[VideoView]

Hermann Huter

Icould see partisans
video length:
03:04
interviewer:
Ruth Deutschmann
photography:
Benjamin Epp
copyright location:
St. Anton
date of recording:
2008-08-19
English translation by:
Sylvia Manning - Baumgartner
Italian translation by:
Nicole D´Incecco
event
[1944-10-18] Volkssturm - Standschützen 60 year old male citizen of the "Volkssturm" convened - According to Decree 16, all. The men will not become part of the Wehrmacht. In Tirol call the units of the Volkssturm in the tradition of self-defense Tyrol Standschützen.
place of recording
$child2[$rel_i18n_id][0]
???iuimd_video_v_zeit_zuordnung_en???:
1943
transcription:
Then we were deployed to the border between Austria and Yugoslavia. They told us: "Everybody get off", the train had stopped. "Everybody get off, hedgehoppers are attacking the train." So we got off .. We had to wait for a while. A few bombs fell but they didn't hit the train. Then we continued our journey. Then, on the morning of the following day, this place Lack on Zeier must be somewhere near Agram (Zagreb), and there - we were sent to a military base and there - we got some basic training with guns so we'd at least be able to defend ourselves. Afterwards I was appointed machine gun marksman. So I was given a machine gun. When we got up in the morning we could see partisans patrolling from the window of the barracks or from the courtyard. Then we - we just waited. We couldn't - we couldn't shoot them up there because they were too far away. Later - as I said before - the partisans came down from up there and crossed the valley further down. Then the alarm was sounded - we had to go into action and we lay in a field - I can still see that field today, the field we were lying in. I set up and positioned the machine gun. I probably fired half a belt of cartridges but I don't know if I hit anyone - or not. Anyway, they took off afterwards, went back into the forest and we returned to our barracks. Naturally you could, you would have to - but I also wrote about it in my book - better - maybe even better and more exact - but that would make a very thick book.