World War I Veterans Discuss WESTFRONT 1918

An excerpt from a 1969 episode of the French television program Les dossiers de l’écran, featured on our edition of G. W. Pabst’s WESTFRONT 1918.

[@thanoscar6897]

Now I realise why my French grandad said that my great great grandad only talked about the war when drunk because he fought at Verdun and Sheman de dame

[@pierren___]

Chemin

[@cdylan]

Incredible. Noone can imagine what these chaps went through.

[@tylerrobinson5490]

No shit

[@moinmeister5394]

Mr. Kronefeld spoke really, really good french and his words are just true and we all should try not to fail his hopes and expectations for us

[@obkav]

We need more of this... Push real history forward..

[@mitchharrelson7439]

Words to live by!!!!!

[@zarathustra8789]

Astounding film, in fact. Thanks for this precious excerpt of the interview.

[@walsch80]

I am from italian Tyrol. Something really similar situation of Alsace and Lorraine. I have german ancestors and surname. But I grew up speaking italian as like italian. I can just imagine how terrible situation many people lived. Especially who was in the middle. For italians I am german and for germans I am italian. Personally I am thinking that last 2 world's wars were simply crazy. Unfortunately we don't learn the lesson... I pray for peace...

[@orange-thing]

I mean... Most of the people in Sudtyrol say they are austrians. Most vote for the autonomist party. What do you expect? It's not like the rest of Italy doesnt like you, but if i enter in a restaurant in Bolzano and speak Italian i want to pay the same amount as if i were to speak in German, sadly that is never been the case all the times i've been there. If not for the wonderful views i would not come back. I get the tourist treatmeant in my own country.

[@walsch80]

@@orange-thing in my region you are able to find all. In Trentino 95% are italians (5% germans italianized and ladins) and in Alto Adige (but I prefer to use Südtirol) 70% are germans and 30% italians. In Bolzano most part of population are from other part of Italy and of the world. Just a 40% are germans. Nowadays we can say that autonomy gives the real peace between all. But in the past borders decided in WWI put the bases for the second. And after the WWII here was really hard situation. Especially in some places where germans were not a lot.

[@anderugalde4969]

Powerful clip

[@Biring1]

Heroes all of them. Thank you for your service.

[@Hornwiesel]

HrTjernobyl ??? Not heroes, they just tried to survive, I think.

[@Laughing_Man-ws8ly]

HrTjernobyl Survival, simply put, most veterans of that war would perhaps have the same to say as Mr.Kronefeld, that there nothing to be proud of in such insanity, a world war that consumed life akin to an industrial scale, not such a seemingly clear dichotomy like the Second World War, but that war was only the result of the failures of humanity in the first

[@alessandrobernardi9258]

There were no heroes in that meat grinder of a war. Only poor people who have seen, done and been through things we couldn't be able to imagine not in even our worst nightmares.

[@UWfalcin]

Rest in peace great man!

[@SeatSniffer1944]

This should be shown to everyone at the next NATO meeting.

[@TimoDyer]

And to Ruzzian people

[@Strandjutter]

Very impressive: the statement of that former German officer. War is horrible thing.

[@bachiltonsbattlegrounds3702]

Do you have the rest of this ??

[@henkverhaeren3759]

It seems that the generations have forgotten what it is like, the pointless battles. And if they don't become aware of the dark patterns in history it seems that we are entering a new horrific phase.

[@zeppelinboys]

my biggest gripe is when people say WWI is 'boring' because 'they just sat in trenches for 4 years'. what a bunch of morons. every day of that war something insane was happening. people were dying horrific deaths, even in 'quiet' sectors youd have to worry about being killed. yeah WWII has literal psychos running around torching villages but that dosen't make WWI any less brutal or interesting.

[@Aivottaja]

No we haven't. You see m3n constantly pointing out the causes and effects of wars and the patterns you speak of. But the critical mass of people doesn't care.

[@geoffreybowman7877]

Is there a link to the entire interview and discussion about the film? The veteran's perspective is incredibly valuable and I wish to hear what the rest had to say. Thank you for sharing such valuable content!

[@zeppelinboys]

there has got to be so many wonderful, priceless interviews with Vets back when they were still 'young'. I've seen many snippets of interviews from what appear to be random small News station pieces on Veterans in their area or whatever. Wish I could have a job tracking down all the film rotting away in some basement and get it out for the world to see. BBCs The Great War is pretty great but I wish they would just release all the interviews in their entirety. Hearing them speak and the facial expressions is something you cant get from reading memoirs.

[@dustywoood]

Hey Geoffrey, I know it's been 2 years since you've made your comment, but I was wondering if you ever did find out the answer to your question? I'd very much like to see the rest of these interviews, especially since there were a lot of important figures in that room with stories to tell - it seems awfully difficult to locate these type of interviews (ESPECIALLY German ones).

[@stevejauncey1461]

@@dustywoood I expect that you have seen the Peter Jackson documentary film

[@Aivottaja]

We did learn our lesson. You see regular m[=n warning well in advance about the causes and effects of war and the steps that precede them. But there's only so much we can do about that without the critical mass of people being as aware and interested in preventing them as we are.

[@hildaelson4203]

50 years later. That would make this to be around the late 60s/ early 70s? So the Vietnam War was going on full scale, which saw a hand-to-hand combat more than any wars since WWI because of the way the Viet Kong fought the guerrilla warfare. Sad that some of these men died knowing the world was not yet (and still isnt) at peace.

[@RevoltingRudi]

1:17 well, seems we not learn.

[@Gkm-]

legends

[@EstoniaANTICOMMUNIST]

REST IN PEACE!

[@theretrogamer14]

Damn

[@JAYNEDOE_]

Does anyone know where I can find the full interview?

[@sassari37]

where can i see the hole interview

[@judahsmall3023]

These veterans were born in the 1880s, 1890s, 1900 and 1902. I wonder who was the last surviving veteran of World War 1?

[@alfredchung1367]

The last one died in 2011

[@pooooornopigeon]

In England I think it was Harry Patch who wrote a book about it all, " Industrial murder " I think he called it.

[@evertonrangel8199]

Live is so sad

[@jaizkibeltope-racing6033]

NO MORE BROTHERS WARS

[@Aivottaja]

We have to defeat the right enemy.

[@ROLFCOPTERZZ]

What film are they refeering to?

[@briantalbot7929]

Westfront 1918

[@Idcanymore510]

The true voice of the veteran, not the hijacked, jingoistic BS that the armchair-warrior generation is so enamoured of. War is the most disturbingly sick and morally repugnant activity that humans engage in. This old soldier told it like it was, sweeping aside the 'glory' and 'patrotism' imposed on the vile endeavour. But oh how easily the next generation forgets, never having witnessed its horrors, and as such the myths are made that invevitably bolster war's violent standard-of-arms and ensure we remain tragically addicted to its deadly pursuit.

[@purefoldnz3070]

what is the armchair warrior generation??

[@ILikeToLaughAtYou]

Veteran* Where is the rest of the video?

[@paranoidandroid6095]

I suppose they had to participate in the second one too or are they emigrants

[@flutter8712]

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