So many bombs fell.
We expected to die at any time.
We thought there was no way out.
Whatever our enemies inflict on German cities…
…I expect every German to fulfill his duties
until their last drop of strength.
I see victory ahead for Germany!
We are fighting today to free our people from this crisis!
I remember Goebbels spoke on the radio and said,
"Germany will stay German!"
"Oh, God," my mother said. "That's lucky!"
"We're saved!"
Then someone said, "German tanks are coming!"
But they were Russian tanks!
The burning feeling of hatred.
My mother, my brother, little sister
were shot dead by Germans.
The thing we all dreamed of was to get to Berlin!
We imagine wild hordes from the east,
sub-humans,
and no one would get away alive.
You lose everything it means to be human.
Then there's only one thing left:
the will to survive.
Volkssturm soldiers of Berlin, raise your right hand
and repeat after me.
I vow…
…that I for my fatherland…
…will fight bravely…
…and would rather die…
…than give up the freedom of my people.
I weighed 100 pounds and was 5' 3".
So, I had to roll up the trousers of my uniform.
Men of the Berlin Volkssturm,
never drop the flag before the enemies of the Reich
and surrender like cowards.
My year, those born in 1929,
were presented to the Führer on his birthday.
The Führer was to lead us to victory.
STOP!
First, we set up roadblocks against the Red Army.
Berlin had to be defended.
We just have to hold on!
Our country had a line of Emperors 2,600 years old.
We had never been invaded by another country.
And we have the Samurai code of honor.
I was in the eighth special attack unit.
Hundreds of people came forward.
We believed we were doing something righteous,
that it was a holy war.
I would feel brave
and think we were heroes.
Next day, I would feel anxious and scared.
We didn't really believe all that "Long live the Emperor" stuff,
but as a young person, you get caught up in it
and feel that you have to follow suit.
When my turn was approaching…
…I was so scared of dying.
But you had to obey orders.
With the enemy fleet ahead, there was no way back.
It's a funny thing, when I knew I was going to die,
I remembered things from childhood.
For example, my mother's face.
Then I was hit and blacked out.
CLEAR HEIGHT 3,9M
I looked at the map.
Berlin was 12 kilometers away.
I said, "Guys, for all your suffering…
for all your sorrows…
fire!"
Fire!
We gave them hell!
The infantry jumped onto the tanks.
On to Berlin!
I found myself in front of the Russians.
I fired in the general direction of the enemy.
It was a question of survival.
We were so angry.
Our tanks crushed the dead Germans.
And the wounded.
Revenge!
Nine of my classmates were killed.
We decided we were not going to surrender.
We would try to break out.
I was ready to get to the Reichstag…
…and to put an end to it all.
I climbed to the Reichstag dome
…and reached the victory banner.
For the entire war, I'd dreamed of reaching the enemy's lair.
I reached the lair!
The German army has been beaten.
Germany is defeated!
We came to a village.
This lady told us, "Germany has surrendered."
I said, "That's impossible. Germany can't surrender."
My captain put his arm on my shoulder.
"You know, boy, sometimes it's harder to hear the truth than a lie."
I knew it was over.
BERLIN REMAINS GERMAN!
Men and women of Germany,
our Führer, Adolf Hitler, has fallen.
We walked until we came to a farm.
Soldiers came past and told us,
"The Führer fell in the battle for Berlin."
And my mother said, "The Führer didn't know it all."
I replied, "Forget the Führer."
"He promised us the world, and now we're here in the dirt."
TIRES - RUBBER GOODS
WORK SETS YOU FREE
There was a flash.
The blast came rushing towards us.
We were crying out to our mother.
"Mom, help us, please help us!"
I touched her with my hands.
She crumbled into pieces,
and ash soared into the air.