For the history and first hand account fans...
I recently became aware of this documentary/interview of Henry Metelmann also the author of two books ''Through Hell for Hitler'' and ''A Hitler Youth''.
If you can endure the first twenty minutes of political justification, the maker of the documentary finally leaves him alone to tell his war time memoirs.
For those who are interested in the life of a tank driver in Russia and never read the books, this is a gem.
Enjoy,
Tan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP-JUBAQMPI
About the Author:
Henry Friedrich Carl Metelmann, was born on 25 December 1922, the son of a socialist railway worker in Hamburg, Germany. As a lively and active boy, he joined the scouts, and later his group was merged with the Hitler youth. With Hitler's rise he was seduced by the fascist movement, and the experiences and privileges it bestowed
He fought with Von Paulus' Nazi 6th army at Stalingrad. Through experience he came to reject fascism and capitalist imperialism. He settled in Britain, becoming a communist, a railway worker, groundsman, writer and peace activist. He died on 24 July 2011.
Henry Metelmann was keen to talk about his experiences, especially to the young, and equated the invasion of the Soviet Union by an oil-hungry Nazi Germany with the Anglo-American assault on oil-rich Iraq in 2003. He remained a member of the Communist party of Great Britain until its break-up in 1991.
I recently became aware of this documentary/interview of Henry Metelmann also the author of two books ''Through Hell for Hitler'' and ''A Hitler Youth''.
If you can endure the first twenty minutes of political justification, the maker of the documentary finally leaves him alone to tell his war time memoirs.
For those who are interested in the life of a tank driver in Russia and never read the books, this is a gem.
Enjoy,
Tan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP-JUBAQMPI
About the Author:
Henry Friedrich Carl Metelmann, was born on 25 December 1922, the son of a socialist railway worker in Hamburg, Germany. As a lively and active boy, he joined the scouts, and later his group was merged with the Hitler youth. With Hitler's rise he was seduced by the fascist movement, and the experiences and privileges it bestowed
He fought with Von Paulus' Nazi 6th army at Stalingrad. Through experience he came to reject fascism and capitalist imperialism. He settled in Britain, becoming a communist, a railway worker, groundsman, writer and peace activist. He died on 24 July 2011.
Henry Metelmann was keen to talk about his experiences, especially to the young, and equated the invasion of the Soviet Union by an oil-hungry Nazi Germany with the Anglo-American assault on oil-rich Iraq in 2003. He remained a member of the Communist party of Great Britain until its break-up in 1991.
I agree the first 15-20 minutes are little heavy on the Socialist agenda, however the story of his war time experience made it worth while. You can always skip through the first 15 minutes or so, but I think it is interesting to hear his point of view. Also, it was interesting to hear about his father and their impressions of the early years of the TR. Nothing he said made me think he was an idiot, just someone with a different political point of view. His viewpoint kind of reminded me of that of Herman Graf after the war. Both seemed to embrace the Socialist view and express regret for their wartime actions.
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