Now I realise why my French grandad said that my great great grandad only talked about the war when drunk because he fought at Verdun and Sheman de dame
I am from italian Tyrol. Something really similar situation of Alsace and Lorraine. I have german ancestors and surname. But I grew up speaking italian as like italian. I can just imagine how terrible situation many people lived. Especially who was in the middle. For italians I am german and for germans I am italian. Personally I am thinking that last 2 world's wars were simply crazy. Unfortunately we don't learn the lesson... I pray for peace...
I mean... Most of the people in Sudtyrol say they are austrians. Most vote for the autonomist party. What do you expect? It's not like the rest of Italy doesnt like you, but if i enter in a restaurant in Bolzano and speak Italian i want to pay the same amount as if i were to speak in German, sadly that is never been the case all the times i've been there. If not for the wonderful views i would not come back. I get the tourist treatmeant in my own country.
@@orange-thing in my region you are able to find all. In Trentino 95% are italians (5% germans italianized and ladins) and in Alto Adige (but I prefer to use Südtirol) 70% are germans and 30% italians. In Bolzano most part of population are from other part of Italy and of the world. Just a 40% are germans. Nowadays we can say that autonomy gives the real peace between all. But in the past borders decided in WWI put the bases for the second. And after the WWII here was really hard situation. Especially in some places where germans were not a lot.
It seems that the generations have forgotten what it is like, the pointless battles. And if they don't become aware of the dark patterns in history it seems that we are entering a new horrific phase.
my biggest gripe is when people say WWI is 'boring' because 'they just sat in trenches for 4 years'. what a bunch of morons. every day of that war something insane was happening. people were dying horrific deaths, even in 'quiet' sectors youd have to worry about being killed. yeah WWII has literal psychos running around torching villages but that dosen't make WWI any less brutal or interesting.
No we haven't. You see m3n constantly pointing out the causes and effects of wars and the patterns you speak of. But the critical mass of people doesn't care.
Is there a link to the entire interview and discussion about the film? The veteran's perspective is incredibly valuable and I wish to hear what the rest had to say. Thank you for sharing such valuable content!
there has got to be so many wonderful, priceless interviews with Vets back when they were still 'young'. I've seen many snippets of interviews from what appear to be random small News station pieces on Veterans in their area or whatever. Wish I could have a job tracking down all the film rotting away in some basement and get it out for the world to see. BBCs The Great War is pretty great but I wish they would just release all the interviews in their entirety. Hearing them speak and the facial expressions is something you cant get from reading memoirs.
Hey Geoffrey, I know it's been 2 years since you've made your comment, but I was wondering if you ever did find out the answer to your question? I'd very much like to see the rest of these interviews, especially since there were a lot of important figures in that room with stories to tell - it seems awfully difficult to locate these type of interviews (ESPECIALLY German ones).
We did learn our lesson. You see regular m[=n warning well in advance about the causes and effects of war and the steps that precede them. But there's only so much we can do about that without the critical mass of people being as aware and interested in preventing them as we are.
HrTjernobyl Survival, simply put, most veterans of that war would perhaps have the same to say as Mr.Kronefeld, that there nothing to be proud of in such insanity, a world war that consumed life akin to an industrial scale, not such a seemingly clear dichotomy like the Second World War, but that war was only the result of the failures of humanity in the first
There were no heroes in that meat grinder of a war. Only poor people who have seen, done and been through things we couldn't be able to imagine not in even our worst nightmares.
The true voice of the veteran, not the hijacked, jingoistic BS that the armchair-warrior generation is so enamoured of. War is the most disturbingly sick and morally repugnant activity that humans engage in. This old soldier told it like it was, sweeping aside the 'glory' and 'patrotism' imposed on the vile endeavour. But oh how easily the next generation forgets, never having witnessed its horrors, and as such the myths are made that invevitably bolster war's violent standard-of-arms and ensure we remain tragically addicted to its deadly pursuit.
