Reply To: Remembering D-Day and the difficulty of being a German

[wittmann007Participant 588xp 5]

From what I’ve seen, a lot of German Veterans would love to talk about their Wartime experience, and indeed feel angry whenever people tell them to keep quiet. However, there are those that feel ashamed, which always make me sad.

There also exists an atmosphere of mutual respect among Soldiers of that era. A prime example was Maleme Cemetery a few years ago.

After the German Ambassador and dignitaries had finished there, they played the Fallschirmjäger’s famous “Rot Scheint die Sonne” march. The Ambassador told the band to stop just before they played the third verse, but when the band stopped, their came a collective voice from the back of the visitors.

It was the voice of a group of British veterans who had come to pay their respects, and before anyone knew what was going on, both the British and German veterans broke into song and finished it. Friend of mine was there, and he said he’d never heard a group (of what essentially were pensioners!) belt out something like that with such pride and volume.

After they finished the Ambassador was leaving, but before he did, he wanted to get the ol’ “Oh look at me doing the good job shaking hands with the people”/PR job etc. He shook one of the Fallschirmjäger’s hand but as he tried to let go, the veteran tightened his grip and said:

“The last time a politician ordered us to do something, our friends went Home in boxes.”

Nuff said.

Then the Vets went down the Local and got drunk together.

It’s also worth reminding yourself sometimes that while Europe was occupied, (enslaved some might say) the German people were held under the same Gun too. Information was Power to the Nazis, and they scrutinised their own people in much the same manner as they did the rest of the Nation’s under their influence.