The Forgotten Soldier

Sajer and many of his companions, including Hals, volunteer for a combat battalion with the promise of two weeks’ leave beforehand. First Sajer is assigned to a squadron for burying German dead, where he also witnesses gruesome atrocities against Russian prisoners. Finally, a truck comes to collect them for the departure, and Sajer is luckily included among the first group to depart. They arrive at the rest camp for the Gross Deutschland Division, where they are promised leave effective five days from then. They undertake a long journey westward, disturbed to find evidence of partisan activity a long way from the front line. They are also hobbled by logistical delays and severe pain from extensive walking without socks or adequate footwear. They manage to get to Kiev, which is still a quiet sector, and from there take a train to Poland. Upon returning to Germany, they receive a warm welcome while noticing the extensive damage caused by Allied bombings. Sajer chats with an old lady about his experiences and background, and she directs him to the house where the parents of a deceased comrade live. Yet upon arriving, he turns around, unable to confront them, and instead boards a train for France.