“Standing still”: Fritz Dittlbacher’s new “Menschen & Mächte” documentary accompanies army recruits through their military service.
The war in Ukraine has changed a lot: Security situations, gas prices, inflation levels. But it has also changed our view of the military, including the Austrian Armed Forces. It has been trimmed for austerity for decades. Since Putin’s invasion, however, the necessity of national defence has been generally recognized. For the new “Menschen und Mächte” documentary “Still gestanden” – to be shown on October 25 at 9.05 pm on ORF 2 – creator Fritz Dittlbacher and cameraman Hannes Drapal accompanied recruits of the Austrian Armed Forces through their military service – from enlistment in January to disarmament in the summer. What motivated them to serve with weapons, what were their experiences in the troops like, what do they take away from their time in the army? The outbreak of war in Ukraine coincided with their military service – does it scare you when you know that missiles are flying a few hundred kilometers away, bombs are falling and soldiers and civilians are dying? Fritz Dittlbacher: “For six months, we followed the January 22 intake of the Melk Pioneers, including the recruits, the company’s senior non-commissioned officer and the deputy battalion commander, who was awarded the title ‘Soldier of the Year’ for her UN missions in 2008. We also try to find out how these experienced military personnel assess the situation of the Austrian Armed Forces.” https://militaeraktuell.at/milliarden-plaene-fuer-das-bundesheer/ A look at other areas, such as the Hochfilzen sports performance center, shows that the army is more than just fighting on the battlefield. The “sports soldier” and current biathlon world champion Lisa Hauser talks about what it’s like when fellow athletes from Ukraine or Russia suddenly have to go to war and to the front. Air surveillance is carried out from Zeltweg, Fighter pilot Patrick Wöss takes us into the cockpits of the Eurofighter – both in the jet and in the flight simulator, which is flown much more often for cost reasons. And experts provide a view from outside and above. For example, when Thomas Starlinger, the short-term Minister of Defense in Chancellor Bierlein’s cabinet of officials, makes it clear that Austria currently has no drone defence capabilities whatsoever. Or when Hubertus Trauttenberg, former aide to Federal President Klestil, does not hide his opinion on joining NATO. Philosopher and essayist Franz Schuh, whose enlistment in reserve officer training in the 1960s is somewhat surprising, notes a current vacillation between “neutralism” and bellicosity. And how do the recruits sum up their six weeks of training, what impressions do they take away with them? The answers can be found in “Still gestanden” – a documentary in two senses of the word: “Still gestanden!” on the one hand as an order at swearing-in ceremonies or in the barracks yard, and “Still gestanden” on the other as a metaphor for the many years of austerity measures that have become a threat to the existence of the armed forces. Now, however, something seems to be moving, not least due to the war in Ukraine.
