Historian Reacts - German Soldier Remembers WW2 | Memoirs of WWII 

Yes, the survivors really had some luck. You can hear stories like that quite often. Especially on the german side. Because otherwise they couldn't tell the story right now. My grandfather (who was 17 yo when he was drafted to fight for the german army in early 1945) also had immense luck in different situations. Quite a similar situation with the Mustangs flying over his squad or everything getting bombed by mortars and artillery while they tried to take cover. Of course many were wounded though but they still managed to survive somehow to tell the story. My other grandfather wasn't so lucky. He survived from 1940 to 1945 and died a few weeks before the war ended. We don't know exactly when it happened but he was mostly likely on an evacuation ship from Königsberg that was shot by soviet ships or submarines in april 1945. So he was very lucky until the very end, just to die right before he could have seen his family again. About the concentration camps and what the majority of germans knew about it; Soldiers weren't really well informed because the concentration camps were all behind the frontline. Eventually a few, of course, saw them when the fronts were closing on though. There were rumors though... but you also have to keep in mind that germans were mostly living in a bubble of nazi propaganda so those rumors might have seem like conspiracy theories to them. My grandpa also heard about the rumors but didn't believe in them. He grew up to believe in the german system and people. Rumors about things like mass murder and genocide was something the nazis tried to prevent to spread at all costs. I visited a former concentration camp once (Dachau). One that was located right within germany, only a few miles away from the next city. However, back then the area around it was guarded and not free to enter. Maybe, if you really tried, you could have snuck in towards the concentration camp but nobody really tried to risk that. The nazis fed propaganda (also pictures of well-fed prisoners smiling at work, interviews and stories with and about prisoners,so called stories about rehabilitated people that are now serving in the german army etc.) to the people. Of course those things were made-up but if people suspected otherwise they didn't really show it. I personally trust my grandfather and believe in his own experiences. He never killed a person (even if he was about to shoot an american soldier but decided not to) and was quite the naive but propaganda-fed boy back then. He told me about the war, his time as a pow, even how an american fighter pilot noticed him while he was taking a s*** close to a forest. He is convinced that the american fighter pilot laughed and that's the way he survived :p Of course he had very much time to think about everything again and has totally other views and values today (yes, he's still alive with 92 years). He doesn't have racist opinions (anymore) and might be a bit conservative but overall extremely opposing fascism and right-wing extremism. He is the voice of reason when people are losing their mind. Life has taught him a lot.

Regarding to what he said about what they were told about the concentration camps: There were large parts of the population that knew or at least suspected what the deal of the concentration camps was (especially in areas close to concentration camps or people with a higher political position) but there was also a large part of the population that didn't know because they were believing the lies the Nazi Regime told them. So for a lot of the people that grew up knowing nothing but this Nazi ideology it seems possible that many didn't question what they were told and that many were thinking of concentration camps like a "rehabilitation camp".

This shows very well that in war it does not matter who fights, dies, wins or loses. Soldiers fight against soldiers although they do not know each other and do not hate each other. At the end it is always only people who let their lives for the world views of crazy and greedy politicians. No matter if WW1/2, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq or other wars. In the end only suffering, misery and a grieving family remains.

My two grandfathers fought for the German Reich. Two people who couldn't be more different. My grandfather on my mother's side was involved in the battle for the Seelower Heights. He was drafted into military service in 1944. He had told me that the horror, the violence and the hopelessness cannot be put into words. He never wanted to be a soldier. However, my paternal grandfather was drilled through and through on Nazi ideology. He was there from the beginning to the end. He was a storm pioneer in Poland and France. Shortly before the German surrender he was transferred to the eastern front in the Bautzen area and fought back and liberated Bautzen from Soviet and Polish occupation. Two days after the complete German surrender, after trying to make his way west, he was taken prisoner by the Soviets.

Being german makes me proud

Wow, such a coincidence, I searched for this video because I wanted to watch a different reaction of it as I have watched a lot of other channels react to it and surprise surprise! A video that literally came out today!!! Great video I really enjoyed it!!!!

can you react to “they shall not grow old - british troops thoughts on german soldiers”? it’s such a great video with real footage :)

My Great Grandpa was a SS Soldier from the Division Das Reich, he fought in France,Barbarossa and Kursk but then got captured in the normandy in 1944, but before he got captured he cut out the SS Rune under his arms my mom told me he told her that was probably one of the reasons he survived bc he got shot and was in bad condition so nobody really paid attention to the cut by his armpit we still have his pictures, his iron cross, wounded badge, eastern front medal, and his cufftitle from his uniform with the unit name Das Reich on it but its in very bad condition my mom told me he never talked about the war just a few things like it was all bad, trauma, executions, etc and if you didnt shoot you can lay next to them was told by some commanders he also was after the war a heavy drinker and died in 1988 at the age of 71 WW2 was fucked up RIP to everybody on all sides

Hi Ryan! Thank you for the wonderful reaction video. This is Michele, one of Gert’s daughters. My Dad was born in 1927, 17 years old when drafted into the army. He has many more fascinating war stories. Growing up with Gert as my Dad I’ve always had an anti-war attitude.

Really enjoy your reaction to historical events. Excellent !!!

What a wonderful video and an amazing youtube channel that I think you all should definitely check out and subscribe too. Remember to leave a suggestion as to what you would like to see me react too next! As always, thank you for watching, remember to hit the like button and subscribe for more! :)

If you wanna read some novels about the perspective of German soldiers I would recommend you some of Remarques books. The most popular is "All quiet on the western front" but it's by far not his best. "The Road back" is a nice work that discribes the horror of the lost youth and the start of their new life (there is a really cool scene about the allied soldiers too) after the World War. "A time to love and a time to die " is basically talking about the casualties of the last war weeks/months and the bombing in Germany. But there are also novels like "Three comrades'' and" The black obsilisk " talking about the inflation and the years after World War 1. I really like these works because youre sucked into the mind of a soldier and you get to know all about the feelings these people had.

its btw not Dortmund its Dülmen as far i could understand. btw the concentraition Camps. I Asked all my grand parents and even my sorbian grandma which is now 90...and sorbians where under high pressure in the third reich and also always in danger to get to concentration camps. Also my Sorbian Grandma told me that she had no Idea.

Where you get your Degree?

Sometimes it's both .

Why are you so awesome???

There’s a new videos of memoirs of ww2 react to those

It's not necessary to interrupt his story every 30 seconds.

Most Americans do not have german ancestry 👎

You talk to much