Corporal Gerhard Dassler (1922-2020), 389th Infantry Division / Infantry Regiment 545.
Stalingrad, German planes, the dive bombers, came every day and flew missions every day.
Early in the morning they arrived and went to Stalingrad and dropped their bombs.
And then partly into their own ranks, and are then back again.
And that every day. In good weather we could see it correctly, see it correctly.
The Stukas, as they flew down, fell and dropped their bombs.
And then I went to Gorodishche, that was the Gorodishche creek or how it was now.
Where I then came to the staff. Where it was said, you come now, you must go to the staff.
I was in the city once. In fact, I met a buddy here on the march to the Don.
In the direction of Don we passed a draw well. The draw well was the only source of water, it was cheap.
And there was a jeep driving, 3 men in it. And the way they took off the steel helmet, I thought man you know him.
There was an acquaintance of mine. He used to be our HJ ensign leader.
He was the principal in a neighboring town where I lived. And his brother was principal with us, where I went to school.
We were good friends. And I thought, human, he really was. His name was Erich Peter.
He said I'd visit you. He was at the news department, was motorized and had a camera with him.
And then he told me that if I had the opportunity, I would visit you.
And before I came to the staff, he came to me and said, there is another one from my town here in our division.
He is with the Artillery Section. We'll meet sometime, he said.
I said I was coming to the staff, you won't catch me here again.
Then he came to the staff and said, come and sign out, let's get going.
There we drove to the artillery, and then he got on.
His cousin went to school with me, the place is called Dasslitz.
There he drove us through positions, up to the north of Stalingrad.
And there we could look down to Volga, where he took pictures, photos.
And I wanted to see the pictures later, and I did not succeed.
The photographs did not reach his wife, they have been lost.
But I can also tell you how it all fits together. And that was a buddy I saw there.
But then he stayed in Stalingrad, he never came home. He is missing.
Because of the bombing, the German bombing, there had already been a...
What I saw was already a heap of rubble. What I saw.
But I did not reach the city center during the fighting.
We were still in front of the city center, where I joined the staff.
That was even before the city center. And we were deployed in the north.
So the city was already a heap of rubble.
Because of the many bombings the Stukas had made there.
Yes, there were still people there, but I did not see many more.
Those who were there, you couldn't have a conversation. That was no longer possible.
Well, we did not have much to eat ourselves.
But sometimes you just gave something when you saw the misery.
You have not seen a great wealth. But we had little to eat ourselves, yes.
The relations with the population were not unfriendly. No, I cannot say.
They wanted to survive. It was not unkind.
Except for the older people, the men.
The older men, they were persistent, you could tell.
Not with the women, they were accessible, the women. They certainly wanted to survive.
But the men, the old men, there were only older men there, they were already a bit hostile.
This has been determined.
Yes, so treated as humans. They have seen as human beings, the people.
Not as an opponent. That's what I'd say.