Interview by David Mathias with Heinrich Krappen recounting his experiences of serving in the Great War and the Second World War with the German Army. Recorded in the 1980s.

This interview was conducted through an interpreter, with translations provided from German into English.

Heinrich provides a personal reflection and detailed combat memories. He shares his patriotic roots, shaped by family and national pride, and recalls frontline battles in regions like Arras, Normandy, and Champagne. Despite encountering French soldiers, he emphasizes shared humanity and refrains from hatred or political extremism.

He describes brutal artillery barrages, chaotic retreats, and tense close encounters, including an escape from a collapsing tunnel and an unarmed but determined stance against defection. Heinrich highlights the importance of discipline, the use of machine guns for support rather than assault, and the dwindling morale and resources toward the war’s end.

He also touches on propaganda leaflets, surveillance balloons, and trench warfare tactics. Beyond WWI, he mentions witnessing V2 rocket launches and interactions with forced labourers during WWII-era military projects. Throughout, his tone balances vivid battlefield detail with moral reflection on the futility of war, survival instincts, and the enduring impact of loss and destruction.

[Due to the quality of the original recordings, originally made on portable cassette recorders in the 1980s, this recording has been heavily processed to enhance the voices captured. In some cases, information is unintelligible. You can reference the Full summary of the recording to complement the listening experience.]

Side 1

00:00:00 – Introductions; no direct contact with English.
00:02:30 – Patriotic upbringing; family war history.
00:04:00 – WWI service overview; brother’s death.
00:05:00 – Encounters with French; shared humanity.
00:06:00 – Machine gun tactics; views on violence and ideology.
00:10:00 – French propaganda leaflets; defection seen as shameful.
00:11:00 – Lieutenant’s inspection; heavy artillery barrage.
00:13:00 – Escape from tunnel; battlefield devastation.
00:16:00 – Encounter with three French soldiers; no shots fired.
00:17:30 – German lines overrun; retreat under fire.
00:19:30 – Denies defection; resolve to fight on.
00:20:30 – Discipline with weapons; grenades and fear.
00:22:00 – French surveillance balloons; one shot down.
00:24:30 – Collapse of morale; veteran remains active.
00:25:00 – Heavy company losses; only two machine guns left.
00:26:00 – Light vs heavy machine guns.
00:27:00 – Unit 814’s independent assignments.
00:28:00 – Support role; covering fire.
00:29:30 – Forest deployment; avoiding detection.

Side 2

00:30:30 – Champagne battles; local destruction.00:31:30 – Spring 1918 confirmation.00:32:30 – Conscription; training in Belgium; move to Brussels.00:34:00 – First front deployment in Alsace.00:35:50 – March to Cours; prep for night combat.00:38:00 – Hartmannsweilerkopf fighting; trench and tunnel work.00:40:14 – Improvised explosives; proximity to French lines.00:42:44 – Early resilience; survival mindset.00:46:08 – Witnessing V2 launches.00:47:40 – Italian forced labourers; Wernher von Braun.00:51:11 – Poor induction; idle posting near Austrian border.00:54:16 – Artillery loading under stress.00:58:24 – Evacuation under attack; reflection on peace.