Anonymous Narrative, a German Deserter Research Proposal

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The next one approaches; again you have to defend your skin. Again and again the mad murdering is repeated, all night long."

Entitling Chapter Five "Story of Murderous Flights in the Night" reveals the author's definite moral judgement of war as equivalent to murder. The author does not distinguish between killing on the battlefield and killing on the street. This marks a certain shift in social values, as killing in battle is frequently depicted as being an honorable and justifiable act. In a telling section, the German deserter explains how the individual can justify murder to himself. He notes that soldiers become desensitized to death the longer they remain on the battlefield. "When a man is accustomed to step over corpses with a cold smile on his lips, when he has to face death every minute day and night, he gradually loses that finer feeling for human things and humanity," (Chapter 8).

For a text written a century ago and translated from German, "A German Deserter's War Experience" reads easily. The narration is straightforward and flows smoothly, lacking any pretentious speech. It is as if the deserter speaks to a friend, and yet he does not ramble. The author's insight is admirable. He seems to be in touch with his own feelings but also of the broad implications of the war experience.

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For example, he writes, "We common soldiers were here handling the dead and wounded as if we had never done anything else, and yet in our civilian lives most of us had an abhorrence and fear of the dead and the horribly mangled. War is a hard school-master who bends and reshapes his pupils," (Chapter 7).

As a historical artifact, "A German Deserter's War Experience" is invaluable. The text can be considered a primary source of data for accurate accounts of battle conditions, communications, and military strategies during World War One. "A German Deserter's War Experience" should also share shelf space with similar accounts that poured forth during the Vietnam War. The text is also valuable in other disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, and also the history of ideas because the text delves into changing values and norms. At the time of writing, "A German Deserter's War Experience" did not necessarily reflect the prevailing worldview. War was frequently justified as an honorable duty, and especially in the early days of nationalist political philosophy was viewed as such. Just the fact that the author chose to remain anonymous showed that his feelings were not readily acceptable. Not even his relatives are to know about his defection, states the author in the….....

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