When I joined the German army in 1937 (I volunteered), I swore the oath of allegiance to the Führer. However, I freely admit that even then, I had inhibitions about so doing, but I attributed them to unfamiliar military life. I hoped I would develop another mindset in the ensuing time. But I was wrong, because in only a short time I sank into such inner conflict [Note 1], whenever I considered that on the one hand I was wearing a German uniform, and on the other hand that I cared about Russia. At that time, I did not believe that there would ever be war with Russia. Continue reading →