If history is written by the victors, then the losers of any wars are doomed to be forgotten by the following generations? The sacrifice endured by both sides, at any time in History and in any wars, is usually equal. WWII, of course, is no exception to this implacable historical rule. Axis and Ally armies and its soldiers have fought for what they believed was right: a hard thing to perceive if you dissect why and for whom Axis soldiers fought and died for. Fighting for the National Socialist ideal is of course not the same as fighting for Western democracies. That is at least how we view the Second World War.
Seventy years after the end of the War in Europe and in Asia, most would agree that the far reaching consequences of WWII is still very much present in today’s world. The recent celebration of the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landing in Normandy on June 6th 2014 saw thousands of Ally veterans who had fought in the battle sit through the countless ceremonies led by numerous Western leaders and Russia’s president Vladimir Putin. While these ceremonies were underway, tenth of thousands of curious visitors, tourists, locals or WWII enthusiasts visited the cemeteries where thousands of Ally soldiers are buried.
Further away, and less well-known German cemetery of La Cambe where over 21 thousand German soldiers are buried. Austere Gothic graves at La Cambe cemetery is an interesting symbol in order to understand the less known Axis soldier to the general public. One can walk through these dark stoned crosses which often reads the name of the fallen Landser with next to his name two dates: his birthday and the day of his death. Many graves do not even bare a name, but just a serial number.
Germans, French, Scandinavians, Slavs, Italians, Belgium and many more have fought alongside the German army through out Europe and Russia. Some joined as fervent Nazis, while most thought to take part in the anti-Communist crusade on the Eastern front. Waffen SS and regular units, filled with foreign volunteers fought and died on Russian soil for an ideal they deemed worth sacrificing for. The international component of the German army during WWII has fought in some of the hardest battles during the conflict, making their presence an essential part in the German war effort.
The historical value in meeting, interviewing and photographing these Axis soldiers should be perceived as an important missing piece in fully understanding the moral implication that these men represent in the context of a global conflict which engulfed powerful nation in a fight to the death; and where each one of them can find their respectful place in the history books. After 70 years, much of the dust has settled, which allows us to have a purely neutral view of the bloodiest conflict in human history. These now old men, should be seen as living history with experiences rarely experienced by anyone before them, and certainly never experienced by anyone born after the war. They stand in front of the camera as they once did as young men, proud and with no regret. Indeed, decades have past, and as time always attenuates hard feelings by pushing them back into a more remote parts of their subconscious.
