Interview with a German WW2 Veteran
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- Опубликовано: 1 июн 2024
- Recently, we had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Joachim Hess, who fought on the German side during World War II. He shared his unique perspective, outlining the life of a Wehrmacht soldier during the conflict.
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@WorldWarTwo I lived and worked in Germany in the early and mid nineties. During that time I knew several veterans of the second world war who fought in the Eastern and Western fronts. They were more than enthusiastic to tell their stories about their perspective of the war and what they experienced as POW's. I considered them good men.
The real tragedy of ww2 was what happened to germany and german civilians.
I've always been a huge advocate for having German perspectives because they're literally half of the story.
ah
Less than half was Germany's. The remaining half+ was generated by Russia and actually Russia still generating that story.
nazi sympathizer
ParaLight Worx for German view
I think the perspective of the people on all sides is important, because this is an international show and the knowledge of a sides varies from country to country.
99 years old and still clear as a bell! 👍
And with perfect teeth!
and better hair than mine
pop made it into his 90s, his body was fucked but sharp as a tack until the day he died
glad to give this commend it's 300th like
@@williamhalsted4German veteran, not B.E.F
German-Speaker here. Your German is remarkably good, Herr Olsson!
SacredScout, from his comments im assuming that Herr Olson is German
@@jimsmith9819I’m not. I’m of Swedish/French/British/American upbringing. My parents are Swedish, but I grew up mostly in France.
Thank you SacredScout.
@@spartacus-olsson I love how much of a polyglot you are.
@@DoraFauszt nice to see you Dora! And thanks.
Now we´re in the very last years when there are still living veterans of WW2, so getting this interviews for posterity and asking good questions like Spartakus did is very valuable. It´s a shame the way youtube censors this channel.
I'm actually glad they can keep doing this though. It's like a massive spit on RUclips's face!
Scam ads are fine, but God forbid we get some educational stuff about the horrors of war! 🙄
All I can say to all veterans Allies & Axis Men & Women thank you and surviving one of the bloodiest conflict in human history and serving your country and to those we lost god bless you all.
@@isaiahkayode6526 under no circumstances do you have to thank Germans for fighting for their country in WW2 you utter nitwit
What we get taught in school is a very watered down black and white abbreviated version of the war. Especially with WW-I. That war was always summed up by the assassination of ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand, which was just an oversimplification of what actually lead off to that whole thing.
Its disappointing and disgusting that RUclips always has to meddle even in older history.
@@Ratkill9000 true! I remember being massively disappointed in High school when we finally got to the World Wars.
My grandfather died 2 weeks ago, he was 97 and part of the Volkssturm. He was injured by an American grenade an nearly died.
He hated the war as well. He told me he never shot his weapon outside of training. I've learned a lot of him. Thanks for being a positive role model grandpa, I'm happy you could fall asleep peacefully.
@@punishedgloyperstormtroope8098 Bruh wtf
@@punishedgloyperstormtroope8098 You drop on your knees when someone from Volkssturm says they hate war.
I dont say he wasn't a good grandparent or something like that but to call him a hero is a bit excessive.
@@punishedgloyperstormtroope8098 Why i am not surprised you are that kind of person...
@@punishedgloyperstormtroope8098 those who got sympathi to the nazi regime
@@punishedgloyperstormtroope8098 Guy with perpetualy sore right arm.
''War, my father said, is the destruction of national wealth.''
Words of truth from a wise man.
Reminds me of Cicero's quote
It reminded me of a great quote by Dwight D. Eisenhower:
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.”
Your father is not that wise. Because it could be the creation of national wealth as well. You just have to win - then you can loot your enemies and enrich yourself. I mean your logic is so dumb and your father very silly - you can just look at the French or British empires and their wars to grow and maintain their empires - very profitable based on data and results.
In German he says “people’s wealth” (volksvermögen) which makes it even more poignant since it’s not only about the destruction of monetary wealth, but people.
SUN TZU, sums spent on chariots and armor, will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day.
'Your enemy are still people' is an important lesson I wish more in power would remember today.
What’s that even mean
@@chrisfalx3251 War is a bitter, brutal affair. Even after the war is over, it is common centuries later for that bitterness and hatred towards another race or nationality to exist that was spawned from war. My dad served in Korea and Vietnam. Never once did he talk poorly of either. By not condemning them, no chain of hatred formed in me. He spoke nothing but positives for all he met- Turks, Italians, Japanese etc. I think that is a lot of what the original sentiment entails.
@@chrisfalx3251 its very easy to demonize, and dehumanize those who fought on the German side. with so much evil from the top, you have to remember that millions of people in Germany were just people trying to survive. When guns fall, we must do what we had to do from the beginning and talk it out. Its hard to do that when you forget your counter part on the "enemy" side is just someone who was given orders just like the Allied side. Yes there were very evil people in the German army and other areas of their control, but many of the common soldiers and support were just people. Not evil, just people.
@@chrisfalx3251 It was said during the thirties and there was much talk of certain mensch being 'unter' so I took it as a reminder not to listen to talk othering the foe and sadly that hasn't gone away.
like Putin even gives a fuck. Lol wake up bro
I interviewed my great uncle for my school exams when I was like 16
I knew him but hadn’t really spoken to him ever before yet he agreed to talk about his experiences and to be recorded
He was a plane mechanic in the luftwaffe
He wanted to be a paratrooper but the Luftwaffe conscription officer told him that that is no good idea that Germany needs men like him in the Plane mechanics ( he was a skilled electrician already )
He later thought that the recruiter wanted to spare him a bad death as the glory days of the German paratroopers had been over by that point ( 1941)
So he became a mechanic for airplanes
He repaired them day and night , sometimes they had to drive out to find crashed German or enemy machines to salvage or repair what they could
He was a very lucky man too
His airfield near Stalingrad was encircled just as he had hopped on the train to Germany for his holiday he had been granted
So he lost his first comrades and they all probably died in a gulag
This then happened 3 more times with him having holiday every time his poor comrades were encircled by Soviet troops
In 1945 he was sent to Dresden to repair and retrieve the local me262 squadron from the airfield
They arrived 2 days after the famous air raid
He said at some point they couldn’t drive on as there was mountains of dead in the streets so they had to walk the rest
When they arrived on the airport everything was either destroyed or the planes had already flown out
Then he was given a rifle and was told to walk towards the east until they find Russians to shoot at
His officer was shot whilst retrieving his bicycle out of a village they thought was still in German hands
It was not it was filled with Soviet guard division troops
Later they were in between two mountains somewhere in the sudentenland where they knew the Russians were on the hill infront
All of a sudden they raised the white flag and started screaming and shooting guns in the air
It was the 8th of may 1945 the end of the war
He then was put in an old concentration camp somewhere in the Berlin area where the Russian commander treated them very fairly
The watches the guards had stolen were returned with a promise to all his German pows
You will not be moved to Russia and I will release you on one year if you work hard !
So they then dismantled German infrastructure like railways and such and they were then sent to the Soviet Union for rebuilding
Funnily enough he recalled that it was near the zone border and 100 meters further the Americans sat on their jeeps made stupid remarks and laughter at them whilst chewing gum
Meanwhile they had to dismantle tracks at 40 degrees outside 😂
The Russian kept his promise and released them but he wouldn’t release anyone to the French zone as the French would grab any returneese and sent them to their Labour camps
So he let himself be released to his girlfriend in the Russian zone
They married and my uncle lived a good honest life and was a very prominent and well respected man to his death
At 96 years old he died to a lunginfection as a follow up to a simple cough
This was 3 weeks after I had made the interview
I went to visit him in the hospice and seing a 96 year old ww2 veteran scream for someone to finally fucking shoot him to end his misserary as he was in such aching agony changed me for the rest of my life
I’m not ashamed to say I burst out crying when I left the hospice
This was my uncle walthers story
I hope you found it someone interesting
I find it to remarkable to be lost to history
Remember that every soldier is a human being at the end of the day
Thanks for sharing.
Vielen Dank. Mein Opa ist '39 mit 19 eingezogen worden. Der 2. älteste von 10 Brüdern auf ner Pferdezucht nahe Allenstein. Hatte grade Zimmermann gelernt und wollte auf die Walz. War wohl nix. War Pionier - X mal verwundet, am ganzen Körper verbrannt. Dann Gefangenschaft und' 50 zurück. Ist bei irgendeiner Selektion mit Hämorrhoiden "durchgefallen"...für den Rest gings ab nach Sibirien. So ungefähr hat meine Oma es erzählt. Er selbst hat nie viel gesprochen. Ausser beim Essen - Butter(Fett) Kartoffeln, Salz...immer die gleichen Geschichten über das Tauschen vom selbigen. Ich habe sie geliebt, an seinen Lippen gehangen. Ich habe einfach gespürt, daß ich etwas unendlich Wichtiges gesagt bekomme. Einmal die Woche wurde "Resteessen" zelebriert. Der Kühlschrank im Keller mit den mit Draht zugerödelten Töpfen hör ich jetzt noch brummen... 😅. Ach und noch so viel mehr. Weshalb er Weihnachten spät immer in der Küche gesessen hat, hab ich erst später erfahren. Russischer Angriff bei dem sein bester Freund aus Kindheitstagen an einem Bauchschuss in seinen Armen verblutet ist..."Scheiß Kriech"- hat Oma immer nur gesagt. Im schönsten Ruhrpott - isch. - jaaa, der schöne Adolf... Und mit "nie mehr" ist's ja leider auch nicht weit her... 😢
@@pseudonym745 es ist wichtig das wir die Schicksale dieser Männer nicht vergessen
Danke für diesen berührenden Beitrag ...
@@pseudonym745 Great memories, some hard ones but still great my friend.
“Every grenade, every bomb, every bullet is a loss.” 😢❤😢
A powerful quote, thanks for watching.
lol
lmao
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." - Ike
@@thebobbyllama6410 It doesn't matter. Both quotes prey on naivete.
@@Arnaere..You really think war is fun yo?
This is such an amazing interview! Finding a German WW2 veteran who is still healthy and perfectly cognitive in 2024 is legendary. I feel like with all of this technology and social media this will surely help the younger generations connect more with history!
Hoch lebe Deutschland....frieden.fur alle...lernen
The real tragedy of ww2 was what happened to germany and german civilians.
@@6foot8jesuspilledpureblood82 the real tragedy is how many people died because of german politics and the german war.
@@6foot8jesuspilledpureblood82What happened to the Soviets was horrible aswell
I'm amazed at this guy's father. He saw the whole war before it even happened by just looking at industry production, understanding that Germany's only hope was to seize as much as they could and then force an end to the war before the Americans could intervene. What a destructive horror these humans endured.
Danke fürs teilen. Das is so unglaublich wichtig, gerade jetzt! Unfassbar, wie klar der Herr noch immer ist. Ich wünsch ihm noch viele gesunde und schöne Jahre.
Sehr schön geschrieben; wahre Worte.
Dem kam ich mich nur anschließen.
Vielen Dank fürs Zuschauen.
Incredible to see him so sharp still at 99
Great interview. Hans Hellmut Kirst, who served as an artillery officer on the eastern front and later became an international best selling author, gave numerous interviews up until he passed away. Kirst was very frank about growing up in nazi Germany, joining as a party member, enlisting in the army in 1933, and the wisdom he came away with. Interestingly, Kirst later indicated that after the war he did not immediately believe accounts of Nazi atrocities. "One did not really know one was in a club of murderers". Some memorable quotes that I still think about are:
“The soldier must say Yes when he thinks Yes. But when many say Yes and think No, when they feel forced to say Yes, though they think No, or when they say Yes for the sake of their careers, their own comfort or self-interest while their consciences tell them No, the point has been reached where true soldiering dies out altogether. And not only soldiering. This is death’s great triumph. For when conscience dies, mankind dies with it.”
"I had confused National Socialism with Germany"
Kirst remains one of the best anti war satirists.
HH Kirst wrote some cracking books.
blah blah blah
08/15 is one of my all time favorite shows and book. A friend was watching it when I visited him about 20 years ago. International Historic Films has the DVD set.
@@juliaforsyth8332 I read "The Wolves" as a teen. Made such an impression.
@@mikebrase5161 I've never seen the films. Maybe one day someone will rediscover his work for the screen.
Missing Oma and Opa now.
They shared a lot of stories with us.
You are so lucky. In the soviet occupation, we had lots of veterans but many I know did not speak a word about the war. Just some generic sentences like let there be peace, be a good pupil at school etc. My wife's grandfather was conscripted into the Red Army at over 40 of age, some technical corps. He went to Berlin and back (not in the first lines obviously). He did not talk about the war at all. The family knew next to nothing about his experiences. Many people who survived Gulag did not speak a word about their experiences, either. I guess it was best not to talk in the soviet union.
The real tragedy of ww2 was what happened to germany and german civilians.
Mine was born in 45’ told me post war stories. She has alzheimer now and doesn’t even recognise me.
@@6foot8jesuspilledpureblood82 No. And I say that as a German nationalist. We suffered a lot and our pain and the unjustice against us should not be forgotten but we can not take the spot light.
My Great-Grandfather was in the Polish cavalry in September 1939. After a short stay in a POW camp, he came back to tend to his pretty big family. During the war, polish partisans, german infantrymen and soviet infantrymen made him house them. Once, he was about to be executed and his family burned alive in the barn after the germans found out he housed the partisans, thanks to the officer's good heart, his and his family's life was spared. My father always described him as a cold, down to earth and tough man. However, he told me he could see fear and pain in my Great-Grandfather's eyes only when he was telling him these stories. War leaves a mark on everybody, no matter how tough they are.
War is much more than hell.
We civilians in North America and other select places in the world are, for now, spared of it.
Hope that it never comes for us…. 💔
A close family friend went over the border and joined the Canadian special forces went on to go on one of the deadliest raids on the submarine pen in France and nearly everyone died and he got out and was damn lucky to get out, continued to stay with the Canadian special forces untill the US joined the war, and then came back over and joined the US Air Force and went on to fly more missions than anyone else in ww2, was shot down no less than 6 times and was the sole survivor every single time and survived a plane crash coming back over to the US on a bomber that crashed on the return flight to the US. Guy had like a gazillion lives and had stories for days.
The thing about any WW2 veterans still alive, of any nation, is they're usually the most innocent cohort. All the ones with real power and decision are long dead. These guys were just young boys caught up in events above their head.
one died recently here in new zealand.- he was 102 years old and captain in new zealand army in w.w.2.
They still made the choice to serve hitler. Just like Russian choosing to serve Putin and then getting what they deserve in Ukraine.
I was born in 94, raised and still live in Essen. It was heavyly bombed serval times. My Grandfather was born in 31 and he could recall the first daytime attack and its date with ease. Thats how bad it was he always said you can hardly know what war really means. I loved listening to him he told me some gruesome storys that he witnessed back then. Im a son of my time a long period of peace thats what i stand for. But even I understand that war is evil. He was the best Grandpa you could ever imagine. A Long time before he passed away we agreed that I would stay with him when his time would come. Im glad I held that promise. May you never have to witness war in any way shape or form. Love and Peace to all of you ❤✌🏼
Thanks. Take care
And Essen became a sh*thole full of mossis like the whole Ruhrpott
All but 2 family members were in the German military during ww2, a couple were active nazis that did some really bad stuff and were evil a few just got caught up in it.
I have friends whose fathers fought for Germany in the 14-45 war. One became a psychiatrist in order to cope with her father's alcoholism and abusiveness. Germany produced an entire generation of men who suffered from PTSD.
not only germany…….
@@Marco187PoloTrue, but when an entire generation is forced to fight for an unjust cause, it would come worse for their souls.
What 14-45 war? Are you collectively referring to WWI and WWII? Those were two different wars.
@@Melior_Traiano Two different wars? In the 1914 chapter, Germany invaded France, resulting in an alliance of democratic nations: Britain, France, the United States, etc. The German generals who lost that chapter then chose a promising young man to lead revanchist Germany: Hitler. Germany then attacked Czechoslovakia and Poland, leading to an alliance of liberal democracies (plus Russia, who dropped out of the first half before the intermission). The 1938 chapter followed directly from the resolution of the 1914 half. One hundred years from now your "separate wars" will be treated the same way we lump everything at the turn of the 19th century into the "Napoleonic Wars."
@@danielwillens5876 They are already referred to as the "World Wars", genius. The emphasis is also on wars as in multiple wars. I can't help you, if you can't understand these basic facts.
My US Military family was in Cold War West Germany, 73 to 80, my German neighbor, took part in Operation Barberosa. I learned to listen to his stories, then my Post Chapel went on a trip to Israel in 75, I learned to listen. Living off post, my school mates' father was formally a Hitler Youth, and I learned to listen. And now we are on the threshold of repeating the past. Who is listening?
those who dont learn from the past are doomed to repeat it
lol what are we going to repeat? You mean what Germany was doing during the Weimar Republik? Gender changes, p***philes, normalizing a hedonistic society? Or are you talking about the solution that was brought to end such filth? I assume the latter.
Very well stated. 👍
Hi!! He looks great for 99. Wish him good health, and thanks for coming to Timeghost to talk about your experiences during ww2!!
I am American. My father was in WW2. I love Germany and the German people. It's hard for me to visualize such violence that occurred between us. It is good to hear the other side accurately describe what the war was like for them. Hollywood doesn't usually give accurate accounts. Men like Dr Hess did what they had to do to survive.
I was in the USAir Force in Germany 1976-80. I too love the German people, and I felt sad for their loss as well.
Was not expecting this sort of video at all, but so glad that we have it thanks to the great efforts of all of you at TimeGhost and Dr. Hess.
It wouldn't be possible without the TimeGhost Army, thank you for watching.
Forty years ago I got to know a man who had been a Wehrmacht tank commander at Leningrad. He said that he had been given command of a tank which performed perfectly on flat dry ground at 20 degrees C. The only conditions he never met in the USSR were flat, dry ground at 20 degrees. He said the worst thing was keeping his socks dry, because every man he knew who wore wet socks died.
My grandfather died near Leningrad in 1942.He was a tankman, we do not know how he died, they did not indicate in the funeral. He was buried in a mass grave.
To see what the German Army experienced while fighting in the East you only have to look at Ukraine, where even modern M1 Abrams tanks have issues traversing the muddy terrain.
The Father of my moms best friend growing up was a U-Boat captain that survived the war and had stories to tell, he died recently like 2018.
Danke.
Herman Sims (old disabled U.S. Army Infantryman veteran, son of a Navy veteran of WWII, all of the Pacific Campaign)
Thank you for your service, and your family's service.
My grandfather never really talked about the World war 2, until we got drunk one night we shared our experiences in the military together. But when him and me went to the recruiters before he said you guys have it soft! Our training was brutal we had 20 mile speed hikes with a full pack and had to live with 62 guys every day and one small footlocker! They were aww struck and one asked where did you see action asking reluctantly! My grandfather took a small breath and said Europe and I was at Achion and the battle of the Bulge, but I won't talk about it because you weren't there! They stood up and gave him a proper salute!
salute
My god, both Aachen and the Bulge and he came out alive! Your grandpa was made of some stern stuff. Salute!
My gram gram fought in the Caucasus, he was not in the soviet army ;)
@@johnmacmillan3941 I know a guy like that too. he got in a fight with a russian guy at sochi in 2014
One of my best moments was getting to watch the movie Dunkirk and realising the person who had sat next to me in the dark was a man who was there, he came with his daughter, with his ribbons, medals and beret.
Through the film I could sense him getting emotional, it made the experience that much more for me, after the film he just turned to me and asked me "Did you like the film?". I spoke to him briefly and his daughter mentioned he was there, all I could do was thank him for watching the movie with me.
I never had a chance to speak to anyone who was a veteran before then, and that was likely my only chance.
Thank you for this video.
Amazing!
At the start, Sparty said that these were some highlights, I wonder then if there's a chance that the full interview might be released at some point?
Yes
@spartacus-olsson oh hell yeah
It needs an English dub; I'm very interested, but the embedded subs are too small to read on a phone screen, and the CC is still in German.
This is an English-language channel, on a (primarily) English-language site; It's a bit weird to insist on non-English audio, especially for such an important interview.
I'd think you'd want to make such an interview as accessible as possible.
Thank you for the interview!
When Dr. Hess mentioned his main motivation being survival and thus striving to be in a support role, it reminded me a lot of my grandfather. The only real difference is, that mine went to the mountaineers in 1940 or 1941, in the hopes that the war would be over by the time their training was done. He finished that in '43 and luckily survived the eastern front
Thank you for sharing a bit of your grandfathers story, and thanks for watching.
As a young German I find his statements epitomatic of the weasly bourgeoise (Bürgertum).
The least heroic of all the classes in Germany.
My grandfather was a working class social democrat, he fought in the infantry on the eastern front, he earned quite a few medals for his bravery against the bolsheviks and his comrades even after the war highly praised his fighting spirit.
The part where he returns to his team's duty station and finds everyone else dead or wounded was chilling. It's hard to imagine what it must feel like to know that you're only intact my virtue of random chance.
Well, we are all here to begin with by virtue of random chance.
Life is luck.
It must have been an incredibly harrowing and sobering experience.
Excellent job! What a joy to watch! I'm 57 and my grandparents were of the Depression/ WW2 area. I had dozens of uncles that fought in the war. They're all long gone, but listening to this man speak was like seeing them all over again. God Bless him and you too Spartacus.
Thanks for watching!
What a man. Preaching peace. I hope this stands as a record of what it was like as a German during the war.
If this German dude is honest with himself, he must live down the fact that he was in the army of the country that committed the worst genocide in human history and murdered millions of French, British, Russian etc. etc. To get that off your conscience you'd have to do volunteer work every day of your life, donations, visit those affected etc.
As a German, I'm deeply impressed by Spartacus' language skills!
What an absolute honour to have an interview with this gentleman and share it to the world, thank you so much
Sehr tolles Interview! Unglaublich was die Soldaten und vor allem die Zivilisten alles mitmachen mussten damals! Danke dass er seine Geschichte erzählt und uns mit seinen Erfahrungen bereichert hat, Krieg ist furchtbar und ich wünsche mir dass mehr Menschen diese Einsicht haben und es verstehen.
Thank you Sparty and Dr. Hess.Stories like this make the war more real and personal. We can all learn so much from the survivors and by learning history.
Thank you so much for the comment and the superchat!
Spartakus german is insane...its brilliant
and Dr. Joachim Hess really has a story worth hearing
Isn't Sparty German?
Yes, he is german.
@@40sBlockProductions I think he is from sweden but lives in germany
@@harambe5479No, he ist not German, but he lives in Germany
@@harambe5479 He is Swedish, and you can hear that he has a slight accent, but only minimal
Thank you for your work. Never forget.
And thank you for watching.
I actually shed a tear listening to this. Thank you for the interview, everyone should hear his story!
My man your German is immaculate, I am semi fluent but struggle listening to native German speakers sometimes because of the way their words flow together but with the way you enunciate I barely needed to look at the subtitles. I don't know which I am more impressed by: your guest or your command of the language.
I've watched nearly all of the content on this channel and nearly all on the Great War channel (which I was introduced to nearly 10 years ago) and this is perhaps one of the best episodes on either platform. I sincerely hope for more of this content before that generation fully fades away. It also gave me a chance to brush up on my very rusty German.
Thank you for interviewing him. The German perspective is so important to know.
Thanks and thank you for your continued and incredible support.
-TimeGhost Ambassador
It's watered down. The real perspective isn't allowed on youtube. It wakes too many people up.
Thank you for this touching interview! This is probably the saddest aspect of this series, that there are not many witnesses alive anymore. My grandfather was approx. 15 years older than Dr. Hess (born in 1910) and served in the Wehrmacht from 1941 to the end. All the time on the Eastern front. I don't know if he ever would have called himself a pacifist, but I think his attitude towards war was pretty similar. Unfortunately the war never really left him, he was suffering from severe PTSD, though he had a successful academic career.
We heard so much about the battles during this war and in the day-to-day coverage on Instagram we also see some soldiers singled out. But it is a huge difference to talk to an actual veteran or survivor of the Holocaust. I always enjoyed these conversations, as they put life into the narrative of the war. So it is a great treasure, to have this interview with one of the last veterans of the war, as I guess there are not many left, from either side.
Any chance you could find an Allied veteran and make an interview as well?
Anyways, it is the specials like this that makes me proud to be a member of the Time Ghost Army, as I know this is only possible because of our contribution.
Thank you for this interview. I never stop learning from your content.
Dr Hess' dad seems to have been a very smart man. A trait that obviously runs in the familiy. You don't get to choose where or when you are born. Great interview.
I was thinking the same. The foresight and lack of delusions about Germany's chances of winning the war... my own great grandfather told my grandfather that Germany might win the war, but I don't know whether he just said that to keep my grandfather calm and whether he really believed what he was saying.
Dr. Hess is also very smart! He is the senior boss of the company i work and i have the pleasure to meet him every week. Lokking forward to visit my first 100 year party!
As a german and somebody who is quite new to the channel… I‘m impressed from the german speech skills from the interviewer. Its Perfect!!!
In the interview the speaker said "we germans" so im assuming hes a native german so it makes sense.
This video and this whole channel should get archived in to a time capsule and or be a mandatory watch for every student during history class, I swear. Great work you guys are doing, love it!
Being in the USA I have known and talked to many ww2 vets and survivors that I wished that there stories could be recorded. War is hell, no doubt about it, and to hear this interview is a reminder to me and to all of us, as Spartacus says “ never ever forget.” Thanks to dr Hess for doing the interview
More groups should take initiatives to collect interviews like this for posterity; after another few decades many of these veterans won't be alive to tell their story and their stories will be lost forever unless we start preserving them now.
Such a welcome piece of first person history. So much has been lost, overlooked and sadly long forgotten. Thank you.
"Every grenade, every bomb, every bullet is loss."
Pointless, it truly is. It saddens me greatly to see the veterans of any war live long enough to see their efforts fail once again. Peace is never achieved long enough to be enjoyed by whole generations, and I don't think it ever will be. It only lasts just long enough for people to forget, and ensure it happens again.
Great interview with this old warrior. ❤
Thanks!
-TimeGhost Ambassador
I could listen to him speak for hours! What a marvellous find by this channel!
It's not too difficult to find allied veterans, especially Americans, discussing their experiences on RUclips. More often than not, they'll be discussing some (relatively) well-known, fact like D-Day. For some reason though, possibly due to the language barrier, you don't find many survivors from the Axis side (Germany, Italy or Japan). It's really fascinating to see how the other side experienced the war.
Glad you enjoyed, never forget.
A very special interview. Well done Sparty and the Timeghost team. Thank you for sharing your experience Dr Hess.
That is by far the best German from a non-native speaker that Ive ever heard!
Incredible - all veteran voices ought to be heard from this war
There were millions of soldiers still alive after the war. No1 has the time to listen to all of them
@@heavyartillery-qm5hu ok smartass
@@heavyartillery-qm5huare you stupid each person listens to different story’s, as time passes that pool will get smaller
Excet maybe the few surviving escaped SS officers in South America who have lived in comfort and satisfaction.
That interview was just Precious. Thank you Sparty and Astrid! ❤️
Thank you (on behalf of them) for your kind words.
-TimeGhost Ambassador
Thanks spartacus, extremely well done, my grandfather was in the 30th inf division and trained at Ft. Benning Ga. and survived the 2nd WW. He would only say, "it was bad",thank you so much for sharing this wise veterans words with the world, and very respectful too in his native tongue - again thank you.
I was actually going to send you an email suggesting to talk to a veteran! Seems you got ahead of me. I had the pleasure of speaking to a WW2 veteran for the first time a few months ago, who fought in Greece, North Africa and New Guinea. He was up to date on world news and said "Putin ought to be assassinated". I think it would be great if you could interview even more survivors - not only veterans, but people who were children during the war, I've also found, can have very interesting and unique memories. Thank you!
In my younger days, I sought out WW2 vets to hear them tell their stories; I didn't understand how anybody didn't find them thoroughly engrossing. Both of my grandfathers served in the USMC during the War - one a Sherman tank commander, the other in a non-combat capacity - so I was fortunate to have their stories close to hand. Grandpa - my Dad's father - told me stories that his own children never heard.
That is awesome! I have always wanted to talk to a German veteran. Its always fascinating to hear from the other side.
I had the fortune of speaking to several veterans from both sides of the conflict. What strikes me is that most have left behind any hatred towards their former enemies. It’s amazing to see them talking to each other over a meal and some drinks, bringing up memories.
@@punishedgloyperstormtroope8098 What fall in morality or economics? Politically there’s indeed some issues (mostly due to outside meddling) but nothing the democratic process won’t fix eventually.
my dad served 80-83 in Nurnberg Germany 2nd ACR Merrell barracks/Sudkaserne, near our housing area at Pastorius Strasse, in the summer of 83 I worked at Zeppelin field you know-the rallies- groundskeeping ,with two old germans one missing an arm; I remember one of the German TV channels ZDF? airing documentaries of their war with Russia, and the high school auto shop teacher one time telling how Russian tank rounds fell at their feet. I have in my possesion 4 large format prewar black and white photos one of which was I think was Hitlers JU52 and another of an officer-I do't know who, but he had a pet like a Scottish terrier and he looks like he would be a WW1 vet
Thank you for making these! Such a rare chance to hear first hand accounts of WW2
This is why i have been watching this channel for years, is for this moments that make me go " yes, this is why i love this channel, the team and effort behind".
You have a new patron from now.
Much appreciated, welcome aboard!
What a story, what an episode.
Thank you Sparty.
Incredible. Great work as always.
What a humble and inspiring human being. Thank you.
Awesome to see another veteran's story filmed and documented
This guy's father was incredibly smart, at least as far as I can tell from his story. "War is the destruction of national wealth" is a great way to put it, and I find it remarkable he managed to give a good prediction of what would happen once the war had started
Thanks for releasing the same week as the 80th anniversary of D-Day. I'm sad to report that Bill Cameron, a Canadian WWII veteran who served in the D-Day invasion, passed away at age 100 the night before he was booked to fly out to France to attend the events.
Danke for a very good interview
Excellent video, its a nice change of perspective to not only hear about all the horrible things war brings and see the numbers of the dead but it feels more real and closer when you have people who have been through those hard times share their stories.
It would be great to see more videos like this now and then, but as always you guys always make top quality and informative videos.
Thank you, really appreciate your comment.
-TimeGhost Ambassador
Such a clear mind from Dr. Hess, even after so many years. It was quite interesting to listen to his story, thank you for making this interview
Great and invaluable questions as well, and Hess's answers as well. Pure reality and tragedy, and you can imagine both sides' crìmês and the state of the two ęnemies.. especially in 1945 with all the weariness...
Unbelievable, and poor civilians
Please let Herr Doktor Hess know that his conversation with you was _compelling_ in its character, and intimate in its scope. So very well done, both of you. So very well done!
Deep respect for this man.
He speaks the truth, that there is nothing to gain in a war. It is always better to live and let live and do something positive in your own life and let others do the same.
Thanks for showing this eye opening interview.
I wish that more people come together for world peace.
More of these interviews please. Just amazing.
Mr. Olsen speaks excellent German.
Dr Hess' perspective is truly invaluable, thank you for conducting this interview. It's sadly a matter of a -very- short time before we lose them all.
Thank you for preserving history for us.
thank you for sharing
Every world leader should be made to watch this video.
Great interview, I hope we can see more from other veterans and survivors of the war.
I grew up in the Lake District In England. I knew a German POW when I was young. He lived on my street. All I remember him telling me he was in the Kreigsmarine. His ship got hit and he was taken POW. He was brought to the Lakes to work on a farm. He ended up marrying a local lady and stayed. I still have a small pic of him in his Uniform he gave me. Strange seeing him young wearing a swastika. He passed away in 2008. Rest in Peace Mr Meyer!
You can mayb google is Name. If he was a u boot crew member you can find him online
wer sowas erlebt hat und überlebt hat.. unseren großen respekt verdient...
zumal sie danach auch wieder aufgebaut haben...und wiedergutmachung...
sie haben alles bezahlt...nicht wir.
10/10, Great interview, so clear and so concise even at such an old age, as his life approaches its sunset, its great we can have just a fraction of what he's experienced and seen.
Vielen Dank and das Team und an Herr Dr. Hess für das Interview.
Vielen Dank fürs Zuschauen.
Thank you Dr. Hess for your story and insight.
Vielen Dank für den Einblick.
A powerful interview. Thank you Sparticus
Beautiful interview
Incredible video…
Thank you All!
So Very, very much.
😔
My grandfather surrendered with parts of his unit (a StuG brigade I forgot the number of, maybe 236?) in - then - Czechoslovakia. He described his march into captivity only once and mentioned that they were walking in a column stretching several kilometers. He told me that the whole time there was shooting going on, at the rear, the front and in his vicinity as the Soviets shot everyone too exhausted to keep on walking. That was a harrowing story I will always remember.
Never thougt i would see the day when Spartacus would host an episode in German. Thanks so much for the interview!
Thanks for watching!
Great video! Anyone else noticed Indy say a loud YEAH? At 6:40?
Well noticed
Good spot.
Isn’t amazing how he remembers so much. Thank goodness he is helping us all know what all these people went thru. Thanks so much for this interview:-)
Thank you for commenting.
-TimeGhost Ambassador
I’ve been watching these videos of Spartacus’ and all the others from Time Ghost for a good number of years now.
This one hits extremely hard, almost like none other.
All my respect to the Wehrmacht veteran being interviewed, his insights are beyond reproach.
Thank you for this video. We have fewer and fewer survivors from WW2 and its atrocities, and it's imperative that we document and preserve their experiences as much as possible for the future.
17:15 i believe it was Cicero who said 'the sinews of war is infinite money'
Really enjoyed this interview, sobering words of wisdom that echoed from his father and the life lessons he has endured has allowed him to pay the words of wisdom forward. 20th century wisdom still applicable in the 21st
Excellent. 👏👏👏
Many many thanks what a beautiful interview between two wise men one more seasoned than the other
Vielen lieben herzlichen Dank!
You are very welcome!
-TimeGhost Ambassador
What a sweet man he seems, and what a great and important message at the end.