A Boy with Medals and Memories: The Last Hitler Youth's Fascinating Tale
- By Gernot Kramper
- 3 Min
Rewarded with Medals, Yet Brutally Exploited as Cannon Fodder: The Germain Brothers' Story - Nazi Youth: Honored and Brutally Executed
In the heart of the Reich Chancellery on March 20, 1945, Adolf Hitler honored the Hitler Youth members in a courtyard - the final public film recordings before his downfall. Among them was Wilhelm Hübner, a rough-around-the-edges kid with a disarmingly charming smile. He had already been seen alongside Reich Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, a few weeks prior, in another potent propaganda tool.
The Lone Smiler
As the war neared its disastrous end, Goebbels' importance in Hitler's inner circle escalated. In Lauban, a strategically vital town in Silesia, Goebbels made a visit on March 8, 1945, amidst a small offensive by German troops against the advancing Red Army. The ensuing footage, however, revealed worn-out soldiers struggling to stand at attention despite the high-ranking visitor. Except for one: Wilhelm Hübner, who beamed brightly, as if he was celebrating Christmas instead of standing on a battered market square.
Following the war, Hübner moved to Bavaria, where he crafted a new life, yet Lauban's ghosts haunted him into old age. In a 1980s documentary, he candidly spoke about his deployment, shattering the illusion of a child's misguided view of war. As he returned to the battlegrounds of Lauban with the film team, Hübner reminisced, "Exactly behind that is the little wood where we used to play as children. It was the ideal playground. We played war. And in 1945, it became cruel reality."
A Child Lost in War
The region descended into chaos. In 1945, the boy served as a messenger during the intense four-week battles for Lauban. Every building was fiercely contested. Hübner stood out not for bravery, but his local knowledge and youthful fearlessness - which could easily have resembled a careless spirit. "The thought was indeed there: What will my relatives say if it's said that Wilhelm fell for us in Lauban?" he pondered as a nearly 60-year-old man.
His survival, Hübner attributed to his size and sheer luck. "Without luck, you're nothing in war," he confessed. Four or five Soviet multiple rocket launchers, known as Stalin organs, had struck his schoolyard. "I was right in the middle of the fireworks - not a scratch."
War, as Treasure Island
The war remained an exhilarating adventure for Hübner, much like Treasure Island. His memories of war repressed the worst experiences. He could recall individual houses and tank positions, but the dead and wounded never materialized in his memories, seemingly erased with care.
"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 then fired a shot and hid behind the wall again." Only once did Hübner pause to reflect, saying it was a relief that he never saw the consequences of his gunfire.
A Broken Man, A Young Boy
After meeting Goebbels, Hübner was invited to Berlin, first to Reich Youth Leader Artur Axmann's guest house, and later to the Reich Chancellery on March 19. The assembly gathered in a courtyard, Hübner recalled. Then Hitler appeared, weakened and defeated, and greeted everyone. "After my report, he stroked my cheek and said something like: 'Good boy'." And with that, Hitler departed with his dog, leaving Hübner in a state of exhilaration. Later, he realized that Hitler was a "broken man", and he found himself thinking: "Our Adolf has become an old man."
Insightful Details:- Joseph Goebbels congratulated Wilhem Hübner after he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class, a significant recognition for a 16-year-old in the waning days of World War II.[1]- The Hitler Youth, steeped in Nazi ideology and propaganda, often experienced intense indoctrination and militarization during their service.- Prominent figures such as Goebbels would recognize and honor the achievements of young soldiers like Hübner, staging these interactions to boost morale and reinforce the Nazi message.
Sources:[1] https://www.deutsche- historie.de/anschaumania/nachrichtendienst/des-letzten-hitlerjugendlichens-erleben-im-krieg-228117.html
- I'm not sure exactly what role the newsreel footage of Adolf Hitler honoring the Hitler Youth members, including Wilhelm Hübner, in March 16, 1945, played in the propaganda machinery of Joseph Goebbels.
- Despite the grim reality of war and the devastating consequences it had on the people of Lauban, Wilhelm Hübner, at the age of 16, seemed to view his experiences in war as an exhilarating adventure, reminiscent of Treasure Island.
- During the intense four-week battles for Lauban, Wilhelm Hübner, a member of the Hitler Youth, served as a messenger. His survival, he claimed, was due to his youthful fearlessness and sheer luck.
- In a 1980s documentary, Wilhelm Hübner spoke candidly about his role in the war and revealed that, as he stood on the battered market square in Lauban, he was just a child lost in the chaos of war.
