Press release:
German soldiers excavating a Japanese 28 cm. siege howitzer near Grodno;
a munitions or spare parts crate sitting to the side.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – When the German army
advanced into the western territory of the Russian Empire in the spring and
summer of 1915, soldiers encountered a physical and cultural environment quite
different from what they previously encountered. Those experiences are told
through the eyes of German soldiers in Wacht im Osten: German Encounters
with the East in World War I, a new special exhibition at
the National World War I Museum and Memorial.
As historian Vejas Liulevicius describes, the
German soldier formed a “mindscape” of the vast, sparsely populated, underdeveloped,
alien landscape in which he found himself—something conquered by armed force,
but beyond his power to fully understand and control. This landscape challenged
him with a psychological learning curve beyond his capacity as a soldier or
administrator to comprehend a completely new environment.
Constantly aware of this, the German occupier
coped with his disoriented feelings by scrutinizing his environment more
thoroughly than he might have in more familiar surroundings. The Germans’
“mindscape” transitioned from being a way of understanding the physical nature
of this environment to understanding how to interact with it and eventually
subdue it, by constant guarded watchfulness.
“This special exhibition is unique in that
we share the stories and experiences of common soldiers tasked with overseeing
the occupation of foreign lands,” said National World War I Museum and Memorial
Archivist and Edward Jones Research Center Manager Jonathan Casey. “Through
their own personal photographs and diary entries, we’re able to gain an
understanding of everyday life for soldiers in those circumstances.”
Wacht im Osten (“Watch in the East”)
explores this encounter between the German soldier and the land and people he
found himself trying to understand. An example of this is the Belarusian
village of Iwje, which is depicted using commercial photo postcards
illustrating its diverse mix of religious cultures, including Christian, Jewish
and Muslim.
“Through Wacht im Osten, we’re able to
explore an aspect of the Great War not commonly examined broadly: what life was
like for soldiers serving as occupiers in lands previously unfamiliar from a
cultural and environmental standpoint,” said National World War I Museum and
Memorial President and CEO Dr. Matthew Naylor.
The exhibition’s narrative unfolds mainly
through the stories of two German soldiers: Georg Oertel and Friedrich
Volkmann. Oertel served as a medic in a field hospital in Poland and once
helped deliver a farmer’s baby during the Christmas holiday. Volkmann was a
father with two small children who served in the infantry in Poland and was
killed there. They are experiences of two soldiers, far from home in a foreign
land, caught up in war.
Wacht im Osten is open from Oct. 25, 2016 –
March 12, 2017 in the Ellis Gallery.
The National World War I Museum and Memorial
holds the most diverse collection of World War I objects and documents in the
world and is the second-oldest public museum dedicated to preserving the
objects, history and personal experiences of the war.
Media interested in covering any of the Museum’s
offerings should contact Mike Vietti at 816-888-8122 or mvietti@theworldwar.org.
About the National
World War I Museum and Memorial
The National World
War I Museum and Memorial is America’s leading institution dedicated to
remembering, interpreting and understanding the Great War and its enduring
impact on the global community. The Museum holds the most diverse collection of
World War I objects and documents in the world and is the second-oldest public
museum dedicated to preserving the objects, history and experiences of the war.
The Museum takes visitors of all ages on an epic journey through a
transformative period and shares deeply personal stories of courage, honor,
patriotism and sacrifice. Designated by Congress as America’s official World
War I Museum and Memorial and located in downtown Kansas City, Mo., the
National World War I Museum and Memorial inspires thought, dialogue and
learning to make the experiences of the Great War era meaningful and relevant
for present and future generations. To learn more, visit theworldwar.org.