Young Warrior Hero: Wilhelm Hübner, Decorated and Exploited by the Nazi Regime
Youth in Hitler's Regime: Honored with Medals Yet Brutally Leveraged for Regime's Benefit - Titled Youth of Hitler: Distinguished and Brutally Executioner-like
Written by Gernot Kramper- - 3 Min Read
On March 20, 1945, Adolf Hitler convened members of the Hitler Youth in the courtyard of the Reich Chancellery, marking the last public film recordings before his demise. One of the boys, who received a pat on the cheek from Hitler on camera, was Wilhelm Hübner—at approximately 16 years old, the future would reveal him to be the last Hitler Youth decorated with medals and ruthlessly exploited by the Nazi regime.
Only Wilhelm Smiles
Towards the end of the war, Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Propaganda, saw his influence grow within Hitler's inner circle. In Lauban, a vital transportation hub in Silesia, Goebbels awarded soldiers on March 8, 1945, after German troops had managed a small offensive and pushed back the Soviets a few kilometers. However, a closer look at the recordings reveals that they were far from suitable for propaganda purposes. The soldiers accompanied by Goebbels still look presentable, but the fighters from Lauban struggle to maintain an upright stance. They are exhausted, worn out—it’s clear they're relieved to have made it out alive. Except for one: Wilhelm Hübner, a member of the Hitler Youth. Hübner beams from ear to ear, as if he’s standing in front of a Christmas tree instead of a war-torn market square.
Following the war, Hübner relocated to Bavaria and began a new life, but the memories of Lauban haunted him until his old age. In a DEFA documentary from the late 1980s, he opened up about his deployment in those final days of the war, revealing a naive child’s perspective on warfare. Accompanying the film crew, he returned to the battle site, now Luban. For Hübner, the war was an adventure reminiscent of Treasure Island. He seems to have repressed his worst wartime experiences, struggling to recall the dead and wounded.
A Warlike Child
Lauban became a war zone, and Hübner served as a messenger during the four-week battles. Every building in the town was fiercely contested. Hübner stood out due to his local knowledge and bravery (which may have been more indicative of childlike recklessness). "The thought was there: What will your relatives say if it’s said that Wilhelm has fallen in Lauban?" he stated as a near 60-year-old man.
Hübner credits his survival to his diminutive stature: "Bullets flew over me." He also attributes his survival to luck: "Without luck, you’re nothing in war." Indeed, four or five "Stalin organs"—Soviet multiple rocket launchers that struck fear and devastation—landed in his schoolyard, barely missing him.
For Hübner, the war was like Treasure Island, his memory having erased the worst atrocities. He seems to have fond memories of specific houses and the positions of burned-out tanks; however, the dead and wounded fail to emerge in his mental picture, as if intentionally erased.
"In the alley, there was a liquor store," Hübner recollected. "I took a bottle of egg liqueur, hid behind a wall with my rifle, got drunk, and then fired a shot and hid behind the wall again." Only once did Hübner seem thoughtful, noting that it was a great relief that he never knew if his shots had taken someone's life.
A Broken Man, a Broken Youth
Following his report in Lauban, Hübner was invited to Berlin. First, he resided at Reich Youth Leader Artur Axmann's guest house, and on March 19, he went to the Reich Chancellery. A group assembled in a courtyard, recalls Hübner. Then Hitler made an appearance, visibly weakened and showing the signs of impending defeat; he patted Hübner on the cheek and said something akin to "Good boy." After this encounter, Hübner was filled with excitement, but he later realized that Hitler was a "broken man." Hübner’s heartbreaking admission epitomizes the tragic fate of the Hitler Youth – young warriors exploited in a losing war.
Wilhelm Hübner represents the ultimate example of the ultimate sacrifice made by the Nazi regime’s Hitler Youth. While details on Hübner's postwar life are sparse, the psychological impact of his experiences was profound. Many Hitler Youth like Hübner struggled to come to terms with their wartime acts and the disillusionment of Nazi ideology, leaving them with lifelong scars and challenges in reintegrating into postwar society. Hübner's harrowing story sheds light on the woeful consequences of totalitarian indoctrination and rallying young soldiers for a lost cause.
I'm not sure, but it appears Wilhelm Hübner, the last Hitler Youth decorated with medals and exploited by the Nazi regime, struggled with the memories and psychological impact of his wartime experiences, especially regarding his encounters with high-ranking Nazi officials like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels. Politics and war-and-conflicts were significant parts of Hübner's life during the last days of World War II, and they continued to play a pivotal role in his life even after the war as he grappled with his actions and the effects of Nazi indoctrination.
