Old soldiers never die

“Left… March! Left!... Left!... Left, Right, Left!. Links!... Links!...Links-Zwo-Drei- Vier!!!” In all armies in the world soldiers start using their left leg when marching towards the enemy or to a battle. It is a very old custom based on wishing the enemy all the worst. In ancient times the left leg was devoted to Mars, a god of war. Roman legions also started their march to the edge of the empire with their left legs. Armies and sometimes even units had different marching steps. Interestingly enough, the stiff, parade goose-step coming from Frederick the Great’s army and used by German, Russian and Soviet armies in the 20th century, was not the most popular one in the 18th and 19th centuries. The step used at that time, also at the time of the Duchy of Warsaw, was even, rather short with only slight raising of the leg bent at the knee, which we would call a “sweeping” or even a “dancing” step. We are not superstitious; you can start walking with your left leg going to an exam but never do it when you walk to your wedding ceremony.