BBC Home and Forces Program – June 28th, 1952
June 28th, 1952
BBC Home and Forces Program
"This is the BBC home and forces program. This is Bruce Belfrage. The retreat westward continues as successive German attacks continue to shatter the Allied armies. Allied divisions have also been plagued by Axis air assaults which continue day and night, inflicting significant damage. The retreat forces have been covered by American mechanized and armored divisions, which scorch the earth behind them as they attempt to shroud their movements from the German airforce. Massive fires have been lit across the entire front, which has so far been successful in thwarting German bombing runs. With the sky black with soot, it has been an effective counter-measure. The physiological impact of this, however, questions its practicality. When the retreating forces look behind them, all they see is a glowing red sky with a constant black sky. This cover also prevents armor from engaging targets at their optimal range by both Allied and Axis armies."
"The recent bloodshed has reached scales not yet seen in human history. Tommy Fourever managed to get this diary journal from one of the American frontline divisions, to help us understand how those on the front lines have been reacting to the constant war. The writer sadly passed away recently in a military hospital complex based in Essen two days ago."
"Alex became one of them today. My best friend, who’s been with me since '47, the only other survivor of the original platoon."
"An odd thing happens after every nuclear attack. At first men would hold out hope that their friends and families. Their wives and kids would have somehow survived. That a small miracle would occur. These days no one holds out hope. Even if you live through the blast, you die from the poisoning. They tell me it drifts into the water, the air, the food everything. God, I think we're killing the world. The men who have lost their families, their homes, they die inside. Their souls just... go I think. All they want to do is kill Germans and die. To make it be over. "
"Alex was from Newark. He had 7 sisters and 3 brothers. All his brothers are dead, his two older ones in Japan, his younger in France against the Italians. We don't know about his sisters, but odds ain't good. When we heard, all the life went out of him. The cocky Jersey kid who couldn't say 4 words without a curse in there somewhere was gone. Now there's this dull eyed robot. Like out of those old Flash Gordon strips. Only time he's close to life is when there are Germans to shoot. "
"We're retreating from Berlin. The Germans keep pushing. Units of boys who aren't even shaving and old men are hurled at us, we mow them down but behind them are always the tanks and the half tracks full of cold eyed, skinny men. We call them wolves, we're insulting the animal. I have to drag Alex away from each fight... but I'm running out of gas for this..."
"I don't know what to do anymore. God help me. "
"The loud speakers are on again. It's how we always know when the Germans are attacking. Perfect English female voices telling us to surrender, that the war was pointless. That Churchill and Roosevelt were killing us while the Communist ran rampant in Asia. While our cities burn at home. That our governments were just making sure that the Communists would kill us all in the end. "
"Alex's eyes have just come alive. He's loading his rifle and pulling out his bayonet. He likes to stab them these days. I can see the first wave of kids, looking younger then my baby brother... Jesus, he turns 14 soon, another year and they'll ship him out. The old men hobble behind and I can hear the rumbling of the tanks... the damn tanks... those Goddamn German tanks… "
**A great thanks to frigidmagi for that excellent journal entry. It was slightly modified for grammatical purposes, and to make it slightly easier to read.**