Very wise words Sergei. My roots are in Prussia, my great grandfather was born there.
He was in RIR213 and was in the fights opf the Tothenmule, Near Bikschote during the first fights in ww1.
His son, my grandfather, was sent to war in 1942.
Not a very nice thing...war is hell, Especially if you look how those guy's looked at it, or, didn't have the chance to look at it.
I researched my grandfather's roots, and my grandmother's roots too.
Well, my grandmother's roots are more probimatical... Search for NSB on the internet and you know why.
Her brother was somewhat older, and joined the NSB. I have photo's here, of her brother, in full WA ( weer afdeling) uniform, and pictures of my grandfather, In his wehrmacht uniform. Things are not so easy as some people think.
My grandfather deserted in 1944, and my grandmothers brother survived the war, but never spoke about it... he just lived his life, and kept still.
My grandmother however...when I was in Highschool, was visiting us, at my birthday. I had a thing to write about WW2. For my history section.
I knew she knew a lot, but didn't know how much. Showed here some books I had bought, told her some things I already found out, and spoke with het about Walter. Her first love. The son of the guy fighting in WW1.
She didn't let anything go. But seeing the picture of you know who, she said, yes, that's him. She never learned a thing.
Well, in fact she did, because she wasn't authorised to marry Walter. My grandmother missed 1 leg, due to childpolio.
So she wasn't Arian, according to AH. But you know, my grandmother was always a pure national-socialist. No matter how her love was stopped for Walter. She just never forgot Walter. Or her brother, Koos.
History is easy to look at for us, but know, 75 years ago, with no internet, or references things were very different.
My mother, a child of a german wehrmacht soldier passed away 2 years ago. But I know how she was hurt by that war. So-called real dutch people telling her, you cannot play with my kids. She had no youth, like you or I had. Even I had the experience, imagine being raised by a woman who didn/t have love when she grew up.
War is hell.