General, could I ask you to speak about what interested you to enlist in the army?
Otto: Yes, I came from a patriotic family, whom were always greatful for the fatherland and all that our nation provided. Germany in the 20s was in turmoil, as I am sure you know the Communists and their allies were trying very hard to gain power over the German people. The National Socialists were fighting to keep Germany German. I could see early on that Hitler would carry the day, as most Germans viewed the Communist’s as a foreign, ungodly idea, and Moscow as the leader seeking to take away our national identity. By 1930, it appeared to me that the military would be a good career, as I gambled that if Hitler ended up elected he would make good on his promise to repel Versailles. That meant the army no longer would be forced to limit its size to one hundred thousand. I went to take my entrance exam and due to my schooling, I was accepted as an officer candidate. After completing training in 1932, I was an officer in the German army and never looked back.
You were in the war from the very beginning, what was it like?
Otto: Yes, my regiment was sent east during the Polish crisis, we knew something was brewing, as news about Polish attacks on border farms was weekly it seemed. We knew the Führer could not ignore what was happening, so the only logical response was militarily. Deep down we hated this, as Germany was a nation of peace under National Socialism, our leader only wanted a return of the lands taken by the Allies, which was all. They bear responsibility for starting the second war, they (England) pushed Poland to refuse any offers that we made, and in the meantime, Polish nationalists and criminals were attacking German farmers and stealing what they could take with them, sometimes killing them. So on 1 September we attacked Poland and I remember being welcomed by the cheering civilians in every town we entered, they felt as if they were being liberated from an oppressive master. On 3 September, we received the news that the Allies declared war on us, this was not a good thing, but at the same time, we felt it was our duty to just as in the first war. Therefore, into the great unknown we went. As we moved further into Poland, combat became more frequent, the Polish army was well trained and supplied. It took the Luftwaffe’s help to break open many stubborn fronts; the Polish soldier was defending his home so he fought very hard. We suffered heavy causalities due to this, but once the Poles broke, they ran away and became prisoners.
Authors have asked me about war crimes and I can confirm that I sadly saw evidence of Polish soldiers and militia kill German civilians whose only crime was being left behind when the Allies took land away from the Reich. We entered into a small farming hamlet, the name I can no longer remember, in which Germans were found shot. There was such a feeling of disgust and anger that they would do this to innocent people. These stories are long forgotten today, our enemies want you to believe it was we, the Wehrmacht, who killed innocent Poles as we hated Slavs and looked upon them as vermin. The many millions who helped us or the thousands who volunteered in the Wehrmacht, and died for Europe would disagree. The east front was the hardest, it was a cruel place and the Soviet soldier was taught to be hard and cruel to the fascist invader. Many villages we came across had inhabitants that had been terrorized by their own soldiers. It was very strange. Soldiers are there to protect what is behind them, but in Russia, if the population did not retreat they became an enemy to the state. I have learned that those who were left behind and did not retreat with us were arrested and many killed; Russia then blames their deaths on us as part of some made up lebensraum plan. Saying we killed these people to make room for German settlers. Their claim of 30 million dead is absurd. [continued]