The Forgotten Soldier

As Soviet forces pour into Romania, Sajer and his unit end up back at Lodz, where they see the new Volkssturm soldiers, many of whom are young boys or old men. Upon assembling the new unit, they also come across some familiar veterans, and they learn how desperate things are becoming on the home front. They move from Poland into East Prussia (a historic region of eastern Germany, today split between Germany and Poland), and the troops try to summon the courage to fight on, having faced death so many times that they are ready to accept it. They receive yet another inspirational speech from an officer, much to their irritation. These speeches about the defense of the fatherland ring hollow as Soviet forces crash into German territory, prompting still more retreats in the bitter cold. Sajer joins a unit defending against tanks, but they have no anti-tank guns. In desperation, Sajer begs a fellow soldier to shoot him dead, but the man refuses. When they are on the brink of utter despair, German reinforcements arrive to deliver a crushing counterattack. They have to retreat a few days later, but do so in relative safety.