The author belongs to a generation that experienced the war firsthand, and after the war, among other things, he served as the Austrian military attache in London. In addition, he became famous as a geopolitical scientist. In this book, the author describes the ideas and feelings of young German officers on the Eastern Front. In this unequal struggle they were not guided by ideological preferences or hatred. They had very different ideas about what Europe should look like after the war. These Germans were well aware of the need to achieve independence for the peoples of the Soviet Union oppressed by Bolshevism, and only side by side with them. Only work on persuasion and mutual respect could ensure a truly safe and confident future for Europe for both sides - these were the ideals of many Wehrmacht officers. In addition, young military men in this book reveal their worldview, their understanding of the meaning of this campaign, analyze the structure of military alliances in Europe and, naturally, the advantages and disadvantages of their own dictatorship, first of all, whether it is capable of inspiring the trust of other peoples of Europe. Based on personal experience, the author depicts the conversations of several young officers during the advance in Russia, when the impending Stalingrad disaster was already casting its shadows ahead. The conversations touch on a variety of issues: the essence of different peoples, the meaning of history, the future of individual cultures in an increasingly uniform world... Although the characters in the book express very different and often contradictory views, the spiritual background of the conversations is outlined in essence, everything same, thoughts from the New Testament and the Indian book of wisdom Bhagavad Gita. Again and again, the regiment commander, whose prototype is the author himself, demonstrates to his comrades the Austro-Hungarian monarchy as an example of a successful empire covering many nations. He can only see the meaning of this war if the Germans and Russians, together and for the benefit of all participating nations, build a similar, but much larger empire between the North Sea and the Pacific Ocean. This is the first book by Baron Lohausen translated into Russian. Before this, only his individual articles were translated.