For these men the war against Poland was no war of aggression but the elimination of a scandalous injustice. They wanted to expunge the rape of the German people at Versailles. Their strength came from the purity of their aspirations. These were no ordinary soldiers, nor were they political mercenaries, risking their lives for their people's future.
Kurt Meyer: Grenadiers. Englanniksi kääntäneet Michael Mendé ja Robert J. Edwards
Ja kohteliaat saksalaiset miehittäjät tulevat joka tilanteessa hyvin toimeen paikallisten kanssa, mutta rikolliset partisaanit murhaavat ja liittoutuneet tekevät sotarikoksia.
Epäilemättä SS-Oberführer Kurt Meyer kirjoitti silloin 50-luvulla revanssihengessä, mutta kyllähän sävy monessa kohdassa nostattaa nykylukijan kulmakarvoja.
En tiedä, kuinka leveä terä kirjoittajan värikynässä oli, vaan riittihän Panzermeyerilla epäilemättä kokemuksia kerrottavaksi asti.
The Panthers had to move one behind the other through the village. As soon as they had the village behind them, they resumed the wedge formation. Two Panthers went roaring down the road towards Bretteville. The rest pushed ahead on both sides of the road. In the darkness, I was only able to see the red-hot exhaust stacks of the tanks. Norrey was already just behind of us to the left. We would have to encounter the Canadian outposts in the next few seconds. Bretteville was only a few hundred meters in front of us. Crack! Crack! The report and muzzle flash of guns could be seen on the road. The two lead Panthers were firing round after round from their guns. They cleared the road with their fire and roared into the village at top speed. That was the way we had fought in the east, but would these surprise tactics achieve the same for us in Normandy?
Kaiken keskellä Puolassa, Hollannissa, Ranskassa, Kreikassa, itärintamalla, Normandiassa, Falaisen motissa. Ja vangiksi elävänä, vaikka viereltä kaatui miehiä kuin heinää. Millainen luonne oli Kurt Meyer, miten hän sopeutui rauhanaikaan, millainen oli tuon ajan ihminen?
Posted by khilou at 02.03.06 10:06