Something for the weekend, Panzerlied (1933). Now banned by the Bundeswehr, it was a marching song of the Wehrmacht in World War II:
Panzer Song
Whether it storms or snows,
whether the sun smiles upon us,
The day be burning hot,
or the night be ice cold ,
Dusty are our faces,
but joyful is our mind,
yes, our mind.
Our tank roars forward there )
into the storm’s wind . )2Ñ…
With thundering engines,
they be as fast as lightning,
against the enemies,
Sheltered in the tank,
Ahead of all our comrades,
in battle we stand alone,
we stand alone.
So we push deep
into the enemy’s ranks
If a hostile tank appears before us,
With full throttle we run at the enemy
(orders) will be given.
What do our lives matter
for our Reich’s army? Yes, Reich’s army.
To die for Germany
is our highest honor.
To die for Germany
is our highest honor.
With obstacles and mines
the opponent holds us up,
We do laugh about it and
don’t drive upon them.
And before us guns do threaten
hidden in the yellow sand,
yes, yellow sand.
We search a way out
that no other had yet found.
And if we’re left behind
by treacherous luck,
And if we can’t return
back home again,
If Death’s bullet does find us,
and calls our fate away,
yes, our fate away.
Then our tank will become
an honorable rigid grave.
The song taught eight year old me back in 1965 that the bad guys could have great songs and be disconcertingly brave:
The movie Battle of the Bulge (1965) was laughingly ahistoric, but I didn’t realize it at the time and it helped develop an early passion in me for military history.
And we got stuck with the Obama song; “Yes we can….” though we’ll probable end up the same way as Adolph’s Germany the way we’re allowing our selves to be led.
Your point Don about “bad guys” having some good qualities is a favorite of mine. I always point out to my conservative friends that it’s not “just about” discipline, loyalty, and patriotism etc., since the evil Nazi regime certainly had those qualities in excess. Without holiness, individual virtues are meaningless–like a great bridge with a key section in the middle missing..
At this point you’re just going through the Girls und Panzer featured marches:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl7W-sU-MKI
(Your first linked video is even from a Girls und Panzer concert).
Incidentally, of those my favorite is the Sakkijarven polka. It’s also probably the only song to be used as a weapon in WWII (specifically as an anti-mine weapon):
https://infogalactic.com/info/Säkkijärven_polkka
There is a stanza in the song above that says, “Then our tank will become
an honorable rigid grave.” Given that on this day in 1963 the USS Thresher SSN-593 sank off the coast of New England, becoming an honorable rigid grave, albeit watery, for 129 men, maybe our resident historian Donald can do a post on this sad event and how that triggered the Subsafe Program and many safety changes in submarine reactor plant design and operation. Just a suggestion! 😀
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3428848297216752&id=117020705066211
It’s also probably the only song to be used as a weapon in WWII
What about jokes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prDoDPIpX4E
Hey, Donald! You missed another important date in history: the 120th birthday of the US Submarine Force is today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXcVvfqNHYs
Yes, I am a pain in the neck, but somebody at TAC has to root for our submarine force! 😀 😀 😀