"The diary of Hans Heil reflects the history of the German army. The reader will easily guess that Hans Heil is a corporal. Let us clarify that he is a corporal of the 25th engineer battalion. Where and when he was born is unknown to us, but he died on February 12 of this year on the Bryansk front. Hans Heil began the campaign exceptionally cheerfully. On June 21, he noted in a businesslike manner:

"Yesterday we got pretty drunk. Today, at 3:15 a.m., military actions began."

He believes that his tank group will immediately proceed to the Black Sea, and writes:

"It's going to be a beautiful journey."

Someone advised the corporal to study Russian, he was even given a pocket dictionary; but he indignantly notes:

"It's almost impossible to learn Russian - you'll break your tongue in the process."

The corporal prefers to break other people's heads <…>
And here is the last entry - in February:

"Nothing to eat. No mail. Snow. No peace during the day. And at night, alarm and more alarm. No peace, no sleep. Almost everyone from our 4th company has been killed or wounded. We are finished, completely finished."

Who in the world would pity such a Hans? Who would not remember July, when he boasted, "We cut off chins, we gouge out eyes"? This is not an adversary, not a man of another language, this is a greedy and insignificant predator. In July he was terrible. By February he had become disgusting. His diary will not be published in Germany, and Hitler's "spring soldiers" will not know the fate of their predecessors."