The horrors of war are something that no man is made to endure, the constant shelling, the meat waves that you have to endure, the feeling when your told to go over the top of the trench, knowing that there would probably be an enemy round with your name on it, just waiting for it to come, knowing that when it does, you won’t be able to get help because everyone who would be able to help is bleeding out themselves, praying to God that someone else may have survived the onslaught that they themselves had rushed into. The thing about war is that no matter how it goes, the glory is not worth the amount of men that you lose, the friends that you will never see again, and the never-ending terror that will consume your every waking moment, and every dream you have.
Chapter 1: (Enlistment / Conscription)
The date, August 1914, i knew i was gonna join up the minute that i heard we were gonna go to war, the clean, crisp, new uniforms that we would be issued, the glory that we would get when we returned home, the feeling and sound of the rifle cracking with every pull of the trigger. These were the thoughts of every young man in germany. We all wanted to be the first of our friends to sign up, thinking that we would be the first to witness the glories we heard from our textbooks' stories. So I ran home after school to talk to my parents about the war and how I wanted to fight for my fatherland. Initially they wanted to say that I was too young because at this time I had only been 17, but after a long and arduous debate, they finally agreed to let me, knowing that I wanted this and would not be dissuaded.
The next day instead of going to school I went to the recruiter to sign up. Before I got to talk to the recruiter I saw my friend (Karl) walking out of the recruiter’s office with a smile on his face, and I instantly knew that he had been accepted into the German army. (Karl) runs over and starts talking really excitedly, “yes, they accepted me, i can’t believe it, it was just a few simple questions and done, nothing to it.” With the newfound confidence rushing through my veins I asked, “So when do you leave, and do you know where you're going yet?” and his response was “They want me to report to the nearest base, which from what he said was in essen or berlin, within the week, which gives me a few days to get ready and say goodbye to my brother.”
After he said this he ran out the door with such force that he almost ran over a big, burly man in a uniform that I would soon learn was that of the 2nd lieutenant. The man walked in nodding at the woman behind the desk and entered the recruiters office. About twenty minutes later the officer opened the door and walked out. As he walked out I could not help myself but look at the way the man carried himself, and think to myself, i know that i am gonna have a uniform just like that. And with that I was called into the recruiters office. As I entered his office I could feel a sense of authority and pride radiating from him. He starts by asking my name and age and I respond with “I am 17, my name is wilhelm.”.after this he asked a few more questions that I can no longer remember. Eventually when the questioning was done, he said welcome to the army soldier, report to berlin within the week.
As soon as the recruiter handed me the letter saying that I was fit for the army, I thanked him then walked out. After exiting his office, I sprinted out of the building and jogged the mile and a half home. I guess my parents had seen me sprinting down the road because they pulled the door open and threw their arms around me, at first when it happened i thought that they had been overjoyed, but later, i would learn that it was in grief, but they knew what was done was done, so they didn’t say anything about it
Prologue
The horrors of war are something that no man is made to endure, the constant shelling, the meat waves that you have to endure, the feeling when your told to go over the top of the trench, knowing that there would probably be an enemy round with your name on it, just waiting for it to come, knowing that when it does, you won’t be able to get help because everyone who would be able to help is bleeding out themselves, praying to God that someone else may have survived the onslaught that they themselves had rushed into. The thing about war is that no matter how it goes, the glory is not worth the amount of men that you lose, the friends that you will never see again, and the never-ending terror that will consume your every waking moment, and every dream you have.
Chapter 1: (Enlistment / Conscription)
The date, August 1914, i knew i was gonna join up the minute that i heard we were gonna go to war, the clean, crisp, new uniforms that we would be issued, the glory that we would get when we returned home, the feeling and sound of the rifle cracking with every pull of the trigger. These were the thoughts of every young man in germany. We all wanted to be the first of our friends to sign up, thinking that we would be the first to witness the glories we heard from our textbooks' stories. So I ran home after school to talk to my parents about the war and how I wanted to fight for my fatherland. Initially they wanted to say that I was too young because at this time I had only been 17, but after a long and arduous debate, they finally agreed to let me, knowing that I wanted this and would not be dissuaded.
The next day instead of going to school I went to the recruiter to sign up. Before I got to talk to the recruiter I saw my friend (Karl) walking out of the recruiter’s office with a smile on his face, and I instantly knew that he had been accepted into the German army. (Karl) runs over and starts talking really excitedly, “yes, they accepted me, i can’t believe it, it was just a few simple questions and done, nothing to it.” With the newfound confidence rushing through my veins I asked, “So when do you leave, and do you know where you're going yet?” and his response was “They want me to report to the nearest base, which from what he said was in essen or berlin, within the week, which gives me a few days to get ready and say goodbye to my brother.”
After he said this he ran out the door with such force that he almost ran over a big, burly man in a uniform that I would soon learn was that of the 2nd lieutenant. The man walked in nodding at the woman behind the desk and entered the recruiters office. About twenty minutes later the officer opened the door and walked out. As he walked out I could not help myself but look at the way the man carried himself, and think to myself, i know that i am gonna have a uniform just like that. And with that I was called into the recruiters office. As I entered his office I could feel a sense of authority and pride radiating from him. He starts by asking my name and age and I respond with “I am 17, my name is wilhelm.”.after this he asked a few more questions that I can no longer remember. Eventually when the questioning was done, he said welcome to the army soldier, report to berlin within the week.
As soon as the recruiter handed me the letter saying that I was fit for the army, I thanked him then walked out. After exiting his office, I sprinted out of the building and jogged the mile and a half home. I guess my parents had seen me sprinting down the road because they pulled the door open and threw their arms around me, at first when it happened i thought that they had been overjoyed, but later, i would learn that it was in grief, but they knew what was done was done, so they didn’t say anything about it
Chapter 2: Bootcamp