Scherer, Wolfgang (Hrsg.) Enthüllung

Aufzeichnungen und Fotos des Nachrichtensoldaten Georg Zimmermann aus dem Kriege gegen Frankreich 1940 und die Sowjetunion 1941/45

Experience the war from the perspective of a soldier who not only lived through it but believed in its righteousness and measured himself against it. Georg Zimmermann, born in England in 1909 and politically and militarily socialized in the SA after his family moved to Cologne, went to war in 1939 at almost 30 years old as a convinced soldier. His writings from the years 1939 to 1945 offer unvarnished, immediate insights into the perceived reality of war. Zimmermann describes his journey through the 1940 campaign in France and the years of fighting on the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1944 initially fueled by enthusiasm, increasingly marked by hardship, losses, and retreats. As a decorated lieutenant in a signals unit, he was interned by the British in Styria in May 1945. These honest, unedited accounts combine personal experiences with the fates of comrades and civilians, lending this report its unique historical significance. Interspersed texts provide context, while numerous photographs and maps trace the author's journey and facilitate orientation.