A soldier's view on 'honouring' the war dead

In 1954 Bertelsmann published a slim volume called "Last Letters from Stalingrad".

It is a collection of letters written by German soldiers to their families, wives, girlfriends.

In one such letter a soldier writes:

"Hymns, novels and sacred songs will be written and sung. And in churches Mass will be said. I will no longer take part in those events. I have no intention of decaying in a mass gave."