I watched Timewatch for the first time last night, they had a special: (here is the synopsis)
Quote:
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Through Hell For Hitler: Timewatch follows a German soldier caught up in the most destructive conflict in history, Hitler's invasion of Russia, using the story of Henry Metelmann. Disturbing scenes.
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Probably the grimmist show about a soldier's life on the eastern front I've seen since Stalingrad albiet with a typical documentary budget.
It was about a panzer soldier who became disallusioned with war and its horrors. The thing that did it for me though was it was narrated by the vet himself (Henry Metelmann) with (quite convincing) recreations from a younger actor and a (probably) group of reenactors as well.
He didn't pull many punches, he talked about how he deserted his post when the russians attacked, coming back only when the battle had moved on and all his comrades had perished, how, when he was captured he told them everything he knew, because, as he adequatly put, it was his life that was on the line.
And how, quite nonchalantly, he said he "survived by a mixture of luck and cowardice". It really gave me an insight into how, at this stage in the war, everything must've been about survival and disallusionment about the German Cause.
Above all the most surprising part of all this was, he wasn't angry or remorseful or sad.
He just seemed tired, very tired and said that he was too old to be bothered (or was it troubled?) with these thoughts.
Great stuff!
[ 06. December 2003, 06:11 AM: Message edited by: BratwurstDimSum ]