Reading the other comments reminds us that in general the men who fought in the war were reluctant to talk about it, which is why first-hand testimony like this

Reading the other comments reminds us that in general the men who fought in the war were reluctant to talk about it, which is why first-hand testimony like this is so valuable for future generations. Of course, many of them were horribly traumatised by their experiences, which goes a long way to explaining their reticence. My stepdad, for example, was in a position that was overrun by a German attack - he shot a fellow who fell dead on top of him with his hand over my stepdad's face. My stepdad then had to "play possum" until a counterattack in turn evicted the Germans. For the rest of his life he would wake up terrified and in a cold sweat from the recurring nightmare of that dead hand on his face.