1917/1918 - Mit siebzehn als Gefechtsläufer in der Schlacht an der Somme

[Ken S.]

I have not read this book. It appears to be a brief account written shortly after the war by a soldier who served under one Ernst Jünger. 

 

1917/1918 Mit siebzehn als Gefechtsläufer in der Schlacht an der Somme

Edited 22 July , 2017 by Ken S.

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear Ken S.,

From what I have read, Marquardt wrote well.

The discipline was harsh, and the gap between Other Rank and Officer was obviously wide.

The Unteroffiziere (NCOs) seem to have had much lee-way, and often supervised the men in situations where a 2nd Lieutenant would have been expected, in the British Army.

Kindest regards,

Kim.

[AOK4]

There's a few pages on google. I checked these and then noticed the huge error already there (made by today's editing - this is a big problem with German accounts that are published now, the nowadays Germans have mostly no background knowledge about the war and just write from some general knowledge and "verschlimmbessern" the text). Denain and Givry are nowhere near Chalon-sur-Saone! They are Denain in Northern France and Givry in Belgian Hainaut!

 

I have seen other recently published German accounts (letters, war diaries) and they should really just leave everything as it is if they don't have a clue what they are writing about...

 

I think some of our German forum pals will probably agree.

 

Jan

[trajan]

On 7/22/2017 at 08:13, AOK4 said:

... this is a big problem with German accounts that are published now, the nowadays Germans have mostly no background knowledge about the war and just write from some general knowledge and "verschlimmbessern" the text). Denain and Givry are nowhere near Chalon-sur-Saone! They are Denain in Northern France and Givry in Belgian Hainaut!

 

Well, I take your main point but the question here is if the writer of the diary thought or believed or was told these was near (Westlich) Chalon-sur-Saone.

 

That apart, as I understand it from the bits of Google, this diary was originally written in Suetterlin and not previously published? 

 

Also, what is that badge beneath his State Cockade on Abb.2 - looks to be a Totenkopf?

[AOK4]

2 hours ago, trajan said:

 

Well, I take your main point but the question here is if the writer of the diary thought or believed or was told these was near (Westlich) Chalon-sur-Saone.

 

That apart, as I understand it from the bits of Google, this diary was originally written in Suetterlin and not previously published? 

 

Also, what is that badge beneath his State Cockade on Abb.2 - looks to be a Totenkopf?

 

Of course the original writer knew that those places were not near Chalon. I think these diaries should be published without additions or changes, which would make them more valuable. It seems indeed a previously unplished hand-written (most probably kurrent as sütterlin dates only from 1915).

 

It is indeed a Totenkopf, which fits to where the soldier comes from (Braunschweig).

 

Jan