The Volunteer Vol 2

(Furlough on Oath). DVD 1938
What lifts this otherwise fairly predictable
narrative just a little above the ordinary, is
the diverse range of minor stories which it
very simply crafts, and which thus form
and drive it. These stories of the common
man and woman are played out effectively
against a backdrop of impending
social upheaval; of rationing at home, of
nascent socialism, and the ultimate betrayal
of the military by the left, the profiteers
and the defeatists.
It is 1918, and the fifth year of the Great
War is looming. Despite a period of convalescence,
the young Lt. Prätorius and
his men are destined once more for the
front. But for this trainload of mostly Berliners,
there is no plan for any home
leave, and even with a 6 hour stop-over in
their home city before the next train, they
will be restricted to the station. For all,
this is an intolerable situation.
We are entitled to leave! No. A hero’s
death is all we are entitled to.
Berlin however is a different city to the one they left so many years ago. It is a haven
for deserters. A man could quite easily disappear if he wished. And while Prätorius
trusts his men implicitly, he knows the risks. It would be his head that would be
served up should any of them be given permission to visit family and loved ones, and
not return. No. Again, no!
But of course, cracks once opened quickly become floodgates. First it is Hartmann,
who on more than one occasion had saved the Lieutenant on the battlefield. You must
be back by 6!
On my word of honour! Urlaub auf Ehrenwort!
His is soon followed by the inevitable swarm of requests… please, my pregnant
wife… please, my mother…. my music professor… And so it goes. The handshake.
Urlaub auf Ehrenwort! Yes, I’ll be back half an hour before our train leaves, until all
that is left is a handful of non-Berliners, there to wait it out with the anxious Prätorius.
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