The pianist

Here’s another example of the process of dehumanification at the Eastern Front during the final days of the Second World War. In 1945 the Soviet Union had seen decades of war; first with itself, with the Japanese, with the Finns and of course with the Germans and their allies (Finland, Italy, Romania and Bulgaria). The Red Army, despite being the biggest, strongest and most powerful army in the world had little to offer for its troops but diseases, drunken NCO’s and rations too much to starve on but too little to live off.

The apparant luxurious life of the fascist dogs filled Russian troops entering German soil with hate and envy. It probably made the frontoviks aware of their own misery. Mass rape, looting and continuous drunkenship were the only ways that kept the men from killing each other rather than the enemy. But some soldiers entertained themselves in other ways.

There is a story of a German musician caught by Russian soldiers. The soldiers ordered the man to play and make them happy. Would he stop playing the piano they would shoot him. And so the man played. He played and played, as his life literally depended on it. He played for more than 24 hours without ever pausing. When at last he fell off his chair in exhaustion, hunger and desperation the Russian soldiers applauded. They rose to their feet and applauded for minutes long. This had truly been an outstanding feat.

They took the pianist outside and, as promised, they shot him. A promise is, after all, worth more than a human life.

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Published:
22.10.05 / 2pm
Category:
20th Century, World War 2