Hello my dear friends! Today we are going to
continue reading the diary of German Oberleutnant Martin Shteglich. Remember to rate this video,
as well as leave your opinion about this story, and we'll begin!
February 14, 1942. Pen'kovo. It's a wonderful winter day - the
sun shines bright, and there's no severe frost. The 2nd officer of the General Staff ordered me to
report to the Regiment, because being the "fifth wheel" doesn't suit me. And now I have orders from
the division - to wait for summons to attend a "course of educational films" - that's the name
of this thing that should be held in Berlin. Everything is all right in my company. It's February 22. The headquarters of the
Land Forces Command. The city of Lötzen. I need to tell about everything consecutively in
order to keep the memory of this time forever, full of trials and impressions that overwhelmed me in such quantity as I have
never seen before. After all, I had arrived here straight from the front and
I found myself in a totally new environment. Actually, on February 16, I was
about to go to the rear services of our regiment to make inquiries
about my affairs there. Being idle, I was constantly waiting for
the order to be sent to Germany. The order came on February 15 by telegram
from the Land Forces High Command: "Oberleutnant Shteglich should immediately
leave at the disposal of the Land Forces General Headquarters, Department of
the Inspector General of Infantry. The arrival should be reported to the headquarters,
where all further instructions will be given". So, on February 16, I arrived at the airfield. I
boarded the Junkers-52, which had just transported the necessary equipment, and took off
towards Pskov. I took Vener with me, we sat near the on-board machine guns. There were
four seriously wounded men on board with us. Near the highway to Kholm the plane came under
Russian fire, and we fired back vigorously. I arrived in Pskov at about 12:00 a.m.,
it was impossible to go further. Having contacted the courier service of the Army
Group "North", I got the necessary information: the departure should be on February
17 at 7:15 a.m. in the direction of Riga together with the messenger. My
accommodation in Pskov was very poor! The next morning, I left in a courier
officer's Mercedes for Riga and arrived there at 11:30 a.m. I reported my arrival
by sending a telegram to Captain Meissner. I took a bath and had a great dinner in the
pleasant atmosphere of the officers' casino. For the evening, I got a ticket to the box of the High
Command of the Wehrmacht forces on the Eastern Front. It was "Don Quixote". The Riga Ballet was
excellent! It was a high-level spectacle! I would like to emphasize once again this unbelievable
change of environment: the front and Riga. These voluntary guys leave a bad impression.
And their uniforms make no sense! The next morning, I took a courier bus
to the headquarters. We had a good ride, stopping in Tilsit for a lunch. Then we
started on our way. The only thing that made the road challenging was the snow
drifts. It was felt that there were not enough workmen in the homeland
to handle these drifts in time. At about 8:30 p.m. I arrived
at headquarters and reported to Capt. Meissner. After having a meal with him, I told him about the tasks assigned to me and
outlined in detail the situation at the front. The next morning, I let myself take a good
night's sleep - after all, I had to get to Lötzen at night and accommodate myself in
the hotel "Lötzener Hof". Then I reported my arrival to Colonel Matthias from the office
of the Inspector General of Infantry. I was instructed by him to describe in writing
my experience of fighting in the forest, then leave for Berlin at the disposal of the
Infantry Inspectorate to assist in writing the text for the educational
video "Combat in the forest". In the evening there was a dinner in
the department of the Inspector General of Infantry. It was a friendly company, only
staff officers. The next day I began my work, and then in the afternoon I went to
Major Engel to the main headquarters of the Führer. Before that, I had
time to visit Captain Meissner, as well as visit the Department of training
and the Department of personnel of the Army. From there, I went to the "Wolf's Lair".
On arrival I had coffee with Major Engel, telling him everything. He's all
the same - our old great commander as I have kept him in my memory.
At 8:30 p.m. there was a dinner, which I was also invited to. I was introduced
to the Führer. It's impossible to forget that! And all that evening! I was extremely
happy that I had such an opportunity! Major Engel presented me with night binoculars, which some firm had given to the
Führer. It's a marvelous thing. Yesterday, on February 21, I was again at
Camp Anna ("Anna" is the code name of the headquarters of the Land Forces High
Command). I met with Captain Meissner, and before that I paid a visit to the Operations
Directorate, where I was questioned in detail. I had a dinner at the Organizational
Directorate. Then I watched a movie at the Military Training Directorate.
Then I visited the casino. I can sum up my overall impression as follows:
I can only say that I was overwhelmed by so many different impressions and
it takes time to process it all. All the officers of the General Headquarters, with
whom I managed to get acquainted, make a fantastic impression, although they are often exhausted
by work. My battle uniform distinguished me sharply from the others everywhere, but it wasn't
something annoying or ridiculous. On the contrary, everyone was happy to listen to the opinion of a
front-line soldier and company commander about a particular subject. I used to talk frankly
and openly, giving my opinion honestly. Today I have completed my writing in draft form.
It has still to be finalized. On Monday night I am going by fast train to Breslau, I will spend two
days with my mother, and then I will go to Berlin. April 28, 1942. France, the town of Chinon. Today it's raining again, for the third day
in a row. It turns out that it's impossible to work again - for filming we need
sunshine. I took this small book in my hands and I was appalled that I haven't
written anything for two months. I'll try to make up for it today. So, let's
make the time jump to February 24th! I spent one day in Breslau, and the next morning
I left towards Berlin. My mom and sisters were very happy. Surprisingly, my brother Günter met
me at the train station. He was wounded near Kaluga on December 23rd. It was a blind bullet
wound in the thigh. Everything is fine now, although at Easter he had a second
operation on his festering cecum. Luckily everything went well and he
is now on medical leave in Breslau. On February 26, arriving in Berlin, I reported
to the Educational Films Directorate. I had never heard of the existence of such a department
in my entire military career! First, I had to find a place to stay. The accommodation
was found with the help of Frau Dr. Paul. On Monday, when I came to the directorate, the
office of the Military History Directorate had just burned down. As a result, the whole
group to which I had been assigned moved to the Grunewald (a district in the west of
Berlin). I was accommodated in the premises of the von Dirksen Foundation (founded
by the German Gentlemen's Club in 1933, the Foundation's mission was to foster
contacts between representatives of Germany's traditional establishment and the National
Socialists. It was named after its patron, the noblewoman and lobbyist known in Berlin
as the salon owner Victoria von Dirksen). The job was initially quite boring, as I had no
well-defined range of tasks. But Frau Dr. Paul took care of me, and Hans, her husband, would
give me tasks to keep me busy. It was moving to see the sacrifices of their parents. I used
to meet this "dandy" comrade Hubert, we often spent time at the "Crown" and at the "Bristol".
Once I told Hubert that the danger was that, under certain circumstances, not everyone
sent on leave for training would return to their former regiments. In a moment he packed
his bags and left to return to his regiment. On Sunday, March 1st, Hubert and I accompanied
Frau Dr. Paul to Rathenow (a town 70 km west of Berlin). We served as her "honorary
escort" on her way to her new duty station, as she had become a military conscript. I
absolutely hated being in Berlin! In general, I have nothing negative against Berlin, but
nowadays these people in Berlin behave like common scum! It only added more to my antipathy!
The city is utterly cold and low-key, they mess up a lot of things themselves and look despondent
because things don't run the way they intended. For me, a front-line soldier, all their
aspirations were deeply indifferent. Our routine demanded from us quite different,
tougher matters, and we never let ourselves be broken under the burden of daily
worries. The comrades from Berlin only consisted of nothing but complaints and endless
recitations of all sorts of petty nonsense. The next Sunday I went to Rostock
for a while. Unfortunately, I couldn't see Oberleutnant Haberhauer,
but I had a wonderful evening in the male company of former servicemen
from our 27th Infantry Regiment. I met all our former "strategists" who are
now on medical leave. Unfortunately, "Captain" Mattenclott was among them. Isn't it a shame to
the army that a man like him, who had shown utter incompetence in combat conditions, was first of
all promoted to the rank of captain, and secondly, was even retained on duty. In such cases, any
attempt of justification looks inappropriate, and entails destructive consequences! Such
a character must immediately take off his uniform and disappear, whether his father be
a general a thousand times over or I don't know who else! I have written to the regiment
about it, and everyone is as indignant as I am! I stayed in Rostock until Monday.
I had to take a day extra because I met Captain Lüft and Captain
Ernst at the hospital. Each of them had one leg amputated. These
fearless men impressed me greatly. Kuno Troitzsch was very moved by my visit. The British have bombed Rostock three
times in the last three nights. First of all the residential neighborhoods! The
Wehrmacht reported heavy civilian losses. And this was related to the
Führer's speech of last Sunday, which we, the front-line soldiers, found
heartwarming! What a true "guidance" for all the weak ones! It was a real
pleasure to listen to these words. There is nothing much to tell about the
weeks spent in Berlin. The service was going on as usual, and the duties I was
to perform were gradually defined. I had the chance to look into the "kitchen"
of the Land Forces High Command and see a lot of things - both positive and
very unflattering. The disputes about competencies! During the war! What else
can I say about what people care about! My mission was extended - first until April 30,
and then again "until special instructions". I objected as much as I could, but they kept
telling me that I was needed more here than in my regiment. I had my mind and heart
in eternal confrontation with each other! On March 30, our working staff left
for filming in France. For this reason, my assignment was also extended. On Sunday,
March 22, I went home once again to get some belongings. There I got sick and spent the
whole day in bed due to stomach problems. Our work in Chinon on the Vienne started to
gradually unfold. We have had to face many difficulties, but the only thing that
is holding us back now is the weather. In physical aspect, I get a lot
of rest here, but in my mind, I am always with my company. The regiment
is engaged in heavy fighting and suffering casualties. There are only 20 men left in
my company! Lieutenant Noimann was badly wounded and lost an eye. Fuks and Paukowitz are
dead. It's insufferable and terribly hard to hear. I am in constant expectation of reports
from my Hauptfeldwebel to know the details. My new comrades here are all excellent men: Major
Forster is very good to me, a great officer. Fritz Dittman is a great, straightforward fellow and a
good comrade. And the same thing I can say about Shlipkhack the "African", and about Shpen from
the training regiment, and about Shmittgen. I shouldn't forget also Noldau from the military
railroads and Fräulein Wagner, the only lady among us who handles her role splendidly. All
in all, our "movie staff" is in good order! Last Sunday I spent half a day with
Colonel Kegler. I was delighted to have the opportunity of meeting again a man
we respect greatly as a true standard of an officer. He is in command of a newly formed
regiment. Kegler took me with him to Chartres, where there was a grand concert of sacred
music in the local well-known cathedral. In the evening, we were with him in
Le Mans. And by dinnertime yesterday my Sunday excursion had come to
an end, and I returned to Chinon. Well, the events I have missed are now described.
That is all for today! You can watch other episodes of this diary by following the link in
the pinned comment. If you enjoyed this video, please like it and support the channel by
subscribing. Bye everyone, until next time!
