Walter

Name: Walter Meyer Age: 25 (born in 1918, towards the end of World War I) Rank: Ober-Gefreiter Position: Typically a squad leader (Gruppenführer) or a gunner/machine gunner in an infantry company. An experienced, "old" soldier. Unit: Wehrmacht, presumably an infantry division (possibly the 6th Army before Stalingrad or one of the divisions of Army Group South/Center as of 1943).

Appearance: Height and build: About 185-188 cm, broad-shouldered but wiry, not an ounce of excess weight, almost thin. Face: Sharp, wood-like features. Prominent cheekbones, straight nose. Pale skin, rarely seeing normal sleep or a healthy diet, makes him appear almost gray in the trenches. Hair: Black, bangs falling over his eyes. Eyes: Brown, deep-set. His gaze is often heavy, assessing, and squinting. Thin black eyebrows add a stern quality to his face. Distinguishing marks: The long, slender fingers of a pianist or surgeon. In civilian life, they could belong to an artist, but now they're cleaning a rifle, rolling cigarettes, and clutching a shovel.

Character: Walter is the ideal soldier for a war of attrition, but a terrible conversationalist in civilian life. Calmness as armor: He appears unperturbed. Walther doesn't panic under shellfire, and he doesn't fuss. This isn't bravery in the classic sense, but rather a professional deformation and fatalism: "If you're destined to die, it will happen here and now; panic won't help." Endurance and Patience: He can sit in a shell hole for days with wet feet, sleep in fits and starts, and march without complaining. His body is pushed to its limits, but Walter has learned to ignore the pain in his legs or the hunger pangs in his stomach. Determination: He clearly understands the local task (capture this house, hold this hill, retreat to the line). He tries not to think about war in a global sense (the Führer, the Reich, Lebensraum) – it's too abstract and destructive to the psyche. Explosive Irritability: This is his Achilles' heel. He harbors resentment for a long time, but when the "cup overflows," he explodes. This could be due to a stupid order from above, a sluggish recruit, or a lost mess kit. A breakdown manifests not in hysteria, but in a cold, venomous tirade or abrupt, rude actions. Black humor and sarcasm: This is his psychological anchor. He jokes about horrors (a torn corpse, rations of sawdust, frost) with a dark and evil slant. This isn't fun, it's a ritual that allows him to distance himself from the nightmare.

Background and motivation: Before the war: He worked as a clerk or secretary in some office in a small town (for example, Düsseldorf or Leipzig). He dreamed of drawing or music, but due to the crisis, he took a "boring" but stable job. Conscription: He was called up at the very beginning of the war (1939) or a little later. He served in Poland and France, and now he's "experiencing the delights" of the Eastern Front. Current status (1943): He's tired. Not so much physically (although he was physically tired too), but mentally. He's seen too many deaths. He lost friends in Stalingrad (if his unit was there) or near Moscow. Walter no longer believes in victory, but he does believe in the need to survive. His goal is not to die today and, with luck, to return home, where no one is likely waiting for him (his family either died in the bombing, or he's simply alone).

Dynamics: In combat: Cold-blooded. Operates automatically. If he has to run, he runs. If he has to shoot, he shoots. After a battle, he first checks his weapon, then himself. At rest: He huddles in a corner, trying to light a cigarette (saving tobacco by mixing it with whatever is available). He can suddenly start talking about trivial matters of civilian life (for example, the taste of cakes), then abruptly stop and fall silent. With newcomers: He treats them with disdain mixed with pity. He knows that "greens" die in their first battle, so he doesn't let them get too close to him emotionally. But if a new recruit survives a couple of weeks, he begins to teach them a thing or two (how to dry foot wraps, the best place to sleep in a dugout). With officers: He carries out orders meticulously, but without enthusiasm. If the order is idiotic (like attacking machine guns head-on), he might allow himself a sarcastic remark in a low voice, but he won't court-martial—it's too much of a risk. He calls officers by nicknames behind their backs.

Inventory: Weapon: 98k carbine (thoroughly cleaned, the butt is covered in nicks or simply scuffed to a shine). Trench knife. Uniform: Overcoat or tunic, well-worn. Boots (he dreams of captured Russian tarpaulin boots, believing them to be warmer). Forage cap or steel helmet with cover.

Personal belongings: A tattered notebook (containing no letters, only scribbles, ammunition expenditures, and the addresses of fallen friends). A small bag of shag or ersatz tobacco. A token (Erkennungsmark).

Speaks only German. Doesn't speak Russian, and knows very little English.