September 2, 15:50
In short, after inspecting my unit this afternoon, I returned to rest fully and, of course, cleaned myself up. Since I am a woman and the only woman serving in the Wehrmacht, I had to be more selective about where I bathed.
So I used a civilian house and paid the inhabitants with some food as compensation.
In the German Reich, women in the German military were strongly prohibited as it did not align with the ideology that saw women as homemakers. Although during the war, women could be involved in the military in limited roles, such as working in factories, overseeing camps, and serving as nurses.
However, there was an exception for me because I achieved the highest scores and was far superior to regular soldiers. Naturally, people's views of me varied—some were skeptical and apathetic, and others felt honored.
During my time in the military, I also learned why the entire German population was so enthusiastic, eager, and united regardless of wealth or poverty—it was because they had a very charismatic leader. When I heard his speeches, I felt almost hypnotized and wanted to applaud.
"His choice of words, context, and the content of his speeches truly show talent,"
Moreover, unemployment in Germany significantly decreased from 1933 to 1939. This was due to massive projects like the Autobahn and rearmament.
"I don't even know where the government got the money to transform a struggling country into a superpower in just 5 years," I mused.
(It’s truly a mystery. Even though I’ve tried to research it, like how they might use invisible inflation, I’m still not sure.)
(There are too many mysteries in this world.)
Now, I am gathering my entire company, Company 2 from Battalion 2, which is about to move towards the battlefield near the town of Koronowo.
After giving a brief speech, I and my entire unit began boarding trucks and armored vehicles to reach the battlefield faster.
During the journey, I remained silent while writing in my diary and listening to the conversations of my subordinates, some of whom also received the Iron Cross Second Class like me.
"Did you know? The Southern Group has advanced quite quickly since yesterday."
"Really? That’s expected, as our main force is in the southern group."
"But it’s impressive; they’ve surprised the Polish soldiers."
"We have excellent tanks and air forces; we should win quickly."
"Of course, I can’t wait to go to Warsaw and celebrate there, hahahaha."
"If it were up to me, I’d want to go to Danzig once everything is over."
"I also brought today’s newspaper, September 2."
"Really? Let me see!"
"Britain and France have given an ultimatum to the Reich to withdraw its forces from Poland."
"Are we going to war with them again?"
"I hope this won’t turn into another World War."
"It won’t happen; we lost World War I because we were betrayed by that ethnicity."
"I agree."
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
"We shouldn’t lose this time because we’ve learned from our mistakes."
(It can be said that National Socialists used scapegoat politics to unite everyone against a common enemy.)
(And the reason for the defeat, in my opinion, was the wrong military strategies. People like Walter Model, Kesselring, Manstein, Guderian, Manteuffel, Eberbach, and others, all only held very strategic positions in the middle to the end of the war.)
(And those who held important commands were less competent individuals like Keitel and Goering; they were highly problematic. It was fortunate for the Allies that these two were in charge.)
(Although that was just one of the factors.)
(One of my biggest reasons for joining the military is that I want to know what happens inside the military and the situation during war.)
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On September 2nd, at 17:30, my entire unit and I arrived at the battlefield, and many other units were fighting at a distance. Even tanks like the Panzer IV were firing from around one kilometer away.
I then used hand signals to command my troops to advance and join the other frontline forces.
"WATCH OUT!!! BE CAREFUL!!!"
This was truly a massive battle. My unit, along with others, fought together, and I could estimate the number to be possibly around thousands of soldiers.
The tanks or Panzers kept advancing, paving the way for the infantry, and the infantry followed closely behind the tanks.
At that moment, I was certainly walking behind a tank, occasionally ducking to avoid enemy fire. Almost all the soldiers on the front lines were prone to avoid being shot, and it was effective.
I tightly gripped my rifle, loaded it with five bullets, cocked it, and began aiming at the enemy. I spotted the enemy at about 500 meters away, and they, too, were desperately holding their ground.
Bang!
After aiming, I pulled the trigger of my rifle, and my shot hit one of the enemies, knocking him down.
"One."
This situation was truly chaotic. As the unit leader, I could only issue a few commands, which were very limited to my entire unit. The rest was survival for each individual.
The most important role here was that of the small unit commanders, such as the platoon and squad leaders, because they led their troops directly, while I merely relayed orders from the Major or battalion commander.
Bang!
Bang!
The sound of explosions was nonstop, along with the sound of gunfire and machine guns. I watched one person after another fall, either shot or hit by shrapnel, and some were even hit by friendly fire.
This is not like in games where you can turn off the friendly fire feature; this is a real war.
"MY HAND IS GONE!!! HELP!!!!"
"MY LEG IS OFF!!! HELP!!!!"
"HELP, I'VE BEEN SHOT, HELP!!!"
"I CAN'T WALK, SOMEBODY, PLEASE!!!"
The screams for help and the shouts of commands clashed with each other. This was the real battlefield.
(A great soldier is not just one who can kill the enemy, but one who can also save his comrades.)
Not long after, a soldier just two meters to my right was shot, and I immediately ran toward him.
"HELP!!! HELP ME!!! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!!!"
I saw the soldier crying and utterly terrified, so I quickly removed his helmet, and it looked like he had been shot in the shoulder.
He was sweating heavily and trembling with fear. I could feel his fear—his whole body was shaking because he didn't want to die.
"Calm down."
After removing his helmet, I immediately grabbed a clean cloth and tried to cover the gunshot wound on his neck with my limited skills.
I then turned around and noticed two of my subordinates not far from my position.
"WILHELM! KARL! COME HERE!!!" I ordered.
Wilhelm and Karl, hearing my call, quickly came over to me, and they, too, seemed tense.
"Take him to the rear."
"YES! FRAU HAUPTMANN!"
Shortly after, a medic unit arrived carrying a stretcher, and the three of them took the wounded soldier away.
"I can only hope that soldier survives."
I even witnessed a soldier committing suicide out of sheer panic and fear after losing both of his legs in an explosion. He likely couldn't imagine living without them, so he took his own life.
It was a horrifying sight.
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At 19:30, the 32nd Infantry Division succeeded in defeating a Polish regiment near Koronowo, allowing us to enter the city without resistance as many Polish soldiers had chosen to retreat.
It was already late in the evening, and my entire unit marched into the city of Koronowo. Of course, I led my unit into the city alongside other units.
As I began to enter Koronowo, I saw many people gathered, most of whom were ethnic Germans living in the city.
"This is truly a beautiful city."
They all appeared to be clapping and even offering us garlands and food, despite the late hour. Yes, I proudly marched through the streets with my unit, and the flag of the German Reich was beginning to be raised.
Some of the ethnic German residents even threw away the enemy's flags, with some tearing them down, replacing them with the Reich’s flag.
(They all seemed to smile with joy.)
(Perhaps I won’t experience this if we advance further into Poland.)
While marching on the right side, a woman approached me and offered me a garland, which I accepted. She was visibly surprised to learn that I was a woman but still gave me a salute.
I felt like I was being treated as a hero by the people of Koronowo. I even received a bottle of milk from a resident. I also saw some people using ladders to hang the Reich’s flags on buildings.
We marched with immense pride, and it greatly boosted the morale of the troops. However, I felt a different gaze from the Polish people. They all looked at us with mixed emotions—disappointment and sadness.
(Will we be like them six years from now? No one knows as history can take unexpected turns.)