Uncovered: The Last Hitler Youth: Awards & Exploits, a Boy's Tale
By Gernot Kramper
- 3 Min read
Nazi Youth: Honorably Decorated with Medals and Mercilessly Exploited - Boys with Nazi ties: honored and brutal in their tactics
On March 20, 1945, Adolf Hitler honored members of the Hitler Youth in the courtyard of the Reich Chancellery. These were the last public recordings before Hitler's demise. Among the boys receiving pats on the cheek from Hitler was Wilhelm Hübner. Already a few weeks earlier, the approximately 16-year-old was spotted in the newsreel with Reich Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels. The newsreel, a crucial propaganda tool of the Nazis, aimed to convey an unbroken fighting spirit in the war's final months [1].
Smiling Amidst Hardship - Only Wilhelm Hübner
Towards the end of the war, Goebbels' influence within Hitler's inner circle escalated. In Lauban, a vital transport hub in Silesia, one of the last strongholds against the advancing Red Army in 1945, Goebbels awarded soldiers on March 8, 1945. In a brief offensive, German troops managed to push the Soviets back a few kilometers.
However, upon closer analysis, it is clear that the recordings were hardly beneficial for propaganda objectives. The soldiers accompanying Goebbels still looked presentable. However, the fighters from Lauban struggled to maintain an attention stance. They were exhausted and worn-out, evident that they had merely survived. Except for one: Wilhelm Hübner, a member of the Hitler Youth. His smile was ear-to-ear, as if standing before the Christmas tree at home instead of the shot-up market square.
Following the war, Hübner relocated to Bavaria to start anew. In his old age, the memories of Lauban continued to haunt him. In a DEFA documentary from the late 1980s, he shared first-hand information about his deployment at the war's end. His report caused surprise due to its brutal revelation of a child's naive understanding of war [1]. With the film crew, he revisited the battleground, now known as Luban. For Hübner, the war was an exhilarating adventure, much like Treasure Island, in his memory. His memory has repressed the most grim experiences, seemingly erasing the dead and wounded as if by design.
A War-Stricken Child
The area was a warzone in 1945. During the four-week battles for Lauban, the boy served as a messenger. Every building in town was fought over fiercely. Hübner was recognized for his local knowledge and courage, which may be more accurately described as a youthful recklessness. "The thought did actually cross my mind: What would your relatives say if it was reported that Wilhelm had fallen in Lauban?" he remembers as an almost 60-year-old man.
His survival, Hübner attributes to his small stature. Bullets often flew over him. And to ** luck:** "Without luck, you're nothing in war." Four or five Stalin organs, Soviet multiple rocket launchers that instilled fear and destruction with immense fire, struck his schoolyard. "I was right in the middle of the fireworks - not a scratch," he reveals.
War as an Adventure - A Rough Childhood in Lauban
In Hübner's memory, the war was an adventure akin to Treasure Island. His memory subconsciously suppressed the worst experiences, leaving individual structures and tank positions etched in his mind, but the deceased and wounded faded into obscurity.
"In the alley was a liquor store. I managed to steal a bottle of egg liqueur, hid behind a wall with my rifle, got drunk, as they say, and then fired a shot, and hid behind the wall again." Only once does Hübner pause, reflecting that it was a great relief that he never saw if his shots had claimed any lives.
Hitler, a Broken Man
After meeting Goebbels, Hübner was invited to Berlin, first to the guest house of Reich Youth Leader Artur Axmann and on March 19 to the Reich Chancellery. The group congregated in a courtyard, Hübner recalls. Then Hitler appeared, visibly weakened and marked by the looming defeat, and greeted everyone. "After my report, he stroked my cheek and said something like, 'Good boy'," he recounts. Then Hitler took leave with his dog. During the encounter, Hübner was overwhelmed with excitement. Later, he realized that Hitler was a "broken man," as it was evident [1].
- Despite the harsh realities of war, Wilhelm Hübner's smile in the newsreel remained ear-to-ear, a stark contrast to the exhausted and worn-out soldiers around him.
- Upon reflection in his old age, Hübner noted that his small stature and luck played a significant role in his survival during the intense battles for Lauban.
- In a DEFA documentary, Hübner shared his experiences as a messenger during the war, revealing a naive, childlike understanding of the conflict, comparing it to an adventurous Treasure Island in his memory.
- During an encounter with Adolf Hitler at the Reich Chancellery, Hübner was greeted and touched on the cheek by the visibly weakened and defeated Fuhrer, leaving the boy feeling excitement at the time, yet later recognizing Hitler as a "broken man."
