The World War
voice urging caution labored, the louder and more piercingly it called, the stiffer was the resistance; until at last, after a long inner struggle, duty came off victorious. By the winter of 1915–16 in my case this battle was decided. The will had at last become absolute master. If in the first few days I had rushed along, laughing and exulting, now I was calm and determined. That was what would endure. Only now could Fate proceed to the final trial without nerves’ cracking or the mind’s failing. The young volunteer had become an old soldier.
This transformation had taken place throughout the army. Old and hard they had come out of the perpetual battle and whatever could not stand up to the storm was simply broken.
Not until then was it fair to judge this army. Then, after two or three years, during which it had been flung from one battle into another, always fighting a force superior in numbers and arms, starving and suffering privation—then was the time to judge the goodness of that unique army.
Though tens of centuries may pass, no one shall speak of heroism without mentioning the German Army in the World War. Through the veil of the past the iron front of the grey steel helmet will appear, unswerving and unyielding, a monument of immortality. So long as there are Germans they will remember that once these were sons of their people.
I was a soldier, and did not want to talk politics. Nor was that the time for it. To this day I am convinced that the last teamster did more valuable service to the Fatherland than even the first (let us say) “parliamentarian.” I had never hated these windbags more than now when every truthful lad who had anything to say shouted it in the teeth of the enemy, or else properly left his talking-machine at home, and did his duty somewhere in silence. Yes, at that time I hated all these “politicians,” and if I had had anything to say about it, a parliamentary pick-and-shovel brigade would have been formed at once; there they could have chattered among themselves to their hearts’ content without annoying or harming decent, honest humanity.
I wanted nothing to do with politics, but could not help adopt-
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