Anonymous Narrative, a German Deserter

¶ … anonymous narrative, a German deserter describes the horrors of war with vivid detail. Although it may not be the first such narrative, "A German Deserter's War Experience" is one of the few that detail personal experiences with early 20th century warfare and combat. The author exposes what actually takes place on the fields during World War One, and in the process reveals much about the German military strategy. His narrative was potentially explosive, which is why the identity of the author has been shrouded. One of the distinguishing features of "A German Deserter's War Experience" is its poignant critique of war. Describing the constant fear of and encounters with death, attacks on civilians, and the psychological horrors of war, the author helps shift a global consciousness towards peace.

The author begins the narrative with "I belonged to those who were depressed." This self-reflection sets the tone for the entire memoir. Indeed, a mood of depression permeates the narrative. The author is almost never gung-ho about war, never pumped up like a stereotypical soldier might be. therefore, "A German Deserter's War Experience" humanizes war in ways some war narratives fail to do. Traditional war memoirs play up the heroism of combat or the "necessity" of war to achieve political goals. In sharp contrast to bellicose writings, the German deserter disparages combat.

Although the author does not analyze social, political, and economic realities that coincided with World War One, his writing reveals one of the major trends of the early 20th century: nationalism. The author is fighting for a newly formed German nation, and therefore his identity is similarly confused. It is worth reading "A German Deserter's War Experience" as part of a general historiography of the early 20th century. The narrative describes what modern combat was like, what the European consciousness of the early 20th century was like, and how concepts of war shifted according to technological advancements as well as political and social change.

The author himself is far more concerned with the moral implications of his actions, and those of his fellow soldiers, than he is with the sociological and historical contexts of 1914 Germany. He is also intent on communicating the psychological effects of being amid death day and night. Using gory details at times allows the author to convey the daily meetings with death that a soldier experiences in combat. In Chapter Five, the German deserter writes about killing an enemy soldier with a dagger, and having to "pull it out of his chest." He describes the scene: "A jet of warm blood rushes out of the gaping wound and strikes your face. Human blood, warm human blood! You shake yourself, horror strikes you for only a few seconds. 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. 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).