There Are Very Few Soldiers Left Alive. Return To The Eastern Front. Diary Of A German Officer.

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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! July 29, 1942. It is already 0:30 a.m., and therefore  it is July 30, 1942. For a long time now,   I have been thinking of at last starting to  write diary entries again. However, previously,   it was all platonic, in my mind. And today I  finally made up my mind. How long it will last   today - I don't know. It depends on many things  - especially not least the behavior of the Ivans. I decided to take a small excursion into the  past in order to keep the chronological order   of the story. Although a lot of things  have already been forgotten. However,   this is an indicator that it was something  not so crucial. After all, a person tends to   consider the circumstances he is in at the moment  to be more important than they really are. Yet,   this can only be reliably judged after  the passage of time. This probably makes   it impossible to capture the atmosphere of  the day as accurately as it would have been   possible if I had written right after the  events. And the most crucial thing for me   in a diary is to record the feeling of the  past day, so that I can easily reconstruct   the rest of the day! That is why I want to get  to the current events as soon as possible and   I have to call "memories" a description  of what happened before the present day. When my command sent me to Berlin to  the Infantry Inspection and then to the   Educational Film Directorate of the Land  Forces High Command, I was assigned the   task of writing a text for the filming of the  educational film "Combat in the Forest". Which   I accomplished. And I was immediately attached  to the team for filming "Reconnaissance Patrol". When I was informed that as an actor and  consultant "with experience on the Eastern   Front" I must go with all of them to film in  France, it was too much. But I got the order   and I just had to fulfill it. To be honest:  today, when I have returned to the paradise   called "Soviet Russia", I am happy to  recall that all these adventures fell   to my lot. I would only like to say that I  missed my company, which had to fight hard. The springtime in France, the Loire Valley -  it was magnificent and unspeakably beautiful… The filming was at first not too enthusiastic for  me - I had to act as a company commander at the   front. But then I was assigned more and more to  be responsible for filming the battle scenes in   the movie "Road Compass". At the same time, I was  also an actor. This filming was something special.   I managed to immerse myself deeply in the process.  Our team was very close-knit! Our "movie staff" in   Shino was under the command of Major Forster. The  time I spent there was great. After the Russian   winter, the beauty of early spring in the Loire  valley was doubly vivid to me. Colonel Hammer of   the Infantry Inspectorate, who had visited us,  told me that it had been decided to assign me   to his inspectorate as soon as my work in the  Educational Film Directorate was finished. The   duration of the new assignment would be at least  two months! I couldn't stand to hear this again! After all, I didn't want to be stuck in  the Land Forces High Command any longer,   I wanted to return to the front, to my  company, to my regiment. And then there   was a telephone call from Berlin, staged  by Major Engel to get me out of there.   Lieutenant-Colonel Klosterkemper telephoned:  I should be sent immediately to my unit! I regret to say that I had to become acquainted  with many gentlemen who are certainly not at all   happy to take responsibility. And I didn't like  it at all. I've seen enough of total incompetence! The parting was heartfelt, and on Saturday  afternoon I took the fast train from St.   Pierre-de-Coeur via Paris to Berlin. One  of the last dining cars was even attached   to the train. Since June 1, the dining  cars have been canceled on all routes.   It didn't take much time to find an apartment  in Berlin - I accepted the offer of a lady from   the Land Forces High Command to stay with her  parents. "Penguin" went to his mother's house. The next morning, I reported my arrival to the  executive of the Educational Film Directorate   of the Land Forces High Command. I telephoned  from the Reich Chancellery from Major Engel's   office. He informed me that after returning from  Breslau I should telephone him again. I went home,   telephoned Berlin the next day and was  ordered to arrive in the capital the next day. This time in Berlin I let the commandant's office  take care of my accommodation. I stayed at the   Hotel "Alexandria". Nowadays, during the war,  it's not easy to find a place to stay in the   center of the capital of Europe. I had dinner in  the evening with Captain Professor Dr. Hilf. Then   I met Fritz Brünning, an old regimental comrade,  who was in Berlin on leave due to a wound. The next day I left the Reich Chancellery by  courier automobile for Staaken, and from there   by courier "Junkers" went to the main headquarters  of the Führer. "Penguin" even the day before was   sent by me there by train. After landing, the  commandant of the airfield informed me that   there was an option to immediately take off  further on the "Heinkel-111", and I should   make a telephone call to Major Engel. I dialed  his number and expressed my thanks. Then I took   the "Penguin" and we immediately flew further  towards Pskov. We landed at the Pskov-South   airfield. It was not what we needed. Then we flew  to Ostrov. Now everything's right. The plane was   piloted by Oberfeldwebel Eichhof, recipient of  the Knight's Cross. The vehicle was supposed   to pick up General von Tippelskirch and take  him to the Führer's main headquarters. We flew   to our "box" as part of a group of thirty-two  Junkers-52s and escorted by fighter planes. We   landed at our destination point at 8:15 a.m. I  went further to the regiment by a trophy truck. Well, here I was back at home again!  I reported my arrival to the regiment   commander. We had a drink with him.  I asked him about all the things that   had happened here without me. I told him a  lot, because I had had a lot of adventures. Under pouring rain, I went on foot  to Scharf's battalion in Ozheyedy,   where my company, still subordinated to the  123rd Infantry Division, was located. By   the time I got there I was soaked to the skin.  After briefly greeting the battalion commander,   I moved on to my company. To my guys. There  are so few of them left here! All the more   joyful was our meeting. I took command of the  2nd and 5th companies. There were two platoons   left in the company, one of them commanded  by Oberfeldwebel Grobeh, the other one by   Oberfeldwebel (now Lieutenant) Lütke. Until my  return, the company was commanded by Jacobsen. I have a lot of making up to do in my company.  And how many great friends I have here such as   Heintzman, commander of the 3rd Company of the  89th Regiment, Zirmal from the 526th Artillery   Division, and Heinz Lemm, the "commander-in-chief"  (meaning the battalion commander). I often recall our pub in Ozheyedy, as well as  my "Antek's bar" (characters from popular jokes   in Silesia, where the author of this diary  is from) and the dugout, which was perfectly   equipped. Yet my boys did a great job back  then. Sometimes there were skirmishes. Twice   we succeeded in destroying the Ivans while they  were taking their initial positions. In other   respects - our mines were competently set at  a distance of 30-50 meters from each other,   and besides, the minefields were constantly  strengthened. But here everything is different,   mines are laid at a distance of 100-150  meters, and in some sections even they   were 250 meters from each other. It turned  out to be something between winter positions   made of snow and digging into the ground.  Besides, it wasn't done well everywhere. It was my birthday on July 16, I have now "caught  up" with my regiment number - 27. Everything went   great. I received good news - the company is being  withdrawn from its present positions and returned   to its regiment. It means our 5th company with  a large-caliber machine-gun crew attached to it. On July 17, we conducted a reconnaissance  of the area. On July 18 at 8:00 p.m. we   left our positions and marched 5 km with songs  towards our rear. At first, the guys had doubts,   but then everything went well. It was the  first time for many months that the guys of   my company were together again and marched  alongside each other - there were 56 men! It brings tears to my eyes when I remember  those good guys who were left to sleep in   this land. After all, they used to sing  cheerfully in the ranks of my company,   which honorably passed through so many ordeals. And then there was a night - the  first night without gunfire and   guard duty. And then there was a  day - a day of rest for my guys. A group of convalescents arrived  (one non-commissioned officer and   14 soldiers). Then we had two more  replenishments, which left a very   decent impression. Now the company again has  106 men, including the heavy machine gun crew. We don't forget to work on improving the  morale systematically, in a craftsmanship   manner. After all, we want one day again to  move on the offensive, to move forward as   our comrades in the south. We want to grab the  Ivans by the throat and impose our will on them! When will it start here too, "to the south of Lake  Ilmen"? When will the battalions, regiments and   divisions rise to the attack from their fossilized  positions conquered in the winter battles? My hatred for the Bolsheviks has reached its  peak! And don't tell me about the peculiarities   of the Russian mentality. These beasts and  slaves are Bolsheviks. And that word makes   it all clear! They are the most primitive people  with truly bestial instincts, into whose hands   fell a devilish, deadly weapon. What about the  bravery, courage and heroism of the Russians?   There is nothing like that, only the animal  instinct of self-preservation in a pure form. Well, I think it's time to wrap it  up. My handwriting is getting sloppy,   and my eyes are tired from "Soviet Electricity".  I can't get the subject straight. It's already   2:00 a.m.! And I still have to go out  for a "walk" along our front line, which,   probably, will last until 3:30 a.m. ... 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!
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Channel: MILITARY CLUB
Views: 18,341
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Keywords: audiobook, mark, felton, productions, dark, tech, Eastern, front, skies, seas, ww, ww2, wwll, world war II, war, wehrmacht, ss, ss troops, red, army, tanks, world of tanks, Ukraine, fighting in ukraine, Russia, Russia and Ukraine, history, military, club, TV, radio, news, education, interesting, storming berlin, battle of Kursk, second, world, wwii, historical, division, Germany, Soviet, union, stalin, hitler, infantry, panzer, 1936, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, invasion, operation, barbarossa, blau, stalingrad, Moscow
Id: kKSaVjo2su4
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Length: 10min 56sec (656 seconds)
Published: Fri Apr 05 2024
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