The War Diary of Johannes Krafft

The hearse driver gave me a letter; it’s a last farewell to his wife and his two children. “I know without a doubt that I’ll be staying here today. You’ve got my goodbye letter to my home; bring it to my wife.”
Johannes Krafft was injured for the first time in the early days of the war. His immensely moving account offers a rare description of the emotional maze that a soldier would experience. Johannes contemplates the turmoil of his world and the irresistible pull of comradeship in adversity, and the unquenchable, intense longing for lost love and intimacy in the face of death.
Once recovered, Johannes returns to the front. The slaughter of friends, comrades and the enemy can begin for him once more.
But finally, having seen his friends cut down during an attack, a dum-dum bullet leaves him with the choice: keep his legs or stay alive.