[VideoView]
Dipl.-Vw. Dr. Ludwig Steiner
You are the dumb ones
interviewer:
Ruth Deutschmann
photography:
Benjamin Epp
copyright location:
Wien
date of recording:
2008-04-29
English translation by:
Sylvia Manning - Baumgartner
Italian translation by:
Nicole D´Incecco
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1942
transcription:
I remember when we were deployed to the Barents Sea front as back up. We were young soldiers and were picked up by a staff sergeant. That was near Murmansk. Suddenly artillery fire started. The staff sergeant was the first to throw himself on the ground. All of us laughed at him for lying down because of a bit of cannon thunder. Because some said he was cowardly he responded: "No. That's not cowardice. You are the dumb ones who remain standing. You have to have the courage to be cowardly if you want to stay alive. For the final victory a healthy lance corporal is more important than a dead major." I remember his words exactly. That's the gist of it. He knew the danger. He heard the shots and knew that something was going to happen. We thought it was only stage thunder. This proves that courage also means being cowardly sometimes. There's no doubt about that.