This song is beyond all doubt about the horror of the trenches in WWI
"where we heard the thunder we met the beast of mandkind" - A reference to shelling and the lack of humanity in war-"the beast of mankind"
As 'TheSwarm' said above, "Thrown into the fire - to make a few meters of land." is a reference to trench warfare, thousands of men died trying to take mere meters of land, they had to run straight into machine gun fire, this the standard tactic used by all countries involved for taking trenches in WWI, there would have been some shelling first (if they were lucky, then they would have to charge, taking heavy losses if any machine gunners survived
"we felt like heroes so high awaited glory and honor" Propaganda used to encourage young men to join the armed forces would have imprinted such feelings on the men-the war would be marvelous, an epic adventure,
"became cheap canonfodder instead the few, who returned are broken forever" - they quickly learn the reality of WWI warfare, the physical and psychological horrors that are suffered
"our cries gone with the wind but forever in my head" - He cannot ever forget the suffering of his comerads
He also is wanting, or asking the young not to forget the sacrifice of his generation - "Will you remember?"
This song is beyond all doubt about the horror of the trenches in WWI "where we heard the thunder we met the beast of mandkind" - A reference to shelling and the lack of humanity in war-"the beast of mankind" As 'TheSwarm' said above, "Thrown into the fire - to make a few meters of land." is a reference to trench warfare, thousands of men died trying to take mere meters of land, they had to run straight into machine gun fire, this the standard tactic used by all countries involved for taking trenches in WWI, there would have been some shelling first (if they were lucky, then they would have to charge, taking heavy losses if any machine gunners survived "we felt like heroes so high awaited glory and honor" Propaganda used to encourage young men to join the armed forces would have imprinted such feelings on the men-the war would be marvelous, an epic adventure, "became cheap canonfodder instead the few, who returned are broken forever" - they quickly learn the reality of WWI warfare, the physical and psychological horrors that are suffered "our cries gone with the wind but forever in my head" - He cannot ever forget the suffering of his comerads He also is wanting, or asking the young not to forget the sacrifice of his generation - "Will you remember?"