #technic #wehrmacht
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My father was as a young Austrian 🇦🇹forced to join the German army in WWII too. His story is almost as crazy as this one. I wrote all his stories up in a small book and sent it to my daughter and nephews. Nobody should ever forget what they had to suffer for those crazy politicians at those times. People did not learn for all this misfortunes of the past. Greetings from Linz Austria 🇦🇹 Europe!
My dad was probably in battle with this guy. He attended the Battle of Mount Olympus too. My dad's side lost the battle. My dad never won in battle. He was later wounded and lost his eye in another losing battle.
Absolutely crazy this guy served on at least 3 fronts and survived the entire war as an enlisted german soldier.
honestly, this is the most visceral stuff I've heard on YT in a while and I love it. it reminds me of the video interviews recorded in the 60s of WW1 veterans by the National Archives. fascinating and impactful stuff.
This is probably the most honest recollection of the war I've ever heard. Thank you
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Interesting and informative. Excellent photography job making it easier for viewers to better understand what the orator was describing. Class A research project. Historians did a very good job presenting actual facts from fiction. Special thanks to the veteran solders that shared their personal combat experiences making the documentary more authentic and possible. Fighting/surviving/perishing knowing certain death/debilitating wounds were often possible. Still moving forward regardless of the odds. That's true grit style determination to succeed. Fortunately
There were a lot of self-inflicted wounds among the Germans to stay out of Russian hands. Can't say I blame them.
I remember reading a memoir about 8-10 years ago by an American soldier named Rocky something. Paratrooper that fought in the Bulge from what I remember. They took 2 German prisoners (SS maybe?), but they were expecting a immediate German counterattack so his squad leader told him to shoot these 2 guys. He walks them outside the house they were in and shoots the first one in the back. The second doesn't run, but ducks down because he didn't know where the shot came from. He then shoots him too and said he felt bad because the poor guy didn't even get a chance to run. Sad story and props to the guy for not brushing past what really happened. War is not glamorous or ethical
A Good Leader would have laughed Too. Rommel would have , most certainly, laughed at his own predicament, diving into a latrine. The ability to laugh at oneself is an indication of a good leader and a well balanced person. That German Officer blew the chance to bond with his unit. Had he laughed, Respect for him would have been immense. Punishing soldiers for laughing at that was Stupid.
Thanks again for these, such a valuable insight.
My grandfather was a Gebirgsjäger in Greece 1943. He was 19 when he was orderd to shoot italien prisoners one by one. It is known as the the war crime of Kefalonia (2500 italiens were killed) . He could have said no, without being shot, but if you are in a military unit far from home the commrades are your family and you do not let them down. Beside that if he would have shown weakness, he knew that he would have been the guy to be put up front at any given oportunity. He could not get over it until the end of his life. War is hell.
After reading some comments, and having watched the video, you can notice that:
Awesome story and photos, thank you.
Interesting, thanks for sharing.
This is very interesting! I'm loving these memoirs.
Harsh experiences that are far more impressive than any of those taken into films ever.
I have never been in the military and I am glad to learn how young soldiers acted during WWII. It was impossible for me to visualize certain events recalled here such as the ability to shoot at SS troops and get away. Similarly, how could it happen that it was possible for this soldier to get away from the gendarmery by using a grenade? Still, it was worth hearing the account.
Feld gendarmerie were notorious for summarily executing soldiers. I'm not surprised he threw a grenade and ran away from them. It kind of boggles the mind that even then when the war was obviously lost and allies closing in from east and west, the Feld gendarmerie were still in the field harassing soldiers. I'm surprised more were not killed by their own retreating soldiers.