Movies and Their impact on Me

While I cannot imagine what it would have been like in that battle, I can tell that this movie might be the most accurate account of it.

I have always sensed that WWII was a touchy subject with my grandparents. They never talked about it. There was hardly any discussion about it. I once asked and my grandma broke out in tears, telling me how amazing it was to finally go on a vacation withe the "Hitlerjugend". A one week summer camp was something her parents could not make happen.

My grandfather fought at the eastern front. Never talked about it. The only thing he ever mentioned was that they washed their clothes in Diesel to kill the lice. According to him, Diesel was the only thing they had plenty of and it would do the job of killing lice and bacteria. Did he kill anyone? Maybe. Never asked, he never said. But if he did, I think it was because he was duty-bound as a soldier, not because of some sinister desire.

My grandfather wanted to see the year 2000. That was his only wish. He survived being a POW in Russia, working 45 years for the same company. He died in just a few years shy of the year 2000, while I was serving the German army....

Every time I see the movie "Stalingrad", I am reminded of the little I know about what my grandparents felt, how they went through this time and what "motivated" them...