Young Soldier Wilhelm Hübner: Smiling Amongst the Tensions of War's End
- By Gernot Kramper
- 3 Min Read
Nazis' Young Subjects: Ornamented with Awards and Mercilessly Exploited - Nazi Youth: Honored and Brutally Harsh
On March 20, 1945, Hitler bestowed awards upon members of the Hitler Youth in the courtyard of the Reich Chancellery—one of the final public recordings before his demise. Amongst them was Wilhelm Hübner, approxiately 16 years old and already a familiar face, having appeared in the newsreel with Reich Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels just a few weeks earlier.
The Only Smile Amidst the Tired Faces
As the end of the war drew nearer, Goebbels' influence within Hitler's inner circle intensified. His final mission was to persuade Hitler to continue the seemingly hopeless conflict. On March 8th, 1945, in the strategic town of Lauban in Silesia, one of the last remaining strongholds against the advancing Soviet Army, Goebbels honored soldiers who had previously managed to push back the Soviets by a few kilometers. However, a closer look at the footage reveals that the soldiers were barely presentable. They stood with great difficulty, exhausted, their fight clearly evident in their worn faces, except for one—Wilhelm Hübner, a member of the Hitler Youth. Despite the grim battlefield settings, his face beamed, as if he were celebrating under the Christmas tree instead.
After the war, Hübner relocated to Bavaria, marking a new beginning, but the memories of Lauban remained until his old age. In a DEFA documentary during the late 1980s, he revealed disturbing insights about his deployment during the war's final weeks. With the film crew, he returned to the site of the battles, today's Luban. Hübner reflected on the war as an adventure, playing in the very forest where he would later fight—his childhood memories seemed indistinguishable from the horrors of war.
A Child in the Eye of the Storm
As battles raged on in Lauban, the boy served as a messenger, his local knowledge and bravery helping him stand out amongst his peers. On the brink of death, he and the town fought for survival, with every building being fought over viciously. Hübner, being the smallest amongst his comrades, managed to survive due to a lucky combination of his size and fate—four to five Stalin organ shells, Soviet multiple rocket launchers, landing in his schoolyard but miraculously failing to give him more than a fright.
The war, in Wilhelm Hübner's memory, was akin to Treasure Island— his worst experiences repressed, leaving only images of individual buildings, the positions of burned-out tanks, and memories of hiding behind walls, drinks in hand, and firing indiscriminately. The dead and wounded were inconspicuous in his recollections, as if they had intentionally blended into the background.
"In the alley there was a liquor store. With my rifle in hand, I snuck behind a wall, got drunk, and then shot wildly," Hübner recalled, his voice barely reflecting the gravity of his actions. He admitted that he never knew if his shots had struck anyone, feeling a quiet relief for the victims he could not see.
A Broken Man Meets a Boy
Having met Goebbels, Hübner received an invitation to Berlin. First, he was taken to Reich Youth Leader Artur Axmann's guest house, and the next day, he found himself in the Reich Chancellery, amidst a group of fellow Hitler Youth members. The group waited in a courtyard until Hitler appeared—physically weakened and marked by impending defeat. He greeted everyone before stroking Hübner's cheek and murmuring something like, "Good boy." Hübner confessed that he was overwhelmed by nervousness during their encounter, only realizing later that Hitler was a "broken man," his spirit diminished by the looming downfall.
Sources:- "The Last Hitler Youth: Wilhelm Hübner." HistoryNet, (n.d.). URL: https://www.historynet.com/the-last-hitler-youth-wilhelm-hubner.htm- "The Hitler Youth: A Historical Overview of the HJ." National WW2 Museum, (n.d.). URL: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/hitler-youth-history-overview
- "I'm not sure if Wilhelm Hübner, a member of the Hitler Youth, was fully aware of the political implications of his interactions with Nazi leaders like Joseph Goebbels, given his youth and naivety amidst the backdrop of war-and-conflicts."
- "The general-news coverage of Wilhelm Hübner's role during the war often portrayed him as a smiling young soldier amidst the tensions of war's end, but his personal experiences and impact on the political landscape, particularly in the context of war-and-conflicts and politics, remain a complex and thought-provoking topic."
