Enjoy handy playlists with all the stories of the soldiers! ruclips.net/p/PLME26KOruKR3xPuLzIorw0d1RTk7KYoJf Waffen SS. Diaries and memories of German soldiers. ruclips.net/p/PLME26KOruKR3CTzfue93twWQ7k_d4yOzc Personal Diaries and Memoirs of Soldiers.
Some things I found out: Wolfgang Knoblich informs that he belonged to the 7th Company, II Battalion of the 513th Infantry Regiment. This indicates that he fought in the 294th Infantry Division, which was commanded by General der Infanterie Johannes Block between 22 March 1942 and 12 August 1943. The general staff officer of the 294th Infantry Division between 23 March 1942 and 20 May 1944 was Oberstleutnant im Generalstab Theodor Mehring. The 294th Infantry Division had 3 Infantry Regiments (513th, 514th and 515th), the 294th Reconnaissance Battalion, the 294th Engineer Battalion, the 294th Artillery Regiment, the 294th Tank Destroyer Battalion, the 294th Signal Battalion, the 294th Field Replacement Battalion, the 294th Divisional Supply Group and the Headquarters structure. The 294th Infantry Division was created on February 6, 1940, in the town of Döbeln, IV military district (Dresden). The Division was employed as part of the invasion force in Belgium, France and Yugoslavia, before joining Army Group South, operating in the Kiew area in 1941. Wolfgang Knoblich's diary begins with the restructuring of the 294th Infantry Division, with a new division commander, new staff officer and new elements, at the end of March 1942. Until July 1942 the 294th Infantry Division was attached to XVII Corps of the 6th Army (Army Group South), fighting in the Kharkiv and Donez areas. In August 1942 the 294th Infantry Division was transferred to XXIX Corps of Army Group B in the Donbogan area. The following month, in September 1942, the 294th Infantry Division was again transferred, this time to the II Italian Corps, part of the 8th Italian Army attached to Army Group B, during which time the author of the diary, Wolfgang Knoblich, problably died. In October 1942, shortly after Knoblich's death, the 294th Infantry Division was placed in reserve, under Army Group B orders and remaining so until January 1943. Some medal-decorated soldiers who fought close to Wolfgang Knoblich, author of the diary: - Heinz Siebenhüner, Hauptmann (Captain) of II Battalion, 513th Infantry Regiment was an officer who led the unit in which Knoblich served. Siebenhüner received the Iron Cross second class, Iron Cross first class and German Cross in Gold (awarded in 1941). - Georg Rietscher, Gefreiter (Lance Corporal) of 14th Company of the III Battalion of the 513th Infantry Regiment, must have been famous at the time in the 513th Regiment, where Knoblich served. Rietscher was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class (in 1941), the Iron Cross Second Class (May 1942) and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (June 1942) when he destroyed 9 tanks during a Soviet attack on Kupjewacha (east of Kharkiv). - Hans Guhr, Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant) of the 513th Infantry Regiment, where the author of the diary fought. He was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class (in 1939), the Iron Cross First Class (in 1941) and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (in September 1942, just 16 days before Knoblich's death ). Sorry for the bad English.
Awesome! So nice to dig up such information for the sake of history as also those who served there or those who are interested in military history and can draw lessons from it.
Sorry but true warriors don't torture nor gas small children. Germans back then were so brutal that they have no problem torturing and gassing babies and small children.
Wonderful description of first hand battle info. The diary writer had me hooked from the start. He was honest in how he really felt about his plight & the other soldiers with him. I really felt sad when he didn't make it thru the war.
@@philliphall5198Or the elusiveness of it. Hitler had it for a short time, then lost it at the cost of everything else. To seek power is to risk utter destruction.
What I like so much about this channel is the way they take rare photographs that enhance the diaries. It must have taken them a long time to find the right images that match so closely the narrative of the author. I really love this channel.
No historian and no historical documentary can compare to the profound revelations revealed within contemporary diaries, intense, disturbing, unforgettable, ominous, dreadful and haunting, deep inside their heads, right through their eyes.
I enjoy your diary videos very much, thanks. I myself kept a diary during my time in the military along with a couple of paper back favorites in my ruck, but sadly my rucksack was destroyed during my third deployment by an IED that totally destroyed the humvee it was stored in. Keep up the good work about these warriors sir. More about the German fallschirmjager and or SS please. Thanks!👍
@1:20 "There were a lot of books....mathematics, physics, ancient history." Indeed want to lose a battle? Underestimate the capability of your enemy. The US made that same mistake thinking Japanese would be poor pilots from their small eyes and being carried as babies on the mother's back.
Wow, Please keep these videos coming absolute gold material. It’s awesome to see that there’s such articles out here that it says that verifies not all German soldiers were bad but some a victim of the time and the war as well
These soldiers are highly articulate intelligent poetic spiritual even-bless them all -There are no winners in war -let’s hope we learn from the past -beautiful renditions of these men from a golden era of people peace luv and light
Like many young soldiers, no matter who and what they are fighting for, they have the same feeling about death and destruction. The politicians and the wealthy should be combating each other and not the young men and women. 😢
Wow. It truly aches my heart and soul and mind to hear the despair of his words. I simply wish those who start wars would hear them as well. Thank you @MILITARYMIND. never stop the hard work each 1 of you do, for this very diary of him... should reach the world over, GBYou.
They invaded Russia not the other way around. German soldiers tortured and killed more than 27 million civilians in Russia alone not to mention 6 million Jews, 4 million Poles, handicapped people, Romanis, Jehovah Witnesses, black people, gays........ My tears are for those unfortunate civilians certainly not for those German soldiers who were true monsters.
His journal has similarities to The Forgotten Soldier. Eastern front = total hell...then fast forward to today and once again these very same battlefields are being used
See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forgotten_Soldier#:~:text=The%20accuracy%20and%20authenticity%20of,of%20surviving%20witnesses%20and%20documents. I read most of the book. It made interesting reading. It was very sad about the loss of his comrades and how some of them died, as well as the scenes with the fleeing refugees. It is tragic that he didn’t think much of the female teenager that he was with for the time that he spent on leave in Germany.
@@JuneJarka Another good one is Blood Red Snow...all these eastern front soldiers all shared the same horrors of being used as cannon fodder with limited supplies. It became just about pure survival. You had the russians on one end, and a-hole officers on their own side that would hang their guys for trying to scrounge for food. Insane
@@J01123Please also read this as well. Sonke Neitzel and Harald Welzer in their groundbreaking book, SOLDATEN: ON FIGHTING, KILLING AND DYING: THE SECRET SECOND WORLD WAR TAPES OF GERMAN POWS published by Simon and Schuster UK 2012 and 2013 write on pages 339 - 340, chapter 12 under the heading, WAR AS WORK MILITARY VALUES “The immediate social environment, the modern work ethic, and fascination with technology may indeed yield something like a ‘universal soldier’. At the same time, different perspectives exist on war and violence, and we can identify nationally specific elements in the formation of military frames of reference. For the Wehrmacht in World War II, these elements included concepts of honour, toughness and sacrifice to a degree that no longer applies within today’s German military. Even World I did not see such an extreme emphasis on being duty bound. Although the dividing lines may be blurry, Wilhelmine Germany, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and today’s Ferderal Republic all featured different sets of military values...The central values for Wehrmacht soldiers were bravery, obedience, devotion to duty, and emotional hardness. Those were the key factors determining how soldiers perceived and evaluated their own behaviour. This frame of reference, already in place during peacetime, remained remarkably stable throughout World War II....soldiers....arrived at differing views on the ultimate sense of the war. A committed Nazi saw things differently than a former Communist....Their basic understanding of the military though, remained the same, and in battle it was irrelevant how soldiers’ individual values had been formed, as long as they stuck to the core values as a guide for their interpretations and actions. Men like Axel von dem Bussche and Otto-Ernst Remer, both highly decorated battalion commanders hardly differed in terms of their military ethos, even though the former was a major figure in the German resistance, and the latter was responsible for smashing anti-Nazi opposition in Berlin....The consequences that emerged from this...canon of values were far-reaching.....The idea that a soldier had to do his duty under all circumstances was so firmly anchored in soldiers’ frame of reference that it could only be shaken by the immediate prospect of death or complete military defeat.” - excerpt.
I was an American soldier in Germany in the mid 70's. Now that I'm older, I see that all these guys look so young. War is where youth and laughter go to die. RIP, lads.
My parents saved every snail mail I post from my foreign war. Both requested I accept those wartime observations. I did so. My life has had enough public services elsewhere I've retired.
What a sad story. This man, an intellect, felt alone amongst common "meatheads" as his finest solace was in the stories he read in books. A prisoner of consignment, he committed his duty with a focus of simply returning home. War knows no personalities. It takes no favorites. One instance, he walked away from a spot, just in enough time to escape the conviction to eternity. The thought of that spell bounds a man to the randomness of circumstance, and the wonderment of fate or choice. This ode i write to honor this fellow, for the price he payed, young man may your spirit be set free. The hell that befell your environment has passed now, though your presence there lasts an eternity. The energy of pursuit is thirsty unendingly voracious, hungry, satisfaction unappeased, as more is the battle cry of the attacker. Life is black now, burried beneath dirt. The sky above forever looking down, happy or pleased for the service rendered. Listen....Listen to the birds, the sun, the clouds, the stars, the air, sunset, sun rise, tomorrow is not here for us all.
Damn, bet this guy was fun to serve with, maybe if he actually put value on doing the menial tasks that need doing and not looked down on everyone above him he woulda been seen as a good soldier and with his much vaunted education he probably would have been promoted sooner and made it out
10:51 Stalingrad photo of Hauptmann Friedrich Winkler. He surrendered in February 1943..... died in captivity in Beketovka a few months later. Beketovka was in the marshlands northwest of the Caspian Sea estuary. A long way from home.
By March of 1942,the primary units cadres had ceased to exist,casualties had taken many of the original troops and a large number of formations were made up with replacements….there was an acute shortage of officers and senior NCOs….even battalion,regimental and brigade commands were vacant for some time,there was also the occasional logistical problems,vehicles were wearing out and breaking down with spare parts scarce,food and ammunition were also critically short….by the time of fall of Stalingrad the OSTHEER had been turned over at least twice some units were on their 4th reconstitution….by the end of 1943 the entire Wehrmacht on the eastern front were approaching complete exhaustion….there’s an excellent book about the breakdown of the German army on the eastern front called “HITLER’S ARMY “by Omer Bartov…
I really enjoy assembling and painting model kits of WW II German tanks and infantry soldiers, and setting them on dioramas, so I also really enjoy hearing these diaries of WW II German soldiers.👍
This soldier was a deep thinker who was in a position of being a subordinate to non commissioned officers with shallow knowledge of anything outside of warfare...I was hoping that he would somehow make it out of Russia and back to Germany...Great story. 👍😎
@TheWW2BooksGuy hello , thanks for your reply , yes , average , staggering stats ! Russians more so ! ……. 5000 years of conflict , there will never be peace on earth !…… I take it from your “ post “ name you enjoy WW2books , you have probably read “ the forgotten soldier “ ( guy sager , not his real name ) if not , it is worth a read ! Regards
The World at War series states that on Christmas Day of 1943 (?), the Russians transmitted a radio message to the German troops to the effect that, "Every seven seconds a German soldier dies in Russia. Stalingrad has become the mass grave of the Wehrmacht." This was accompanied by the ticking of a clock. The transmission, and the ticking, went on all day. --Old Guy
@@Ed-ig7fj hello Ed , I remember that too , I thought it was a good Ww2documentary , I recall it started with the ruined French village of our a dour ( probably did not spell that correctly ?) which was never rebuilt after the retreating Germans murdered all inhabitants close to the end of the war , ……. Since then I read a story about how partisans ambushed a lorry of German loot nearby the village killing the small band of guards and making off with the loot , story goes that the furious Germans declared that if the loot was not returned to them then the village would be destroyed ….. ( true ? I don’t know but ……) At the end of the series it mentioned the evacuation of troops and civilians from the Memel area to the north , they were all cut off from a land route to Germany and fleeing the Russians ,so large passenger ships and military vessels were used to ferry out the refugees and wounded German soldiers , bringing in supplies and fresh troops on the return journey ……. The WW2 series commentator casually mentioned “ some drowned “ … a great understatement , The Russians torpedoed one liner with around 10000 souls and the RAF. bombed another with around 8000 souls ( accurate figures not possible because the refugees were crammed into every available space ) … these were the biggest maritime losses of life in history. ! ……. “ some drowned “ perhaps you already heard of these stories ? But I like to share when I can , …. Mark Felton on “you tube “ has great stories if you are at all interested Regards
doesn’t it seem sad that this video ends with a video game AD showing you, the player, operating a machine gun to score points, in other words as fun? I think we will have war as long as we glorify it and see it as some exotic land we all wish to visit.
Interesting and informative. Excellent photography job making it easier for viewers to better understand what the orator was describing. Historians did a very good job presenting actual facts from fiction. Orator presented the documentary very well. Class A research project. Rough combat operations on both sides. Special thanks to the German & Russian armies who fought/perished/survived fighting. Who made this documentary possible!!! Since the German armies didn't take Moscow. When the opportunity presented itself. Thanks to the amphetamine addict Hitler. Who constantly changed his generals military advice. Allowing the Russian military's forces to re group and go on the offense.
@@marcinvas7965 Exactly. The communist russians should have stayed home instead of invaded Neutral Finland in 1939~1940. The communist russians Forced Europe to Counterattack in Operation Barbarossa.
Even in mid 1942, German soldiers are longing to get away from the eastern front. Tells you a lot of ferocity of combat on both the sides. Wish to hear soviet diaries as well.
Very interesting to here the thoughts of basically thoughtful, moral men who find themselves soldiering for morally flawed causes. I am 65 and just missed the Vietnam War. My older sister's boyfriend went. We discussed this many times. I can feel in my Psychy that defending my group to the death is in my Limbic system. But in the front of the brain I have a dominant awareness that more important to me is the act of self policing. Too many of my relatives from German service failed this most important act for a male in general and a soldier specifically.
Fighting on the Eastern front must have been hell. Stalin didnt put much weight on tactics or value on soldiers lives. The Russians relied on sheer weight of numbers. Over 3 Million German troops died on the Eastern front between 1941-45. Losses in the last 12 months of the war were phenominal. Stalin was "Axis smasher" no.1. Imagine if The Western Allies had faced a Wermacht with 3 million extra troops on D'day?
It’s a sad story that was probably more common than we know about the “powerful and menacing German soldiers”. Men who were caught in a No Way Out situation and had to fight bravely to survive and get home. Contrary to what Hitler said about the Germans not deserving of HIM, as he was cowering in his bunker; he was Not deserving of the many brave(be it misguided) German soldiers who fought bravely and died in that war. Thanks.
Hitler was definitely not a coward. He fought with distinction in WW1. It's still no excuse for the evil person he became but he knew it was either total victory or death for him. He was just too vain and arrogant to take any chances of being captured. He didn't even want his dead corpse intact to be desecrated or an exhibit in a Moscow museum.
Despite the Germans being on the other side of the war and fighting against my great grand father I have the upmost respect for the Germans who tried defending their lands when the Russians invaded and despite in evitable defeat coming they still stood tall unlike that rat Hitler who lived a cowards death and made his people suffer the consequences...
Unfortunately at that time many germans were fighting just to survive. As you can see this soldier was intelligent and with education. I am from italian Tyrol and I have german roots. When I was in Ukraine I had many strange sensations. Like I was there before. Do you imagine? It's like to be in the time machine. In some places you are like in 1890. What I remember of Ukraine? The cold. - 22 degrees, simply terrible if you are not used. Fortunately here in the middle of the Alps we are not like from Sicily... Many times I imagine those soldiers there. Mud is terrible sometimes. The same is for the different way of life. It's to be experienced to understand what's my opinion. Unfortunately this war in Ukraine is simply a history repeating. That's really sad.
@@blueshirtman8875 what are you doing? Did you there? Remember that many soldiers were soldiers just because forced. It's a law that don't permit to say "no, I don't want to go". In Germany was dead penalty for the refusers. Did you know it? Try to ask to russians or ukrainians nowadays. Nobody can refuse to go army and fight. It's history repeating. My grandpa in Ukraine was forced to kill enemies. Not children or women. He always had a valor and rule into his behavior of man. Don't speak if you don't know the situations.
The Austrians in South Tyrol were pro Nazi as they hoped to break away from Italy. Fighting to survive? Really. My mother who lived in Nazi Germany said that many were very willing to fight for Adolf until they started losing the war and saw that it was not much fun.
@@semsemeini7905 that's the fact. The germans Volksdeutsche were pro nazi Germany just because otherwise their own live was completely submitted to the other ethnic groups. Here german minority couldn't speak german. Names and surnames were italianized and were moved thousands italians to colonize the entire region. At that time was a nightmare.
Or that they attacked before Stalin was ready. The Russians were slated to attack 7 days later on the 29th of July. Have you never wondered why the Germans destroyed so much equipment and captured so many soldiers in the first days and weeks of Barbarossa? Infant, go do some research.
Sooner or later eventually someone listening to these will be shocked to realize that they were the author writing during a past life incarnation and the shattering mind bending truth will come crashing down around them.
He will go to his next life and in that life God will not let him be a soldier, although sometimes they cannot be stopped and they find a way back into uniform. Although I doubt he will want to go through this again. ***don't ask me how I know.*** 😉
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Enjoy handy playlists with all the stories of the soldiers!
ruclips.net/p/PLME26KOruKR3xPuLzIorw0d1RTk7KYoJf Waffen SS. Diaries and memories of German soldiers.
ruclips.net/p/PLME26KOruKR3CTzfue93twWQ7k_d4yOzc Personal Diaries and Memoirs of Soldiers.
Some things I found out: Wolfgang Knoblich informs that he belonged to the 7th Company, II Battalion of the 513th Infantry Regiment. This indicates that he fought in the 294th Infantry Division, which was commanded by General der Infanterie Johannes Block between 22 March 1942 and 12 August 1943. The general staff officer of the 294th Infantry Division between 23 March 1942 and 20 May 1944 was Oberstleutnant im Generalstab Theodor Mehring.
The 294th Infantry Division had 3 Infantry Regiments (513th, 514th and 515th), the 294th Reconnaissance Battalion, the 294th Engineer Battalion, the 294th Artillery Regiment, the 294th Tank Destroyer Battalion, the 294th Signal Battalion, the 294th Field Replacement Battalion, the 294th Divisional Supply Group and the Headquarters structure.
The 294th Infantry Division was created on February 6, 1940, in the town of Döbeln, IV military district (Dresden). The Division was employed as part of the invasion force in Belgium, France and Yugoslavia, before joining Army Group South, operating in the Kiew area in 1941.
Wolfgang Knoblich's diary begins with the restructuring of the 294th Infantry Division, with a new division commander, new staff officer and new elements, at the end of March 1942.
Until July 1942 the 294th Infantry Division was attached to XVII Corps of the 6th Army (Army Group South), fighting in the Kharkiv and Donez areas.
In August 1942 the 294th Infantry Division was transferred to XXIX Corps of Army Group B in the Donbogan area.
The following month, in September 1942, the 294th Infantry Division was again transferred, this time to the II Italian Corps, part of the 8th Italian Army attached to Army Group B, during which time the author of the diary, Wolfgang Knoblich, problably died.
In October 1942, shortly after Knoblich's death, the 294th Infantry Division was placed in reserve, under Army Group B orders and remaining so until January 1943.
Some medal-decorated soldiers who fought close to Wolfgang Knoblich, author of the diary:
- Heinz Siebenhüner, Hauptmann (Captain) of II Battalion, 513th Infantry Regiment was an officer who led the unit in which Knoblich served. Siebenhüner received the Iron Cross second class, Iron Cross first class and German Cross in Gold (awarded in 1941).
- Georg Rietscher, Gefreiter (Lance Corporal) of 14th Company of the III Battalion of the 513th Infantry Regiment, must have been famous at the time in the 513th Regiment, where Knoblich served. Rietscher was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class (in 1941), the Iron Cross Second Class (May 1942) and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (June 1942) when he destroyed 9 tanks during a Soviet attack on Kupjewacha (east of Kharkiv).
- Hans Guhr, Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant) of the 513th Infantry Regiment, where the author of the diary fought. He was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class (in 1939), the Iron Cross First Class (in 1941) and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (in September 1942, just 16 days before Knoblich's death ).
Sorry for the bad English.
A great amount of additional detail. Thanks for the research! (Your English was fine)
Thanks for the additional and interesting detail.
Thanks for the information
Your English is fine (it's perfect actually). Very interesting information, thank you.
Awesome! So nice to dig up such information for the sake of history as also those who served there or those who are interested in military history and can draw lessons from it.
These stories are filled with so much pain. It just shows that all soldiers go through the same pain regardless of what they're fighting for.
He sounds like a true warrior. Thanks for sharing!
When I see your gratitude, my desire to work even more only prevaricates!
Sorry but true warriors don't torture nor gas small children. Germans back then were so brutal that they have no problem torturing and gassing babies and small children.
Still he was just a war criminal… like rest of Wehrmacht!
Warriors don't murder children.
@@blueshirtman8875 arm chair qb .
Wonderful description of first hand battle info. The diary writer had me hooked from the start. He was honest in how he really felt about his plight & the other soldiers with him. I really felt sad when he didn't make it thru the war.
"All war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal”. John Steinbeck
Yeah I agree but it’s all over power
@@philliphall5198Or the elusiveness of it. Hitler had it for a short time, then lost it at the cost of everything else. To seek power is to risk utter destruction.
They where the bravest soldiers that ever lived
Nope. War is the province of men
I really appreciate first person narratives from the Ost Front. I can never get enough.
What I like so much about this channel is the way they take rare photographs that enhance the diaries. It must have taken them a long time to find the right images that match so closely the narrative of the author. I really love this channel.
His name was Wolfgang? I mean what in the hell is that about? Back in like the 1900’s like what?? Haha
No historian and no historical documentary can compare to the profound revelations revealed within contemporary diaries,
intense, disturbing, unforgettable, ominous, dreadful and haunting, deep inside their heads, right through their eyes.
Diaries are by far the best recording of history.
why dont you marry them
@@drivewaynats3696
If i was a democrat i probably would.
@michaelbruns449 just go marry your boyfriend, Donald the duche won't mind 😂
I enjoy your diary videos very much, thanks. I myself kept a diary during my time in the military along with a couple of paper back favorites in my ruck, but sadly my rucksack was destroyed during my third deployment by an IED that totally destroyed the humvee it was stored in. Keep up the good work about these warriors sir. More about the German fallschirmjager and or SS please. Thanks!👍
And this is all before Stalingrad. Nuts.
Unimaginable almost
People tend to believe Stalingrad broke the 6th army, it was the fighting in the don bend that did the damage, completely decimated the Wehrmacht.
@@lolgasmz1212 great point
@@lolgasmz1212what battle was that?
Awesome channel thank you so very much for sharing ❤️👍👍🇺🇸
Thank you for all your to efforts and uploading these videos
@1:20 "There were a lot of books....mathematics, physics, ancient history." Indeed want to lose a battle? Underestimate the capability of your enemy. The US made that same mistake thinking Japanese would be poor pilots from their small eyes and being carried as babies on the mother's back.
Wow! That was intense I love the part where he called them Boneheads a phrase still used today. RIP BRAVE SOLDIER.
'Boneheads' wasn't a military complement in the sense that he used it.
@@Marius_vanderLubbe I know you Bonehead
Lol, me too. I've felt that way more than once while in the Army.😆
stop western war
This is finaly, after some time of trials, a narrator that is pleasent to listen..
Very interesting diary and so sad history, thanks for sharing
As always a interesting report .RIP
Wow,
Please keep these videos coming absolute gold material. It’s awesome to see that there’s such articles out here that it says that verifies not all German soldiers were bad but some a victim of the time and the war as well
I love his honesty!
The soldiers are honorable in their duties. the leadership is what is horrible. all the way to the top.
"
@mariogastelum1463
1 month ago
"The soldiers are honorable in their duties."
No they are not. All the criminality is carried out by their actions.
@@justinjefferson5831
you have a good point.
This German soldier left a potent insightful diary in the face of unimaginable horror.
i enjoy listening to these a lot. This one was particularly poignant, truly relating how futile and crazy war is.
Thank you.
These soldiers are highly articulate intelligent poetic spiritual even-bless them all -There are no winners in war -let’s hope we learn from the past -beautiful renditions of these men from a golden era of people peace luv and light
Love these informative videos, the pictures are great.🇺🇸
9:57 Foreign volunteers ?
Yes there were foreign volunteers on all sides
Excellent work here
Thank you. I am very motivated by the fact that you appreciate my work!
If nothing else, let his life be a legacy to the insanity of war
He said it like it was
Like many young soldiers, no matter who and what they are fighting for, they have the same feeling about death and destruction.
The politicians and the wealthy should be combating each other and not the young men and women. 😢
Love it! You can’t find this in history books.
A good one, from educated and reflecting author. What prewar position and background?
He was a great loss to his comrades with his great sense of humor .
Yeah i'll bet he was really popular.
So were all the Jews they helped to murder.
Thank You!
Quante vittime innocenti !
Bello il video, anche se triste.
Anche i Tedeschi non erano
mica tutti cattivi...
Great stuff so real and very sad at the same time. R I P writer
Thank you!…❤ 16:25
Wow. It truly aches my heart and soul and mind to hear the despair of his words. I simply wish those who start wars would hear them as well. Thank you @MILITARYMIND. never stop the hard work each 1 of you do, for this very diary of him... should reach the world over, GBYou.
The ones who start them don't care. They don't have to fight and die we do
Thank you for such kind words! I will try to continue to please you with high-quality videos!
@@armyvet8279 agree entirely, sad but true dear Vet, Thank you for your Service, GBYou and your family and friends
They invaded Russia not the other way around. German soldiers tortured and killed more than 27 million civilians in Russia alone not to mention 6 million Jews, 4 million Poles, handicapped people, Romanis, Jehovah Witnesses, black people, gays........ My tears are for those unfortunate civilians certainly not for those German soldiers who were true monsters.
@@armyvet8279 faites bien vos recherches l’ Angleterre et la France ont déclaré la guerre aux allemands .
He thought of himself as an innocent victim.
His journal has similarities to The Forgotten Soldier. Eastern front = total hell...then fast forward to today and once again these very same battlefields are being used
See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forgotten_Soldier#:~:text=The%20accuracy%20and%20authenticity%20of,of%20surviving%20witnesses%20and%20documents. I read most of the book. It made interesting reading. It was very sad about the loss of his comrades and how some of them died, as well as the scenes with the fleeing refugees. It is tragic that he didn’t think much of the female teenager that he was with for the time that he spent on leave in Germany.
@@JuneJarka Another good one is Blood Red Snow...all these eastern front soldiers all shared the same horrors of being used as cannon fodder with limited supplies. It became just about pure survival. You had the russians on one end, and a-hole officers on their own side that would hang their guys for trying to scrounge for food. Insane
@@J01123Please also read this as well. Sonke Neitzel and Harald Welzer in their groundbreaking book, SOLDATEN: ON FIGHTING, KILLING AND DYING: THE SECRET SECOND WORLD WAR TAPES OF GERMAN POWS published by Simon and Schuster UK 2012 and 2013 write on pages 339 - 340, chapter 12 under the heading, WAR AS WORK MILITARY VALUES “The immediate social environment, the modern work ethic, and fascination with technology may indeed yield something like a ‘universal soldier’. At the same time, different perspectives exist on war and violence, and we can identify nationally specific elements in the formation of military frames of reference. For the Wehrmacht in World War II, these elements included concepts of honour, toughness and sacrifice to a degree that no longer applies within today’s German military. Even World I did not see such an extreme emphasis on being duty bound. Although the dividing lines may be blurry, Wilhelmine Germany, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and today’s Ferderal Republic all featured different sets of military values...The central values for Wehrmacht soldiers were bravery, obedience, devotion to duty, and emotional hardness. Those were the key factors determining how soldiers perceived and evaluated their own behaviour. This frame of reference, already in place during peacetime, remained remarkably stable throughout World War II....soldiers....arrived at differing views on the ultimate sense of the war. A committed Nazi saw things differently than a former Communist....Their basic understanding of the military though, remained the same, and in battle it was irrelevant how soldiers’ individual values had been formed, as long as they stuck to the core values as a guide for their interpretations and actions. Men like Axel von dem Bussche and Otto-Ernst Remer, both highly decorated battalion commanders hardly differed in terms of their military ethos, even though the former was a major figure in the German resistance, and the latter was responsible for smashing anti-Nazi opposition in Berlin....The consequences that emerged from this...canon of values were far-reaching.....The idea that a soldier had to do his duty under all circumstances was so firmly anchored in soldiers’ frame of reference that it could only be shaken by the immediate prospect of death or complete military defeat.” - excerpt.
I was an American soldier in Germany in the mid 70's. Now that I'm older, I see that all these guys look so young. War is where youth and laughter go to die. RIP, lads.
My parents saved every snail mail I post from my foreign war.
Both requested I accept those wartime observations. I did so.
My life has had enough public services elsewhere I've retired.
What a sad story. This man, an intellect, felt alone amongst common "meatheads" as his finest solace was in the stories he read in books. A prisoner of consignment, he committed his duty with a focus of simply returning home. War knows no personalities. It takes no favorites. One instance, he walked away from a spot, just in enough time to escape the conviction to eternity. The thought of that spell bounds a man to the randomness of circumstance, and the wonderment of fate or choice. This ode i write to honor this fellow, for the price he payed, young man may your spirit be set free. The hell that befell your environment has passed now, though your presence there lasts an eternity. The energy of pursuit is thirsty unendingly voracious, hungry, satisfaction unappeased, as more is the battle cry of the attacker. Life is black now, burried beneath dirt. The sky above forever looking down, happy or pleased for the service rendered. Listen....Listen to the birds, the sun, the clouds, the stars, the air, sunset, sun rise, tomorrow is not here for us all.
Sad way to finally get his relief and rest.
I would think that next assignment was his last so it ended. He didn't seem to have much inner strength but also sounds brutal
Damn, bet this guy was fun to serve with, maybe if he actually put value on doing the menial tasks that need doing and not looked down on everyone above him he woulda been seen as a good soldier and with his much vaunted education he probably would have been promoted sooner and made it out
10:51 Stalingrad photo of Hauptmann Friedrich Winkler. He surrendered in February 1943..... died in captivity in Beketovka a few months later. Beketovka was in the marshlands northwest of the Caspian Sea estuary. A long way from home.
By March of 1942,the primary units cadres had ceased to exist,casualties had taken many of the original troops and a large number of formations were made up with replacements….there was an acute shortage of officers and senior NCOs….even battalion,regimental and brigade commands were vacant for some time,there was also the occasional logistical problems,vehicles were wearing out and breaking down with spare parts scarce,food and ammunition were also critically short….by the time of fall of Stalingrad the OSTHEER had been turned over at least twice some units were on their 4th reconstitution….by the end of 1943 the entire Wehrmacht on the eastern front were approaching complete exhaustion….there’s an excellent book about the breakdown of the German army on the eastern front called “HITLER’S ARMY “by Omer Bartov…
I really enjoy assembling and painting model kits of WW II German tanks and infantry soldiers, and setting them on dioramas, so I also really enjoy hearing these diaries of WW II German soldiers.👍
This soldier was a deep thinker who was in a position of being a subordinate to non commissioned officers with shallow knowledge of anything outside of warfare...I was hoping that he would somehow make it out of Russia and back to Germany...Great story. 👍😎
The candid shots of the soldiers really puts a human face to these “boys” in the German army.
These are men.
I understand that after the battle of Stalingrad the Germans and her allies lost 2000 soldiers each day till the end of the war !
@TheWW2BooksGuy hello , thanks for your reply , yes , average , staggering stats ! Russians more so ! ……. 5000 years of conflict , there will never be peace on earth !…… I take it from your “ post “ name you enjoy WW2books , you have probably read “ the forgotten soldier “ ( guy sager , not his real name ) if not , it is worth a read ! Regards
@@leeanderironside1898 That is the archetype of the Soldat of WW-2. --Old Guy
The World at War series states that on Christmas Day of 1943 (?), the Russians transmitted a radio message to the German troops to the effect that, "Every seven seconds a German soldier dies in Russia. Stalingrad has become the mass grave of the Wehrmacht." This was accompanied by the ticking of a clock. The transmission, and the ticking, went on all day. --Old Guy
@@Ed-ig7fj hello Ed , I remember that too , I thought it was a good Ww2documentary , I recall it started with the ruined French village of our a dour ( probably did not spell that correctly ?) which was never rebuilt after the retreating Germans murdered all inhabitants close to the end of the war , ……. Since then I read a story about how partisans ambushed a lorry of German loot nearby the village killing the small band of guards and making off with the loot , story goes that the furious Germans declared that if the loot was not returned to them then the village would be destroyed …..
( true ? I don’t know but ……)
At the end of the series it mentioned the evacuation of troops and civilians from the Memel area to the north , they were all cut off from a land route to Germany and fleeing the Russians ,so large passenger ships and military vessels were used to ferry out the refugees and wounded German soldiers , bringing in supplies and fresh troops on the return journey ……. The WW2 series commentator casually mentioned “ some drowned “ … a great understatement , The Russians torpedoed one liner with around 10000 souls and the RAF. bombed another with around 8000 souls ( accurate figures not possible because the refugees were crammed into every available space ) … these were the biggest maritime losses of life in history. !
……. “ some drowned “ perhaps you already heard of these stories ? But I like to share when I can , …. Mark Felton on “you tube “ has great stories if you are at all interested Regards
@@Ed-ig7fj
We live in comfort and the people don’t understand. Horney or not no Russian women.
doesn’t it seem sad that this video ends with a video game AD showing you, the player, operating a machine gun to score points, in other words as fun? I think we will have war as long as we glorify it and see it as some exotic land we all wish to visit.
Interesting and informative. Excellent photography job making it easier for viewers to better understand what the orator was describing. Historians did a very good job presenting actual facts from fiction. Orator presented the documentary very well. Class A research project. Rough combat operations on both sides. Special thanks to the German & Russian armies who fought/perished/survived fighting. Who made this documentary possible!!! Since the German armies didn't take Moscow. When the opportunity presented itself. Thanks to the amphetamine addict Hitler. Who constantly changed his generals military advice. Allowing the Russian military's forces to re group and go on the offense.
Well educated and erudite.
Hi , just discovered your chanel , it's awesome 👌
Where do you get the diaries from???
publish a book of these fotos and I'll buy one
14:38 he said the line!! 😂
This content is excellent and so valuable. I wish the membership was not so expensive.
Poor man never made it
RIP
Good! he should stay home not attack his neighbor
And what about those he killed?
So no not a poor man
The life of a soldier is to shoot or dig
@@marcinvas7965 Exactly. The communist russians should have stayed home instead of invaded Neutral Finland in 1939~1940. The communist russians Forced Europe to Counterattack in Operation Barbarossa.
That's why they should have put a stop to Hitler before they ended up in their situation.
Super.
This channel is gonna grow big time.
Even in mid 1942, German soldiers are longing to get away from the eastern front. Tells you a lot of ferocity of combat on both the sides. Wish to hear soviet diaries as well.
Very interesting to here the thoughts of basically thoughtful, moral men who find themselves soldiering for morally flawed causes. I am 65 and just missed the Vietnam War. My older sister's boyfriend went. We discussed this many times. I can feel in my Psychy that defending my group to the death is in my Limbic system. But in the front of the brain I have a dominant awareness that more important to me is the act of self policing. Too many of my relatives from German service failed this most important act for a male in general and a soldier specifically.
Nothing like getting back from the front then essentially back to basic....
Powerful words
Nobody’s going home!
Died of "unknown circumstances". Probably fragged.
Fighting on the Eastern front must have been hell. Stalin didnt put much weight on tactics or value on soldiers lives. The Russians relied on sheer weight of numbers. Over 3 Million German troops died on the Eastern front between 1941-45. Losses in the last 12 months of the war were phenominal. Stalin was "Axis smasher" no.1. Imagine if The Western Allies had faced a Wermacht with 3 million extra troops on D'day?
It’s a sad story that was probably more common than we know about the “powerful and menacing German soldiers”. Men who were caught in a No Way Out situation and had to fight bravely to survive and get home. Contrary to what Hitler said about the Germans not deserving of HIM, as he was cowering in his bunker; he was Not deserving of the many brave(be it misguided) German soldiers who fought bravely and died in that war. Thanks.
Hitler was definitely not a coward. He fought with distinction in WW1. It's still no excuse for the evil person he became but he knew it was either total victory or death for him. He was just too vain and arrogant to take any chances of being captured. He didn't even want his dead corpse intact to be desecrated or an exhibit in a Moscow museum.
Despite the Germans being on the other side of the war and fighting against my great grand father I have the upmost respect for the Germans who tried defending their lands when the Russians invaded and despite in evitable defeat coming they still stood tall unlike that rat Hitler who lived a cowards death and made his people suffer the consequences...
Great story for a front line soldier point of view
Good, good. The more I hear such stories the more I respect Mother Russia and the Russian/the Soviet soldiers.
so tragic that he died. what an awful waste war is.
Unfortunately at that time many germans were fighting just to survive. As you can see this soldier was intelligent and with education. I am from italian Tyrol and I have german roots. When I was in Ukraine I had many strange sensations. Like I was there before. Do you imagine? It's like to be in the time machine. In some places you are like in 1890. What I remember of Ukraine? The cold. - 22 degrees, simply terrible if you are not used. Fortunately here in the middle of the Alps we are not like from Sicily... Many times I imagine those soldiers there. Mud is terrible sometimes. The same is for the different way of life. It's to be experienced to understand what's my opinion. Unfortunately this war in Ukraine is simply a history repeating. That's really sad.
What's sad is all the innocent people they murdered.
@@blueshirtman8875 what are you doing? Did you there? Remember that many soldiers were soldiers just because forced. It's a law that don't permit to say "no, I don't want to go". In Germany was dead penalty for the refusers. Did you know it? Try to ask to russians or ukrainians nowadays. Nobody can refuse to go army and fight. It's history repeating. My grandpa in Ukraine was forced to kill enemies. Not children or women. He always had a valor and rule into his behavior of man. Don't speak if you don't know the situations.
The Austrians in South Tyrol were pro Nazi as they hoped to break away from Italy. Fighting to survive? Really. My mother who lived in Nazi Germany said that many were very willing to fight for Adolf until they started losing the war and saw that it was not much fun.
@@semsemeini7905 that's the fact. The germans Volksdeutsche were pro nazi Germany just because otherwise their own live was completely submitted to the other ethnic groups. Here german minority couldn't speak german. Names and surnames were italianized and were moved thousands italians to colonize the entire region. At that time was a nightmare.
"all of us believe in victory and peace" wished the german solders, never any second thought they were the brutal occupiers of a foreign country ???
After 15 years of Hitler's propaganda most of them believed that Russia started the war.
Or that they attacked before Stalin was ready. The Russians were slated to attack 7 days later on the 29th of July. Have you never wondered why the Germans destroyed so much equipment and captured so many soldiers in the first days and weeks of Barbarossa? Infant, go do some research.
Pawns in life and death political games, exactly right
Sooner or later eventually someone listening to these will be shocked to realize that they were the author writing during a past life incarnation and the shattering mind bending truth will come crashing down around them.
Sounds like what a Ruskie soldier might be writing in their war on the Ukraine. Slava Ukraine! Cheers from eastern TN
How many of the worlds "greatest generation", never lived to realize their true potential?
RIP🤔😓
......oh 30,000,000 or so at a guess
For one thing, from so many others, how many cures for cancer died upon battlefields?
@TheWW2BooksGuy frozen to death on the eastern front.
I grew as a person after hearing this,amazing.
They were put in this place and then left by Adolf,,just left them..what a waisted.
He had no regard for anyone but himself
RIP heiliges Deutschland ❤
Swords, Rocks, Muskets to drones it’s all death by another.
Poor boys on all sides. Smh. Had to just be terrified, traumatized and everything in between. Rip sweet loves. 😔
Too true the madness of man is truly evil😔
When you make war all hell breaks loose.😮
An innocent man caught up in a war started by mad men. 😢
He will go to his next life and in that life God will not let him be a soldier, although sometimes they cannot be stopped and they find a way back into uniform. Although I doubt he will want to go through this again.
***don't ask me how I know.*** 😉
It was strictly forbidden for German soldiers to keep diary’s during WW2 …… those who did were very naughty boys !
These are men.
The Russians. Battled hard for their motherland. And. Likewise the. Germans. Did the same for. Fatherland. Love of your country. !!!!
The eastern front gives me shivers..
Stalingrad is balanced by Singapore. The PLA doesn't goosestep though N.Korea does.
"Boneheads" Just what I would have said as well.
Sad.
how would we ever know whether these stories are authentic?
Why wouldn’t you believe them?
@@Dulcimertunes anybody could write the script without showing proof that it came from a German soldier
Great photos too, I hadn't seen these. Maybe he died on duty at the observation post or later and was too tired to write.
Stop it all and forever with these Germans who complain about a war they started !
Reupload?
good