The Last Hitler Youth: Brave, Decorated, but Mercilessly Exploited
- Authored by Gernot Kramper
- Estimated Reading Time: Approx. 3 mins
Nazis' Child Soldiers: Adorned with Medals and Brutally Leveraged - Hitler's Boys: Awarded Accolades and Brutally Brutalized
Witness the final moments of Adolf Hitler's regime as he awards Hitler Youth members in a chilling scene from the Reich Chancellery courtyard on March 20, 1945. One of these lucky kids was Wilhelm Hübner, smiling ear to ear, oblivious to the apocalypse unfolding.
Only the Hitler Youth Boy is Grinning
As the war neared its desperate end, Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Propaganda, rose to influence in the inner circle of power surrounding Hitler. His last mission was to convince Hitler to continue fighting in the unrelenting, hopeless battle. Goebbels rewarded soldiers in Lauban, a strategically significant Silesian transport hub, on March 8, 1945. The German troops managed a small offensive that pushed back the advancing Red Army for a brief moment.
However, a closer inspection reveals that the propaganda efforts would bear little fruit. The soldiers accompanying Goebbels appear presentable but are visibly worn out and exhausted. The soldiers from Lauban are barely able to stand tall for their high-ranking visitor. Everybody, that is, except for Wilhelm Hübner - a member of the Hitler Youth - who appears beaming with delight, like a boy in front of a Christmas tree instead of on the shattered market square.
Following the war, Hübner made a fresh start in Bavaria. However, the memories of Lauban lingered throughout his life. In a DEFA documentary from the late 1980s, he gave an account of his role in the final battles of the war. His recollections left many in shock as they revealed the naive perspective of a child caught in the chaos of war. With the film crew, he returned to Luban, the scene of the battles, and told the camera, "Exactly behind that, lies the little wood where we used to play as children. It was the ideal children's playground. We played war. And in 1945, it became a grim reality."
A Child in War
The area soon became a battlefield, and the boy served as a messenger during the intense, four-week battle for Lauban. Every building in the town was bitterly fought over. Hübner distinguished himself due to his local knowledge and courage -or perhaps, it was more his childlike audacity. "The thought was indeed there: What will your relatives say if it's said that Wilhelm fell for us in Lauban?" he recalled as an approximately 60-year-old man.
That he survived, Hübner attributes to his size and a bit of luck. He was always the smallest, bullets flew over him. In four or five instances, Soviet multiple rocket launchers, dubbed Stalin organ shells, hit his schoolyard. "I was right in the middle of the fireworks - not a scratch," he said.
The war was an adventure for Hübner, resembling the experience of Treasure Island. His memory has repressed many of the harshest experiences. He vividly remembers specific buildings and positions of burned-out tanks, yet the dead and wounded do not stand out in his memory - as if they have been erased from his mind. "In the alley, there was a liquor store. I got a bottle of egg liqueur, hid behind a wall with my rifle, got drunk, as they say, and fired a shot now and then, then hid behind the wall again," Hübner said in a rare moment of reflectiveness. Only then did he confess that it was a huge relief not to see the effects of his own shots.
Hitler: A Man Beyond His Prime
After Goebbels' visit, an invitation to Berlin followed. Hübner was first hosted at the guest house of Reich Youth Leader Artur Axmann and, eventually, the Reich Chancellery on March 19. Hübner narrates a crowded courtyard with Hitler approaching, physically weakened due to the impending defeat. He greeted everyone and shook hands, including Hübner, before his dog and he left. During the encounter, Hübner could barely think due to the excitement. Later, when he looked back, he realized that Hitler was a "broken man" - a stark contrast to the legend he had always known.
Historical records reveal limited documentation regarding a specific Wilhelm Hübner and his role during the final months of World War II. However, there were reports that Adolf Hitler and the German leadership often exploited and deployed young soldiers, including Hitler Youth members, in various capacities leading up to the end of the war.
Regarding post-war life, many former Hitler Youth members faced rehabilitation programs and varying levels of societal integration, depending on their involvement and actions during the war. Without more specific information about Wilhelm Hübner's activities and service, it is challenging to paint an accurate picture of his post-war experiences.
- I'm not sure about Wilhelm Hübner's exact involvement in the final months of World War II, as historical records offer limited documentation.
- Adolf Hitler, despite being a broken man in his final days, was still capable of exploiting young soldiers, including Hitler Youth members, as evidenced by Hübner's experience in Berlin.
- The newsreel footage of Wilhelm Hübner, beaming with delight at Goebbels' award ceremony, contrasts sharply with the visible exhaustion of the adult soldiers.
- As a member of the Hitler Youth, Wilhelm Hübner found himself in the midst of war at a young age, serving as a messenger in Lauban and experiencing the chaos of battle with a childlike audacity.
