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(Updated
on 9/30/2002)
Faces
of Courage:
Teenagers Who Resisted
by
Sally Rogow, Ed.D.
Introduction
If
there is any light in the darkness of the Nazi era, it is to be found
in the courage of those who dared to fight back, to rescue others, to
join resistance movements, or simply to survive. This book chronicles
the stories of young people whose courage lit a candle of hope in the
darkest of times.
Jacques Lusseyran was a leader in the French Resistance movement at
the Sorbonne in Paris. He began his resistance efforts when he was only
16 years old. Lusseyran was blind. Jean saved the life of an American
pilot in the south of France. Jean was a teenager and was deaf. Karl
and Noni escaped from institutions where people with disabilities were
being murdered. Young people who had any type of disability were considered
"unworthy of life" by the Nazis and were removed from their
homes, schools and communities. Thousands were murdered in the killing
program, euphemistically called "Mercy death" or Euthanasia
that took place in well-known hospitals and institutions in Germany.
Hundreds of young German boys and girls tried to resist Nazi oppression.
They refused to join the Nazi Youth groups and instead joined groups
like the Edelweiss Pirates. What made these young people unique was
the fact that they chose to be resistors, they had choices, unlike Jewish
people, people with disabilities, and other people
targeted by the Nazis for extermination. The story of Albert, Franz
and Berthold reveals the fellowship as well as the hardships faced by
those who refused to conform.
These stories portray the compassion and understanding of young people
whose stories need to be told, and their courage acknowledged. All the
stories are based on factual information and historical accounts. In
those cases where the names of the heroes were not known, fictional
names were used. The sources of information on which these stories are
based are listed in the References.
[Return to Table of Contents]
The
Edelweiss Pirates
I
want a brutal, domineering, fearless cruel youth. Youth must be all
that. It must bear pain. There must be nothing weak and gentle about
it. The free, splendid beast of prey must once again flash from its
eyes. That is how I will eradicate thousands of years of human domestication.
That is how I will create the New Order.
Adolph Hitler
Hitler's power
may lay us low,
And keep us locked in chains,
But we will smash the chains one day,
We'll be free again.
We've got the fists and we can fight,
We've got the knives and we'll get them out.
We want freedom, don't we boys?
Song
of the Edelweiss Pirates (Peukert, p.
158)
There
were many young people in Nazi Germany who resisted the cruelties of
the Nazi Youth and remained true to their own codes of moral conduct.
The Edelweiss Pirates was one of the largest youth groups who refused
to participate in Nazi youth activities. The police were not allowed
to arrest members of the Hitler Youth Patrol Service, who were known
for their brutality and bullying. Hitler Youth were guilty of many crimes,
they broke shop windows, stole, and beat people on the streets. In one
case, a group of Hitler Youth broke the windows of the home of a teacher
who had given them low marks. The Nazi Youth Patrol raided movie houses,
cabarets, billiard halls and coffee shops looking for the Edelweiss
Pirates, who stood up to them and even fought with
them on the streets of the cities of Dusseldorf, Essen, Cologne and
other industrial cities in western Germany.
The Edelweiss Pirates had different names in different cities, but they
shared basic beliefs and attitudes. They were not deprived children
or delinquents; most were not even deliberate resistance fighters. They
were simply the sons and daughters of working class parents who refused
to be bullied into absolute obedience. Most of the Pirates were between
16 to 18 years of age and were too young for military service.
The first Pirates appeared at the end of the 1930's. Dressed in checkered
shirts, short dark trousers and white stockings, the Pirates wore metal
Edelweiss pins on their collars. Because they lived in the same neighborhoods
they had a territorial identity and shared beliefs. Refusing to participate
in Nazi Youth activities, they shared a strong sense of social identity
and solidarity with one another.
The groups of Edelweiss Pirates consisted of ten to fifteen boys, there
were girls in some of the groups too. During the day they worked in
factories and mills as unskilled workers and in the evenings and weekends
they met together in cafes or in the parks. The high point of their
activities together was the hikes they took into the countryside with
rucksacks on their backs and their bread and butter rations. At night
they slept in barns or tents. Sometimes they rode bicycles deep into
the countryside ignoring the Nazi rules. Always on the watch for the
dreaded Nazi Youth Patrols, they sometimes provoked street fights, but
most of the time they avoided the Nazi Youth.
As the war progressed, social chaos intensified, and many Pirates became
active in the underground resistance movement. When the industrial cities
were being bombed between 1942 and 1945, the conflicts between the Edelweiss
Pirates and the Nazi authorities intensified. Edelweiss Pirates in Cologne
offered shelter to German army deserters, escaped prisoners from concentration
camps, and escapees from forced. labor camps. Groups of Edelweiss Pirates
made armed raids on military depots and deliberately sabotaged war production.
The Nazis were determined to suppress them.
A Nazi official wrote, "There is a suspicion that it is these youths
who have been inscribing the walls (of the pedestrian underground walkways
in the Altenbergstrasse, a boulevard in the center of the city) with
the slogans "Down with Hitler". "The OKW (Oberkommande
des Wehrmacht) is lying", "Down with Nazi brutality".
No
matter how often the writings on the walls were scrubbed away, they
were back again after a few days.
Nazi patrols were constantly looking for members of the Pirates and
those who were caught were imprisoned, sent to jails, reform schools,
psychiatric hospitals, labor and concentration camps and many lost their
lives. In a single day of raids in December 1942, the Dusseldorf Gestapo
and the Secret Police made more than 1000 arrests. During the round
ups, the Nazis were brutal. Captured Pirates had their heads shaven,
were threatened and beaten, and often cruelly punished. A member of
the Pirates was publicly executed by hanging in the center of
the city of Cologne. The story of the Edelweiss Pirates is a story of
courage and resistance.
[Return to Table of Contents]
Franz
Dressed
in his checkered shirt and short trousers, Franz walked quickly along
the dark street bordering the park. He saw the flashlights and heard
the Nazi Patrol and quickly jumped into the bushes that bordered the
park. Knowing how to avoid the patrol was important and Franz, who knew
every bush and hiding place in the park, was sure he would never be
caught. Patrol would never catch him. The son of a steelworker, Franz
had just turned 16 when he left school and joined the Edelweiss Pirates.
He knew most of the other boys from his neighborhood, they were his
friends and he had known them for most of his life. His father was a
Social Democrat who lost his position as trade union leader because
he opposed the Nazis. As soon as Franz was old enough, he quit school
to avoid having to go to Nazi Youth meetings. He took a job in the steel
mill as an apprentice and joined the Edelweiss Pirates.
[Return to Table of Contents]
Berthold
When
Berthold was 12 years of age, his father was killed in an accident in
the steel mill. His mother had to work as a domestic to feed her family
of four children. Berthold was the oldest and when he was 14 years old,
he left school and found a job in a factory. He was glad to be making
some money to make life easier for his mother.
Hitler promised to make a good life for all Germans, but his mother
worked harder than ever trying to support her family. There were no
benefits for ordinary working people. The people who profited were the
rich, the factory owners. Workers had few benefits. The Nazis were always
boasting about the good life they were making, but Berthold knew it
was a lie.
"Everywhere you see signs, "Forbidden" "Prohibited",
Not permitted" and "Forbidden on pain of death" "What
kind of country am I living in?" Berthold made no secret of his
hatred of the Nazis and he joined the Pirates at the same time as Franz.
There were ten boys and two girls in their group.
Unlike the Nazi Youth, the Pirates tolerated differences and found a
sense of solidarity with other young people who wanted to escape the
strict control of the Nazi Youth groups. Having fun together was as
important as the freedom they found in their activities. Being with
the Pirates broke the monotony of life in the steel mill and made life
exciting.
The high points of the week were the weekend hikes into the countryside
and the parties in the café. Some members of the Pirates wanted
to be more political and fight openly with the Nazis. They wrote anti-Nazi
slogans on the streets with chalk and even distributed papers describing
Allied victories. They wrote songs and sang them in the cafes at night.
Although, most of the time they tried to avoid the Nazi Youth Patrols,
they sometimes had to fight with them on the streets.
Despite the bombings, Berthold and Franz met their group of Edelweiss
Pirates almost every evening. Food shortages, increased work loads in
the mill, and the heightened efforts by the Patrols to suppress the
Pirates hardly affected their activities. They knew that the Nazi authorities
were more determined than ever to suppress them, especially after they
began to carry on more serious resistance activities. Berthold and Franz
listened to the forbidden British broadcasts on the radio and wrote
a leaflet describing the Allied victories, which they printed and distributed
them to people in their neighborhood. They also began to help young
people who had run away from reform schools and labor camps.
Franz and Berthold helped to clean out an old empty warehouse that was
used to shelter people who were hiding from the Nazis. Albert found
his way to freedom with Berthold's help.
[Return to Table of Contents]
Albert
Albert
lived in a home for orphaned boys in the working class section of the
city. The Director of the Home forced him to leave school and work as
a street sweeper because he refused to attend the Nazi Youth Club meetings.
Small for his age and frail, Albert worked all day sweeping streets
and carrying big bags of trash. One afternoon, he dropped a bag of garbage
and began to sweep it up, when he heard a friendly voice whisper, "So
you are a member of the slave gang" Albert turned and saw an older
boy dressed in a checkered shirt and black hat.
"You don't have to be a slave. I've been watching how hard they
make you work. Why don't you just leave?" Berthold whispered.
Before Albert could answer, his boss began screaming at him and raised
his fist, but Berthold came up from behind and held the boss' arms.
"Run away," he shouted. Albert dropped his broom and ran away.
He knew he was going to be punished by his boos of he stayed and he
knew that the Director would punish him if he went back there. He didn't
know
where to go. When Berthold caught up with him, Albert was close to tears.
He could barely speak when Berthold asked him where he lived.
"I have no place to go. I can't go back to the orphan home. The
Director said he'd send me to reform school if I caused more trouble.
"Don't worry, you don't have to go back. I know a place where you
can stay and I'll take you there".
"But I have no money", Albert swallowed hard.
"Don't worry. You'll be O.K. There's other guys who have run away
and you can all help one another," Berthold told him, putting his
arm around the frightened boy who looked much younger than his 14 years."
Besides I think I can help you find a job." Berthold took him to
the empty warehouse that had become a home for six other homeless boys.
The boys slept on mats on the floor and shared whatever food they could
find. Sometimes they had to steal food. But the Pirates often brought
food to the warehouse. The older boys looked after Albert who
began to feel safer than he had for a long time.
For most of his life, Albert lived in the orphan home. His mother died
when he was an infant and he lived with his father and grandmother.
There was no work and when his grandmother got sick, his father took
a
job in another city and put Albert in the orphan home run by Herr Weinstein
who made sure that Albert had contact with his father. He lost his contact
when the new Director came to the Home.
Herr Weinstein was a Jewish man was like a father to the boys in the
home. A gentle kindly man, Herr Weinstein treated the boys like they
were his family. Older boys helped the younger ones. There were always
outings and picnics and Herr Weinstein helped the boys with their schoolwork.
Boys who needed special help received it. Albert felt safe and cared
for in the Home. Then one afternoon while Albert was in school, the
police came and took Herr Weinstein away. When Albert came home from
school that day, there was another Director there. Under the Nazis,
Jewish people were not allowed to be teachers or Social Workers.
More and more boys were crowded into the Home and those who were failing
in school or had other difficulties were sent away. The boys Albert
knew and trusted were sent to work all day and others disappeared. The
new Director did not interfere when younger boys were slapped or pushed
around by older boys. Albert who was small for his age was often the
target of jokes and teasing. The Director, a cold and cruel man, never
called the boys by name; he was only interested in forcing them to attend
Nazi youth meetings. The boy who bullied and
tormented Albert was the leader of the Nazi Youth club.
Albert dreaded the meetings and found it hard to keep up with the others.
He didn't know how to defend himself against the bullying and began
to skip the meetings. When the Director found out, he scolded Albert
and threatened to send him away. Under the new social welfare system,
boys as young as 12 could be removed from the school and sent to work
as garbage collectors, street sweepers and other menial jobs. They worked
as much as 48 hours a week or more. Albert worked with the street sweepers
and found the work very hard. He could barely manage to lift the heavy
bags of trash.
Berthold took a special interest in the small boy who looked much younger
than his 14 years. He even found a job for him in the steel factory
and took him to the meetings of the Edelweiss Pirates. With the money
he earned Albert bought himself a checkered shirt and trousers. He went
on outings and hikes with Berthold and Franz. Albert was devoted to
the two older boys who made him feel like he was someone. He had new
confidence and he volunteered to be the one to watch for the Nazi Patrols.
He also helped to distribute the leaflets and write anti Nazi slogans
on the streets. Dressed in regular clothes, he often stood guard outside
when the Pirates were having a meeting. Alert and inconspicuous, Albert
knew when to warn the others when he saw the Patrol.
One evening as soon as the bombing stopped, the boys left the shelter
and started walking to the park, when they saw the Nazi Youth Patrol.
They began running toward the park, but Albert could not run as fast
as the others and he tripped and fell. Before he could get up, he felt
someone kicking him. Pain flashed through his body as they pulled him
to his he feet and slapped him hard. They turned him over to a policeman
who took him to Gestapo Headquarters.
Albert could only hope that they had not captured anyone else and he
refused to answer any questions or give the names of the other boys
in the group.
"You riff raff are nothing but troublemakers, and you will pay
heavily", the Gestapo officer shouted at him and took him to a
jail. Once inside the jail, he saw Franz, Berthold, and some of the
other boys. Albert, Berthold and Franz were sent to a concentration
camp along with hundreds of other Pirates.
The Gestapo and the Hitler Youth brought an armory of repressive measures
including sending Pirates to concentration and labor camps. For many
Edelweiss Pirates the hunt ended in death. In Cologne, sixteen year
old Bernard Schink was publicly hanged in November 1944.
[Return to Table of Contents]
Jacques
Lusseyran
Jacques
Lusseyran was only seventeen years old when he organized the "Volunteers
of Liberty" (Voluntaires de la Liberte) an underground resistance
group of university and secondary school students. The "Volunteers"
became part of the "Defense de la France", a major underground
resistance network affiliated with Charles De Gaulle and the free French
government. The Germans occupied Paris from June 14, 1940 until August
25, 1944.
Blinded in an accident when he was eight years old, Lusseyran was a
brilliant student and courageous leader who led a double life as resistance
fighter and brilliant student until his arrest by the Gestapo and internment
at the Buchenwald concentration camp.
The story of Jacques Lusseyran is based on historical accounts of
the French resistance and his own autobiography.
Jacques and his family were living in Toulouse when the German army
marched up the Champs Elysee, took over the center of the city and threw
Paris into chaos. Thousands of people crowded the roads trying to leave
and those who remained were relieved that there was no destruction,
bombing or shooting. Jacques' father, an engineer, was ordered to return
to Paris in September 1940.
The family settled in an apartment on the Boulevard Port-Royal in the
Latin Quarter, a part of the city known for centuries as the place where
poets, writers, and artists lived, worked and met with one another in
the cafes that lined the streets. After the Nazi occupation, the city
was wrapped in a silence, broken only by the ringing of the church bells.
The familiar sounds of automobiles, buses and trucks had vanished along
with the lively chatter that made the streets of Paris so lively. The
silence made the streets seem wider and the houses taller.
Ever since he lost his sight in an accident when he was eight years
old, Jacques relied on sounds to bring him information and create images
in his mind. Without sight, Jacques learned to concentrate his attention
to sounds, touch and smell. His family encouraged his independence and
never isolated him. He mastered Braille reading and
writing in six weeks and returned to his school his friends. When his
family lived in Toulouse, he was as much at home on country roads and
mountain hikes as he was on the streets of Paris.
Life in Paris in the autumn of 1940 had become a struggle; food shortages
forced housewives to stand in lines for hours waiting to purchase their
share of the meager food supplies. The fuel shortage caused constant
cold and Paris clocks were turned to Berlin time. Logic seemed to have
vanished along with the hustle and bustle of the streets.
No one was talking about the occupation. People turned away from one
another when the words "Nazi" "Gestapo", "torture"
or "killings" were mentioned. Jacques wondered if people were
simply afraid to talk or
afraid to face the reality of the occupation. But like other boys, he
was eager to get on with his life. Blind students were required to take
a special exam to prove they could keep up with their studies A good
student and well prepared, Jacques passed the exam and was accepted
to the Louis Le Grand Lycee, a well known secondary school in the Latin
Quarter. Impatient to begin his studies he had to wait a month before
the lycee opened. The new fascist government had closed all the schools
in Paris.
Jacques spent his time rediscovering the Paris streets with his friends,
Jean and Francois. His parents gave him the two small rooms in the back
of their apartment. A long corridor separated the rooms and this gave
Jacques the privacy he needed to study and meet with his friends. Jacques
arranged his furniture and stacked his Braille books
neatly against the walls.
The school opened in October and school life resumed in a normal
fashion, in spite of the new rules imposed by a government eager to
conform to Nazi ideology. The principal read announcements from Marshall
Petain and other government officials over the loudspeaker.
Jacques walked to the lycee with Jean and Francois every morning, and
could never understand why he attracted so much attention. Groups of
other boys seemed always to be trailing behind him and when he reached
the school, the concierge greeted Jacques by shouting, "It's the
Lusseyran parade".
Enrolled in philosophy, psychology and history classes, Jacques found
his history class to be the most interesting. His history teacher commanded
Jacques' attention with his rapid speech and warm resonant voice. He
told class about the war and Hitler's ambitions. One by one, the Germans
occupied Austria, France, Holland, Denmark and Norway. Hitler's plan
was to make all of Europe subservient to Germany and 85% of the agricultural
and industrial production of France was being sent to Germany.
Incidents of Nazi brutality were becoming more and more obvious and
they were happening to people Jacques knew. Francois was almost in tears
as he told Jacques of Mr. Weissberg's arrest. Weissberg was Francois'
good friend and tutor and when he arrived for his weekly biology lesson,
Weissberg's rooms were empty. The concierge told Francois that the Gestapo
had arrested Weissberg that morning. Weissberg was Jewish. Soon after
Jacques heard about other Jewish friends who were taken away by the
Gestapo.
The French police were acting like Nazis, there were book burnings,
arrests and racial laws. Paris newspapers were censored and carried
only German news. Some boys at Louis Le Grand joined Nazi youth clubs
and boasted that the Nazis were good for France. Jacques' school was
closed for a month after a demonstration by university and lycee students.
Twenty students were shot and killed.
It was freezing cold in his little room; Jacques felt his fingers stiffening
and had to stop reading. The frightening events that were happening
around him dominated his thoughts; something had to be done to arouse
the conscience of the French people. The idea of forming a resistance
group of young students took shape in his mind.
Knowing his friends as well as he did, Jacques was not surprised that
Jean and Francois readily agreed and they began to organize a resistance
group made up students from Louis le Grand and the university. In school
the next say, they spoke with trusted classmates.
A few days later, ten boys crowded into Jacques' room, and the next
week 52 boys showed up. The student resistance group called the "Volunteers
of Liberty" became a reality.
From now on there was to be no turning back and no giving in to fear.
Jacques warned the boys to say nothing about the meeting, even to their
families. Gossip was dangerous and would give them away. No more than
three boys would meet with one another at any one time. A Central Committee
was formed to keep the students in touch with one another. Their task
was to inform the French people about the brutality of Gestapo arrests,
the persecutions and torture of captured resistance fighters and the
arrests of Jewish people. News of the War was to be gathered by listening
to forbidden radio broadcasts from England and Switzerland. The "Volunteers
of Liberty" planned to write and circulate a secret paper that
they called "Le Tigres". Before they could begin, more students
had to be recruited.
Jacques was elected to the Central Committee and went to the first secret
meeting with Francois. The meeting was held in an old apartment house
in a working class section of the city, the old building was chosen
because there were always people coming in and going out and the arrival
of strangers was not likely to arouse suspicion. Jacques was to be responsible
for interviewing everyone who wanted to become a "Volunteer".
The other boys trusted his ability to judge people.
The "Volunteers" sent word out about the secret resistance
group to the lycees and university. Students who wanted to join were
watched for several days or sometimes weeks by one of the original 52
members. Those who were considered trustworthy were told "to visit
the blind man."
Jacques conducted the interviews in his rooms. Two short rings and one
long ring of the doorbell told him that a perspective volunteer had
arrived. The rules were strict. No one was interviewed if he was not
expected or did not appear within five minutes of the specified time.
No one was given Jacques' name. Forced to rely on his instincts, Jacques
knew he was not infallible and was constantly on guard. It was too easy
to be trapped by an informer or spy. He planned the interviews carefully
and discussed nothing of importance for the first 10 minutes. Sometimes
he conducted the interview in the dark because he forgot to turn on
the light.
Taking his time, Jacques listened intently to the words and the silences.
Elaborate explanations and well-rehearsed speeches aroused his suspicions.
He knew they covered lies and deceit. He also knew that anger was a
difficult emotion to disguise. If Jacques considered a boy trustworthy,
he gave his name to the Central Committee and he was admitted to the
"Volunteers of Liberty". At first, only young students between
17 and 19 appeared, but after a few weeks, older students from the university
began coming. Jacques interviewed 600 young men in less than a year
The Volunteers did not think of themselves as a professional group,
they were simply young students eager to liberate their country from
the terror of Nazism. They wrote, mimeographed and distributed their
bulletin, "Le Tigres", to houses all over Paris. One boy watched
the exits while the other went from floor to floor, carrying his shoes
in his hands and slipping the paper under doors.
The French government no less than the German characterized the Resistance
as a gang of terrorists. Denouncing them was seen as a civic duty, for
which informers received money. Jacques and the other leaders were aware
of the dangers; resistors who were caught were arrested and punished
severely. It was also disappointing that so few of Jacques' classmates
were willing to join the Volunteers, only 6 boys of the 90 enrolled
in the elite classes at Louis Le Grand joined. In every class, there
were 2 or 3 boys willing to report them to the police. Some of the
teachers were also Nazi collaborators and they had to be careful never
to talk about their activities at school. There were many narrow escapes.
Surveys, discussions, choosing articles for the bulletin and frequent
Central Committee meetings kept Jacques busy. Meetings were never held
in the same place. Always by Francois or Jean, Jacques traveled on the
routes set up for safety. Schoolwork occupied his daytime hours, but
at 5 PM, Jacques became a resistance fighter and
sometimes did not return home until 11 PM.
Keeping up his grades while devoting so much time to the "Volunteers"
took all his energy, but he succeeded and graduated from Louis Le Grand
in the Spring of 1941. He enrolled at the University and planned to
take the special exam to qualify for "Ecole Normale Superieur",
the highest institution in the French educational system. The Vichy
government and its Nazi racial laws, declaring students with disabilities
to be ineligible, dashed his hopes Disappointed and angry, Jacques wanted
to fight the ruling, but he knew that he would put the "Volunteers"
in jeopardy by calling attention to himself, so he put his ambitions
aside and decided not to appeal the ruling.
In 1943, the work of the "Volunteers of Liberty" caught the
attention of the "Defense de la France"; an official Resistance
group connected with Charles deGaulle and the Free French forces. The
"Defense de la France" had more funds, its own print shop,
trucks disguised as delivery wagons, an organized editorial board, a
radio transmitter and a channel to the deGaulle government in London.
The "Defense de la France" had everything the Volunteers lacked.
When Jacques was contacted by a leader of Defense de la France, he agreed
to meet with him. Accompanied by Georges, they met Phillipe, the leader
in the back room of a small restaurant. Jacques immediately liked the
relaxed manner of the big man with the warm friendly voice, calm manner
and keen sense of humor. Phillipe had solutions to difficult problems
and talked of the advantages of merging the "Volunteers of Liberty"
with the Defense de la France". Their main task would continue
to be the distribution of a secret newspaper. "Le Tigres"
was to become a real newspaper called "Defense de la France.
The "Volunteers" merged with the "Defense" and for
the next six months, Jacques and Georges met with Philippe every day.
They planned a complicated system of drop-offs, mailboxes and hidden
communication and both Jacques and Georges became members of the executive
committee.
As part of a major group, Jacques no longer felt alone or isolated,
but he found the work to be harder and more demanding, One hundred thousand
copies of "Defense de la France" a two page newspaper were
to be printed and distributed all over France. Every article was carefully
reviewed for its power to impress readers and make them aware that there
was an active French resistance. The paper was filled with articles
telling people of the brutal treatment and torture of arrested resistors,
the slaughter of Jews in the death camps and appealing for
passive resistance to Nazi orders.
On February 16, 1942 the Nazi government issued the order, demanding
that all young Frenchmen over 21 years be sent to Germany as forced
labor. Thousands of young men were sent to Germany, the only exceptions
were students and heads of families. The order strengthened the Resistance
movement and the "Defense de la France" grew. Eighty young
people, including Georges became professional underground operators.
Francois was placed in charge of resistance in Brittany.
The members of the "Defense de la France" were young men and
women who carried the secret to all parts of France at the risk of their
lives. Georges and Jacques were responsible for the distribution of
the newspaper in Paris. The two friends agreed that if one were arrested,
the other would carry on the work.
The office where the newspaper was printed came under Gestapo suspicion
and for three days, everyone who came out of the office was followed.
The young people working with Jacques learned how to avoid being followed,
they would go into a bakery and leave by the back door, board a subway
train and exit at the next stop. They led the spies down false trails,
while the equipment was packed up in small trucks with signs, "fragile"
"meteorological" or "optical" equipment" were
pasted on the outside of the trucks and a new print shop was prepared
and the distribution of "Defense de la France" was resumed.
The government of Free France, established in Algiers, asked resistance
groups to coordinate their efforts as much as possible. Jacques met
with leaders of other groups including the famous writer, Albert Camus,
who worked for the group called "Combat ". The work was dangerous;
the students could be betrayed at any time. Still in charge
of recruitment, Jacques was taken by surprise a young man named Elio,
who came to his home without prior notification.
The group was looking for someone to coordinate the distribution of
the newspaper to the industrial and mining communities in the north
and Elio, a native of the north was willing to give up his studies to
devote himself full time to the resistance movement. Elio had good recommendations,
but something about him aroused Jacques' suspicions. His heavy handshake
and low voice lacked honesty and conviction and Jacques did not trust
him. Phillipe said they could not afford to be too cautious and against
his better judgment, Jacques reluctantly agreed and Elio joined "Defense
de la France, " went to the city of Lille in the north and established
a network for the distribution of the newspaper.
Thousands copies of "Defense de la France" were being distributed
throughout France. Jacques and Georges were busy with distribution activities
in Paris until the morning in July 1943 when two officers and four armed
soldiers knocked on the door of the apartment in the Boulevard Port
Royal. Heading straight for Jacques' rooms, they sent his Braille papers
flying. Jacques worried that his parents would be arrested too. They
knew of his activities and never did anything to discourage him. He
felt relieved that he was the only one arrested.
At Gestapo headquarters, Jacques discovered that the Nazis had a record
of every one of his activities from the day Elio joined "Defense
de la France". When they took him to the Fresnes prison, his suspicions
were confirmed. It was a mass betrayal; every one of his friends except
Philippe had been arrested.
He was taken from Fresnes to Gestapo headquarters 38 times, he was threatened
with death, beaten, and questioned from 7 o'clock in the morning to
7 o'clock, but he was resolute and determined not to give them any information.
In July, he was sent to Buchenwald. Starved and sickly, Jacques tried
to keep up his spirits and those of his friends. Knowing German and
Italian, he even translated for other prisoners.
The United States Third Army liberated Buchenwald in April 1945. Jacques
was one of thirty survivors of the 2,000 people who were arrested at
the same time he was. He and Phillipe were the only leaders of the "Defense
de la France" to survive the war. The newspaper of the "Defense
de la France became the "France Soir", one of the most important
daily newspapers in France.
Jacques returned to the university and his studies and his fight to
be admitted to the Ecole Normale Superieur. Finally admitted to the
elite school, graduated and took a teaching position in Paris. In the
1950's he moved to the United States and taught Literature at Western
Reserve University and the University of Hawaii. He was tragically
killed in a tragic automobile accident when he was only 47 years of
age.
References
Ehrlich,
Blake, Resistance France, 1940-1945, Boston, Mass.: Little Brown
and Company. 1965.
Lusseyran, Jacques, And There Was Light, New York: Little Brown,
1963
Perrault, Gille & Azema, Pierre, Paris Under The Occupation
New York: The Vendome Press, 1989.
Pryce-Jones, David, Paris in the Third Reich: A History of the German
Occupation, 1940-1944 New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston, 1983.
Shiber, Etta with Anne and Paul Dupre, Paris Underground New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1943.
[Return to Table of Contents]
Jean
On the way back
to the village, Jean was climbing the hills bordering the Dordogne River
when he saw a streak of silver twisting and turning in the sky; trailing
streaks of black smoke as it hurtled to the ground. Jean was deaf and
did not hear the plane crash, but he saw the smoke rising above the
trees on the other side of the river. Jean stopped on the top of a hill
and watched the smoke circling above the sparkling river, and then he
saw the white parachute tangled on a tree below him. A man dangling
from its ropes was waving his arms, frantically trying to reach the
branch of the tree.
Jean quickly ran down the hill toward the tree and climbed up, as he
came close to the man he reached and pulled him to safety in a branch
of the tree. Then he disentangled the ropes and helped him climb down
from the tree. Jean guessed the man was the pilot of the small plane.
He knew from his uniform that he was not a German. He suspected he was
British or American.
The people in the farming village were happy to see the fighter planes,
everyone was hoping that they would free France from the German occupation.
The year was 1944 and German soldiers were all over France. Jean knew
his father resented the German soldiers who took so much food from the
village that there was little left for the farmers to sell.
Safely on the ground, Jean faced the pilot who was speaking to him,
but he could not read his words. They were not French. Jean pointed
to his ears and shook his head, trying to make the pilot understand
that he could not hear. Jean could see fear in the pilot's eyes and
he wanted to reassure him and let him know he was safe. Jean quickly
pulled his sweater off and pushed it in the pilot's hands and pulled
on the pilot's jacket. The American understood and removed his jacket
and pulled Jean's sweater over his head.
Pointing to the parachute that was still tangled in the tree, Jean climbed
back up the tree and brought it down. Rolling it up into a bundle, he
hid the parachute and the pilot's jacket beneath a bush. Pointing to
a path through the oak trees that bordered the road, Jean led the pilot
along the dirt road overgrown with bushes. Jean hoped they would not
be seen. As they trudged side by side though the trees, Jean, sure his
father would want to help the pilot, Jean decided to bring him back
to the farm in the next village. Jean was on his way home after delivering
butter and eggs to his father's friend in the neighboring village. Jean
lived with his father; his mother had died the year before. Jean had
two older brothers but they were in the French army.
Tall and husky, Jean was tall for his seventeen years, but he was lonely.
No one in the farming village knew his language of signs. Jean left
the school for the deaf in Paris when the Germans occupied the city.
Jean had a friend from the school for the deaf in the nearby village
and he was disappointed to discover that he had moved away.
Jean and the pilot could not walk very fast over the overgrown path
through the trees. The path led to the main road where walking was easier.
They no sooner started walking on the road, when Jean felt the pilot
shake his arm. Jean turned and saw the truck coming up the road behind
them and quickly pulled the pilot up a hill beside the road. They hid
behind the small cottage on the top of the hill. There was a gasoline
shortage and no one but the Germans had gasoline for trucks.
Jean peered around the cottage and looked down at the road. The truck
did not stop and went it had passed, Jean and the pilot began to make
their way back to the road. The door of the cottage opened and a large
black dog came towards them blocking their path. Jean knew the dog was
barking. An old woman came out of the cottage and looked around. The
dog came close to Jean and the pilot, but Jean stood by calmly and let
the dog approach. Then he reached out and petted him. The dog stopped
barking and went back into the cottage.
Walking along the road, Jean felt happy, he had a companion, someone
who trusted him and let him lead the way. As they got close to the village,
Jean could see children coming out of the school next to the church.
The village priest stood in front of the church and Jean did not want
him to see the pilot. Grabbing the pilot's arm, he pulled him to the
back of the church. When the children had gone, the priest went back
inside the church. And they began walking again.
The road led through a countryside that was dotted by small farms and
the market place in the center of the village. It was late afternoon,
but there were still many people in the market. Jean was wondering how
they could avoid being seen; there was no place to walk. except in front
of the market. Jean had an idea and began showing the pilot some of
his signs. The pilot nodded and began to imitate him and Jean and the
pilot walked through the market making signs. Jean thought the neighbors
would think the pilot was his friend, Phillipe from the neighboring
village. He knew that many people knew about Phillipe, but they had
never seen him. Jean felt more confident now and was not afraid of meet
anyone.
One of the farmers saw Jean approaching and stopped him. Jean put his
arm around the pilot's shoulder and carefully pronounced the words,
"My friend, Phillipe, he deaf like me". The man stared at
the pilot but then he shrugged and walked away. A number of other people
were also looking at Jean, but he did not think that their behavior
was unusual. Few people took the time to talk to Jean even though he
could read their lips and pronounce words clearly. Jean often felt he
was ignored, he thought people thought he was dumb as well as deaf.
The smell of freshly baked bread wafted out of the bakery reminding
Jean had promised his father to bring home bread. Leading the pilot
into the bakery, Jean repeated his words to the baker, "He my friend,
Phillipe, deaf like me." The baker nodded and gave Jean two loaves
of bread and then he hurried them outside through a back door.
When they got close to the farm, Jean was surprised to see his father
waiting for them in front of the house. He seemed to be expecting the
pilot and hurried him into the barn. His father sent Jean back to the
house for a blanket and some clothes while he brought soup, bread, and
cheese on a tray. Jean's father made the pilot a bed of hay and put
the blanket down. He did not know the pilot's language either, but he
knew he was an American. After eating the soup and cheese, the pilot
gave the bowl back to Jean and covered himself with the blanket. Jean
and his father left the barn and went back into the house to eat their
dinner.
Sitting across from his father, Jean thanked him and said. "People
think he is my friend Phillipe. He stay in the barn and help on the
farm."
Jean's father looked at his son's smiling face and shook his head. He
knew that Jean had no idea how quickly news traveled in the farming
village. Everyone knew that an American fighter plane had crashed. They
also knew that German soldiers would be coming to the village to search
for the pilot. Jean's father also knew that there were a few people
in the village who were cooperating with the Germans and he was too
worried to explain to Jean why the pilot could not stay.
As soon as they had finished their dinner, Jean's father opened the
door and a man Jean did not know entered the house. Jean tried to read
his lips as he spoke to his father, but he was talking too quickly.
His father told Jean to stay in the house and took the man to the barn.
But Jean followed them, he could see that the man was able to talk to
the pilot.
His father gestured him to go back to the house and Jean obeyed. He
went to bed; he could not sleep. Later that night, he went out to the
barn. The pilot had gone. There was no sign that he had been there.
Jean felt angry and betrayed and he woke his father. "He had to
go. He will be safe, now go back to bed," his father told him.
Jean felt like he had lost a friend, he wanted him to stay on the farm.
He had no idea where the pilot was taken. He thought he would be safe
on the farm.
The next morning, German soldiers drove up to the farm and searched
every room in the house. His father put his fingers to his lips and
Jean knew why the pilot had to leave.
The soldiers were holding guns and one of them came close to Jean's
father. Afraid the soldier would hurt him, Jean moved close to him.
The soldier looked angry Jean read the words on his father's lips, "No
one here but me and my son. " Jean could not read the soldier's
lips when he yelled in German, "There's no one else here but a
deaf dummy".
When the soldiers left, Jean embraced his father and thanked him for
helping the pilot escape.
After the war, Jean received a letter from the American pilot. Jean's
father took it to his English-speaking friend to translate it.
Dear Jean,
I want you to know how grateful I will always be to you. You saved
my life. Your father's friend brought me to a safe place and helped
me to escape. Thanks to you, I am home with my family. I will
never forget you. You are a real hero.
Your friend,
Steve, the American pilot
Karl
A
small crowd of villagers watched in tearful silence as Karl was taken
away from his home by the public health official. His parents were sobbing.
No one knew when he or she would see Karl again. When his father was
told that Karl had to leave the village and go to the state hospital,
he protested angrily. The official warned him that Karl would be taken
by force, if they did not let him go willingly.
The Nazi government had a law that required all children with mental
or physical disabilities to be reported to the public health authorities.
The village priest urged Karl's parents to avoid trouble with the police.
The fifteen-year-old boy looked no different from other boys his age,
but his speech was slurred and sometimes he had trouble putting words
into sentences. No one thought of him as being "feebleminded",
the word the public health official used to describe him. Karl's parents
treated him no differently from their other children and he went to
the village school with his brothers and sisters. The teachers at the
school knew that Karl was slower than other children, but they knew
he was eager to learn and did not fuss over his inability to learn as
quickly as the others. Then the Nazis took over the schools and children
like Karl were no longer permitted to attend the village school.
The new headmaster was a Nazi official and he reported Karl to the public
health authorities. A public health official came to Karl's home and
told the family that Karl could not stay in the village and had to go
to the state hospital. Karl knew how sad his family felt and he tried
to be brave as he got into the small car. He saw his mother sobbing
and heard his father say, "Don't worry son, you will come home
again."
It was a long ride to the old gray stone building that served as hospital
and home for children with disabilities. As soon as Karl stepped inside
the hospital, a nurse took away the suitcase his mother had packed for
him and gave him a uniform just like all the other boys wore. The gray
and white shirt and the gray trousers the boys wore made
them all look alike.
The nurse took Karl to a long narrow room with two rows of beds lined
up against the walls. There were thirty narrow beds in the long narrow
room. Karl was shown his bed and then he was pushed into the line of
boys who had to march to the dining room. This was a large room filled
with wooden tables. Ten boys sat at each table and ate in silence. There
was no talking allowed in the dining room. Karl looked around him and
felt very lonely. He did not understand this place where everyone was
dressed the same and no one was called by his name. The
nurses and attendants never looked at him and no one seemed to care.
At night, Karl could hear some of the boys sobbing and he struggled
to keep himself from panic. He felt lost, afraid and confused and did
not understand why he was in this place, but he managed to suppress
the fear. He thought if he obeyed and did as he was told, he would be
able to go home again.
All the boys had jobs to do; they scrubbed floors, collected garbage,
swept and washed floors and walls. There was nothing else but work to
do in this place. Sometimes in the evening, the boys marched around
the grounds. They were taught to sing Nazi songs and salute to Hitler.
It did not take Karl long to make friends, his best friend was Rudi,
the janitor's assistant. Rudi made Karl laugh by making funny faces
and telling him funny stories. Karl felt safe with Rudi. When the janitor
let Rudi pick his helper, Rudi chose Karl.
Every day more children were brought to the state hospital and the wards
were crowded with children of all ages. Some were blind or deaf or physically
disabled. There were enough wheelchairs or beds. Some children slept
on straw mats on the floor. The food was drab and tasteless and there
was never enough to eat. Karl was given more work to do, but he did
not mind when he worked with Rudi.
Then Rudi told Karl that he was leaving the hospital. Karl knew that
Rudi had an operation to make it impossible for him ever to become a
father. Boys who had the operation were allowed to leave the hospital
and go back to their homes. They joined work crews in the towns and
cities.
The day Rudi left, he gave Karl a paper with his name and address written
neatly on it. He told Karl that his home only a few miles from the hospital.
Karl took care never to lose the piece of paper, he kept it with him
all the time. At night, he carefully put it under his pillow and every
morning he put it back in his pocket.
Karl had to collect big bags of garbage from the dormitories and he
saw how miserable many children were. Some had to lie on their beds
all day. There was nothing to do on the wards and he was glad he was
able to work. He collected the garbage in big sacks and brought the
sacks to the big garbage behind the building. Karl missed Rudi and when
a new janitor replaced the man who worked with Rudi, Karl was even more
upset. The new janitor was a cruel man who called the boys "idiots"
and "morons"; he slapped the boys when they did not work quickly
enough to suit him. And he never explained what they had to do; he simply
shoved brooms or mops into their hands. With the new janitor, the boys
did all the dirty work, while the janitor sat and drank from a bottle
he kept in his pocket. Karl worked as fast as he could and tried to
stay out of the janitor's way.
One afternoon, just as Karl was carrying a sack of garbage to the outdoor
bin, he saw the janitor beating a boy with a broomstick. "I will
teach you not to make a dirty mess," he shouted, hitting the boy
again and again. Without thinking, Karl threw the bag of garbage he
was holding at the janitor. The garbage bag hit the janitor in the head
and spilled all over him. Suspecting that the janitor had seen him,
Karl ran around the side of the building and hid in a barrel. He knew
the janitor would be looking for him and he ran to the back of the building
and hid in a barrel. He could barely breathe but he dared not make a
sound. He could hear shouting and cursing and then it was quiet. Karl
climbed out of the barrel and ran to the road, he did not stop running
until he was some distance from the hospital. He did not know where
to go, and then he remembered the paper Rudi had given him. He took
the paper from his pocket and read the name of the town where Rudi lived.
Rudi said it was not far from the hospital. It was getting dark and
there was a chill in the air, but Karl did not stop to rest. In the
twilight, it was hard to
see the signs. Finally he came to a large sign and as he came close,
he saw it had the name that Rudi printed on the paper. Rudi told him
he lived in a brown house, but it was too dark to see the color of the
houses. He was not sure what to do, but then he saw a man sweeping the
street in front of a shop. Taking a deep breath, approached the man.
"I look for my friend, " he explained, showing the man the
paper. The man pointed to a narrow lane and told Karl to go down the
lane. "It's the third house on the lane," he explained.
Karl ran to the house and knocked loudly on the door, shouting "Rudi,
Rudi".
A woman's voice called out, "Who is there?" Karl stood at
the door, not sure that he had come to the right house. A woman opened
the door and looked at Karl. "Please I want Rudi, I look for Rudi",
Karl was almost sobbing as he showed the woman the paper Rudi had given
him. The woman recognized the uniform and knew that the trembling boy
had run away from the hospital. She pulled Karl inside and quickly closed
the door.
"Rudi told me come to see him. Tell Rudi I am here. I am Karl".
Rudi came into the room and Karl rushed to him. "It's me, Karl.
You remember me, you gave me paper and told me to come to you."
Trembling from head to toe, Karl tried to explain why he had to run
away. "They going punish me bad. The janitor beat the boy and I
throw garbage at him. So I run away fast".
Rudi nodded and told Karl "You do a good thing. You are safe here."
Rudi's mother brought a blanket and wrapped it around Karl; she gave
him a glass of warm milk and bread.
"You can stay here tonight," she said as Karl gulped the milk
and stuffed the bread into his mouth. Then she made a bed for Karl on
the sofa. Feeling safe and secure, Karl fell into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, Rudi woke Karl and gave him a clean shirt, trousers
and a sweater. He told him he had to leave for work but his brother
was coming to take care of Karl. Rudi began work very early in the morning.
His mother made a good breakfast for Karl and explained that Rudi's
brother was coming to take him to a place where he would be safe.
"I want go home, Karl said. "You please help me go to my family?"
Rudi's mother explained that the police would be looking for him and
would go to his home. "It is safer to live where no one knows you
for a while," she said. Rudi's brother will take care of you. Please
do not worry," she said. A tall good-looking man who looked a lot
like Rudi came into the house. He asked Karl if he knew how to work
on a farm.
Karl nodded his head and said "I like work on farm. I work on my
father's farm."
"Then you can help my friend. He is my neighbor", Rudi's brother
said kindly and helped Karl climb into the back of his truck and covered
him with a pile of rags. "No one will find you now," he said.
Karl trusted Rudi's brother and did not mind the long and bumpy ride.
When they reached the farm, Rudi helped Karl climb down from the truck.
Rudi's brother introduced him to a farmer and his wife. The farmer and
his wife seemed to be expecting Karl. Rudi's brother had told them that
Karl was a family friend who was looking for work.
"You show me you do good work and I'll try to get you work on other
farms too. Then you can earn some money."
The farmer took him to the barn. Karl helped the farmer clean the barn,
spread new hay on the barn floor, fix a broken fence and clean the shed
where the farmer kept his tools. The cellar in the farmer's house was
a cold, but the farmer's wife made sure that Karl had enough to eat.
Karl woke up early in the morning, washed his face and hands in a bucket
of water and went upstairs for breakfast. After a good breakfast, Karl
worked around the farm. Rudi's brother came to the farm to see how
Karl was doing. The farmer told him that Karl was a good worker. Rudi's
brother told Karl that some of the other farmers had work for him too
and would pay him money. Karl went with Rudi's brother to a neighbor's
farm, but the man asked Karl to show him his identification paper.
Every boy over 16 years of age needed an identification paper in order
to work. Karl had no papers and the farmer was suspicious. "If
he escaped from somewhere, we'll be in trouble if we do not report him",
he told Rudi's brother who took him to the village priest
"Why doesn't he have identification papers?" the priest wanted
to know and asked Karl many questions.
"I have no paper. Nobody give me paper".
"Everyone is given an identification paper," he answered.
"If you want me to help, you must tell me the truth."
Karl put his hands on his face and cried out, "I run away from
bad place. They hit people there and I not go back. I want go home".
"It is dangerous to give false identification papers, but let me
see what I can do," the priest said quietly. He had heard about
the terrible conditions in the hospital from the nuns who tried to visit
there. Looking at Karl, the priest told him he would try to help.
The next day the priest brought Karl an identification paper. Karl looked
at the neatly typed paper and did not recognize the name that was printed
on it. The priest explained that now had a new name and that he had
to remember it. With his identification paper, Karl was able to find
more work on the neighboring farms and make some money.
When the first snows came and there was no more work on the farms, the
priest found Karl a job in a nearby market and let him sleep in the
church. He also managed to notify Karl's family and tell them that their
son was safe. Karl always carried his identification paper with him
and did not forget his new name. He knew that having a different name
did not make him a different person.
[Return to Table of Contents]
Noni's
Escape
Peering
out of the dusty window, Noni was looking for the birds that made their
nests in the tall trees that ordered the state hospital, when she saw
the big gray bus with blackened windows pull to a stop. Everyone in
the hospital heard the rumors about the buses that came every day to
take another group of people away from the hospital.
Everyone talked about the killing of people with mental handicaps that
took place in Grafeneck, the psychiatric hospital in the next town.
When Noni saw the bus, she knew the rumors were true.
Noni felt an icy stab of fear and silently watched the soldiers in black
uniforms burst into the quiet room. The director of the hospital nodded
to them and pointed out the girls who were to be taken. He pointed to
Noni and a soldier pushed her into the line of girls, who were screaming
and crying. Girls who could not walk were taken from
their beds and carried like sacks of potatoes outside to the waiting
bus. Noni and the others were forced into a line-up and marched outdoors.
Noni felt as if she were frozen and moved slowly. But when she saw the
soldier standing at the door of the bus go inside, she quickly stepped
out of the line and walked past the bus, the she turned and ran to the
back of the building.
The door of an old shed filled with bags of garbage was open and Noni
slipped inside and hid behind a barrel, the smell of garbage made her
feel sick, but she forced herself to stay there. She heard the bus leaving
and then she peered outside of the shed. Seeing no one, she made her
way down the path away from the hospital. The path met a road and Noni
began walking. She could feel her heart beating and she was breathless
and very tired. She sat behind a tree to rest.
Noni's mother died when she was an infant and her father left his tiny
daughter with his mother. Small for her age, Noni had a crooked spine
and her speech was slow to develop. A doctor told Noni's grandmother
that Noni was mentally handicapped and should be placed in an institution
for children with mental handicaps. But her grandmother refused, she
loved Noni and kept her at home. Feeling happy and safe, Noni did everything
with her grandmother. She learned to cook, sew, and help with chores
around the house.
When she was eight years old, her grandmother became very ill and died.
A social worker brought Noni to an orphanage and the director sent her
to a home for children who were mentally handicapped, run by an order
of Catholic sisters. At first, Noni was so frightened that she dared
not speak Her life was shattered by her grandmother's death. One of
the sisters reached out to the small girl, Noni called her Sister Kati.
She comforted Noni and did not scold her when she cried. Sister Kati
spent a lot of time with Kati and Noni began to talk again. Sister Kati
knew how capable Noni was and gave her special things to do.
Some of the children in the Home were blind or deaf and others could
not walk or talk. Sister Kati showed Noni how to feed and help the children
who could not care for themselves. She made friends with the other girls,
especially Berti who was her age. Berti's arms and legs were thin as
twigs and she could not walk. When Noni fed her, Bert always ate her
food and when Bert was sad, Sister Kati always brought Noni to comfort
her.
When Noni was 15 years old, the Nazi government closed the Home and
moved all the children to a large state institution. Sister Kati told
Noni to be brave and do as much for herself as she could. Noni clung
to Sister Kati and they cried together. That was the last time Noni
saw Sister Kati.
A bus took the children to a large hospital-like institution where Noni
lived with forty other girls in a long narrow room. The beds were in
two long rows with hardly any space between them. Everyone on the ward
was given a short haircut and an ugly cotton smock. The girls own clothes
and books, toys and other personal possessions were removed. There was
no talking or laughter in the large dining room, where the only food
was potatoes and turnips; the girls were always hungry.
More and more children were brought to the crowded wards and those who
could walk had to work in the kitchen or in the laundry. Noni wanted
to help the younger children, but the nurse on the ward would not let
her and made her work in the laundry. Every day, Noni had to carry heavy
bags of soiled clothing and sheets to the big steamy laundry room and
carry the clean sheets back up to the wards. Noni's back was never very
strong and it began to ache. It was hard for her to carry the heavy
bags of laundry. One morning her back hurt so much that she could not
get out of bed.
Noni was moved to an even more crowded ward with girls who had severe
physical disabilities. Some were in wheelchairs and others were never
taken from their beds. But there were a few girls like Noni who were
able to walk. After a few weeks, Noni began to feel better but she was
forbidden to leave the ward. There was nothing to do on the ward, there
were no toys or books or games. Sensing the loneliness and fear of the
younger children, Noni kept herself busy making up games and trying
to play with them. She comforted and sang to them. Noni also spent a
great deal of time gazing out of the dusty window. The hospital was
once a castle and was built on the top of a hill and Noni could see
the countryside below dotted with trees and flowers. It was a sunny
morning in late spring when the gray bus with its darkened windows pulled
up in front of the hospital.
Sitting beneath the tall tree at the bottom of the path, Noni saw a
bird fly to a nest high in the tree. Watching birds always reminded
Noni of Sister Kati who always kept little bags of seeds in her pockets
and every time the girls took a walk, Sister Kati gave them seeds to
Sprinkle on the ground. Noni loved to watch the birds come to eat them.
Thinking about Sister Kati made Noni feel better and she got up and
began walking by the side of the road. Whenever she heard the sound
of an automobile or truck, she hid behind a bush or tree.
Passing the marketplace, Noni saw barrels filled with red and green
apples; potatoes and onions and realized that she was hungry. As she
neared a barrel of apples, she reached in to take one and then remembered
her grandmother telling her not to take food from the barrels if you
had no money. A half-eaten apple lay on the ground and Noni picked it
up and ate it.
Two small boys standing nearby saw her and began pointing and laughing
at her. That made Noni feel afraid again and she quickly left the marketplace
and went back to the road. She passed a large park; a crowd of people
was standing around a man who was tossing red, green and blue balls
into the air. The juggler was smiling and laughing as he tossed the
balls into the air. Noni could not take her eyes off the juggler and
the balls that seemed to be dancing in the air. When the juggler had
finished, the crowd left. Noni watched the juggler put the balls into
a canvas bag. He saw Noni, smiled at her, and began to speak. Not wanting
to talk, Noni turned away and began walking again.
Feeling tired again, she lay down beneath a tree to rest and did not
see the old woman approach her. Then she heard the footsteps and quickly
scrambled to her feet and began to run away. The woman grabbed her arm,
"Girl, help me carry these sacks to my cottage. It's not far from
here."
Noni began to pull away. "Don't me afraid," the woman said,
"I won't hurt you", the woman spoke kindly. Noni felt trapped
and when the woman pushed a large bag into her arms, Noni took the bag
and followed to a small cottage by the side of the road.
The woman opened the door to the cottage and took Noni inside. When
she put her bundle down, the old woman looked at Noni, "Did you
run away from the hospital?" she asked. Noni did not know what
to say and burst into tears, "No go on bus," Noni cried.
"Don't worry. I won't make you go back. You did the right thing.
You can stay here for the night and I'll give you some supper".
The woman's calm voice calmed Noni and she wiped her eyes.
"I glad to help you".
The woman smiled and did not say anything as she began to take potatoes
and onions out of the bag. Noni helped her to peel them and put them
in a soup pot. While the soup was cooking, Noni took a broom and swept
the floor. "I good worker" she told the old lady.
When the soup was ready, Noni sat at the table with the woman and ate
the soup quickly. She did not realize how hungry she was. The woman
gave her another bowl and a big chunk of bread. After dinner, the old
woman fell asleep in her chair and Noni was careful not to waken her.
She washed the dishes in a pail of water and dried them and when she
had finished, she lay down on the floor and fell fast asleep.
The next morning the woman woke her up and gave her bread and tea. Then
she told her she could not stay there.
"Please, I stay with you and work for you. I slow, but I not dumb",
Noni pleaded.
But the old woman refused. She told Noni, "It is better for you
to get away from here and find work on a farm." She gave Noni an
old cotton skirt, a blouse and a sweater and told her to change her
clothes. She explained that she would be recognized as a run away from
the hospital if she wore the institution dress.
Noni did as she was told, but the clothes were too large for Noni's
small frame. The woman trimmed the skirt with a pair of scissors and
tied a rope around Noni's waist.
"Now, no one will know you come from the hospital," the woman
said patting Noni on her shoulder. Handing her a bag with fruit and
bread, the woman told her. "Go back to the road and you will soon
come to a farm. Farmers always need good workers. Tell them you will
work for food and a place to sleep. You will be safe on a farm",
she said.
Noni walked for a long time and did not see any farms. Feeling uneasy
again, she sat down to rest next to a stream, washed her hands and face
in the cool water, and ate some of the fruit and the bread. Then she
began walking again and saw a farmhouse in the distance. A farmer was
working in the field and remembering the old woman's advice she went
to speak to him.
Taking a deep breath, Noni spoke to the farmer, "I look for work.
I good worker. I work for food and a place to sleep."
The farmer was surprised to see the small girl and he spoke softly.
"Where do you come from?" he asked.
Noni did not know what to say, but she looked up at him and repeated,
"I live not far from here".
"You are not running away from home, are you?" the man asked
her.
Noni did not expect to answer questions and she looked down on the ground.
Then she raised her head and said, "My grandmother got sick and
she die. I have no home now." Noni repeated.
"Who is your grandmother?"
"Her name Noni just like me" she answered. "Please. I
do good work."
"I don't know any woman called Noni", the farmer replied not
knowing what to make of the small girl.
"Come with me", the farmer said, I will take you to my wife
and see of she has work for you".
Noni followed the farmer to the farmhouse. The farmer's wife was working
in the kitchen. The farmer asked his wife to give Noni some work. Noni
spoke with confidence, " I good worker. I work for you. I work
only for food and place to sleep."
The farmer's wife nodded and told Noni she could use some help on the
farm and asked Noni if she was willing to scrub the kitchen floor and
sweep and dust. Noni nodded her head vigorously. The woman gave her
a pail of soapy water and a scrub brush. Noni scrubbed the kitchen floor
as hard as she could, then she washed dishes and dried them. She did
everything the woman asked. It was late in the afternoon when the woman
gave Noni some food and a blanket to take with her to the shed.
Noni was very tired, but she ate every drop of the food and wrapped
herself in the blanket and fell into a sound sleep. In the morning,
she went back to the house.
The farmer and his wife were eating breakfast and the wife gave Noni
a sausage and eggs. Noni licked her lips. She had not eaten so well
in a long time. When she was cleaning the breakfast dishes, a neighbor
woman came by. She looked at Noni a long time and did not say anything
to her. Then Noni heard the woman tell the farmer's wife. "You
should call the police. That girl looks like she is running away from
someplace."
The farmer's wife asked her if she had run away from home and Noni did
not answer her. "Tell me the truth", the woman insisted. "Where
are you from?"
"My grandmother die and I have no home" Noni said in a small
voice.
"Then you should be in an orphan home", the woman said. "I
can take you to the church. They will find a home for you. "
Noni was afraid that the church would find out she ran away from the
hospital and would bring her back to the hospital and she began to sob.
" I not tell you true. I run away from hospital. I not go on bus.
I not be killed," she cried out.
The neighbor said, "I told you she was a run away. You will have
to report her. Then the woman left.
The farmer's wife called her husband and told him. The farmer did not
want trouble, they were afraid the neighbor woman would report them
to the police. The farmer's wife gave Noni a package of food and a purse
with a few coins in it and told her she had to leave.
"You can find work on another farm" the farmer's wife told
her and showed her which way to walk.
Noni took the parcel and the purse and walked for a long time. When
she came to the next farm, she knocked on the door. A few children were
in the house and they laughed when they saw her. She felt too frightened
to stay and went back to the road. Her back began to ache and she sat
down beside a small pond to rest. It was already late afternoon and
Noni watched tiny ducks swimming in a straight line behind their mother
in the pond. One duck was swimming alone. "I like that duck, I
all alone" she thought, munching on the sandwich the woman had
given
her. She did not know what to do.
She wrapped the old sweater around her and lay down beside the pond.
Then she thought Sister Kati would be proud of her. She did not get
on the bus and she was free. She had come a long way from the hospital
and she even got some work. A feeling of calm washed over her. She would
rest now and then begin to search for another farm. Somewhere, she would
find a new home, she thought as she fell asleep.
[Return to Table of Contents]
Annaliese
There
was chaos; everyone was running in all directions in the forest. Annaliese
held the hand of a young boy and they ran together behind a tree. The
soldiers were firing their rifles in all directions. There was screaming
and crying. The shooters were relentless and bodies were scattered everywhere.
Annaliese and the young boy were murdered with the twenty-five other
young people who lived in St. Joseph's Home in Silesia. The Nazi officials
calmly boarded the bus that was meant for the young residents. The priest
buried his head in his hands and the nuns wept.
St.
Joseph's was a small school for children and young people with mental
and physical disabilities. Like other small religious schools in remote
parts of Germany, St. Joseph's school was a haven for children with
disabilities during the war but as defeat came close, the Nazis intensified
their killing of children and adults with disabilities as well as prisoners
in concentration and death camps. The children and young people of St.
Joseph's were killed in March 1945.
Annaliese
never knew her parents. She was placed in a state orphan home for girls
when she was a baby. Alone and abandoned, there was no one to whom she
felt close. The teachers at the school and supervisors in the Home did
not pay very much attention to the quiet little girl who worked hard
at school and never caused trouble. When Annaliese was 14 years old,
the war began and the orphanage became very crowded. There was a shortage
of food and clothing and more and more troubled girls were sent to the
Home. It was chaotic, noisy and dirty and Annaliese became increasingly
uncomfortable and retreated into herself. She missed the girls who had
been sent away and felt uncomfortable with the new director, who gave
the girls cleaning chores to do. After school, Annaliese and the others
barely had time for their school work. They had to wash the dishes and
clean the rooms of the smaller girls. The only relief was attending
church on Sundays, but the new director preferred the girls to attend
meetings and march in the streets chanting Nazi slogans, rather than
go to the church. Annaliese felt lonelier then ever and did not enjoy
the outings with the German Maidens. She did not like the girls who
were the leaders, they were bossy and picked on the smaller or weaker
girls.
Modest
and shy, Annaliese was not even aware of how pretty she was. She kept
her long blonde hair in braids and when she looked in the mirror, she
saw only sadness in her blue eyes. When the director told her she was
being moved to a home in the country, Annaliese was surprised. She looked
forward to leaving the noisy, crowded home. She had never been out of
the city, but she knew the countryside was quiet and peaceful. The Director
did not tell her anything about the home except that it was a special
place for German Maidens.
One
week later, after her sixteenth birthday, Annaliese found herself on
a train
with
one other girl from the Home. Seated next to a window, she could not
take her eyes away from the sight of rolling hills, forests and farms
as the train sped along the tracks. She thought about her life and hoped
that life in the country would be peaceful and that she would make friends
in the new home. An older girl accompanied her and she was happy too.
She told Annaliese that they were going to be treated very well because
they were specially chosen by the German Maidens. No one told her that
the girls in the new home were expected to make babies for Hitler.
The
house was an old mansion with rugs on the floor and lovely dark furniture.
Annaliese was given her own room with a comfortable bed and curtains
on the windows. The girls in the home came from all over Germany and
at first they seemed very friendly. The girls were given new and pretty
dresses and the food in the home was delicious. Annaliese never tasted
so many different kinds of foods before. In the new peaceful surroundings,
Annaliese began to relax her guard and took long walks around the grounds.
She loved the big gardens with their rosebushes. But she could not help
wondering why there were no supervisors in the home, there were maids
who did the cleaning and laundry and one older woman, who did not bother
to call the girls by name. She referred to them as "Maidens".
Annaliese offered to help with the chores in return for living there.
But the woman just shrugged and laughed. "You'll have plenty to
do when the soldiers arrive. Don't you know you are here to give our
soldiers a good time?
Annaliese
did not understand what she meant and asked another girl what they were
expected to do. One of the other girls laughed at her and told her they
would be making beautiful babies for Hitler. Annaliese was stunned,
she had heard of girls getting pregnant before they were married but
she did not want that to happen to her. She hoped to finish school and
become a nurse before she married. After all she was only sixteen years
old.
The
other girl saw her fright and told her, "Don't worry", the
other girl said. "We're going to have fun and have dances and parties.
The soldiers are really handsome fellows".
"Not
me" Annaliese said, "I'm much too young to get married. I
want to be a nurse".
"Oh
they won't marry us. They just want us to have babies for the Fatherland.
It's a great privilege to make perfect babies for the Fatherland. Don't
you it's your duty to make beautiful babies for Hitler" the other
girl said sharply.
Annaliese
suddenly felt frightened, but then she thought no one would force her
to do something she did not want to do.
That
night there was a party, but Annaliese pretended to be sick and did
not go.
She
refused the next night after as well. The woman in charge of the house
scolded her and threatened to send her back to the orphanage. Annaliese
asked to go back and the woman promised to try to arrange it.
There
were parties nearly every night and Annaliese discovered how hopeless
her situation was. One night a soldier forced his way into her room
and roughly pulled off her clothes and made her lie down with him. He
was rough and cruel and caused her a great deal of pain. He got up off
the bed and laughed at her as he got dressed and left the room. Annaliese
lay in her bed in terror. She felt violated and ashamed, she had nothing,
not even her body belonged to her, she thought. Suddenly she knew that
the only one who could help her was herself and she planned her escape.
She
did not sleep that night and with the first light of dawn, she left
the mansion. Outside the first rays of light were streaking the sky
and Annaliese walked quickly. She stood at the edge of the forest wondering
in which direction to go and then she entered the forest. Forcing herself
to be calm, she stepped carefully around the bushes and trees. She rested
against a tall tree and imagined that the trees were protecting her.
The thought comforted her and she continued walking. The sun was shining
brightly when she reached the end of the forest and saw noticed that
she was close to the edge of the forest. She saw a small church on the
other side of the road and she ran towards it.
Sister
Mary was coming out of the church when she saw a disheveled girl running
towards the church. As soon as Annaliese saw the nun, she began sobbing.
The sister put her hand on Annaliese arm and pulled her inside the church
and calmly spoke to her. She asked her if she was running away. Annaliese
nodded and then decided to tell the Sister everything. She told her
about the mansion where the girls were ordered to make babies for the
Fatherland. Annaliese told her about the soldier and how he had hurt
her. Sister Mary listened quietly and then took Annaliese's hand. "You
are safe now", she said. "There is no need to be afraid."
Sister
Mary brought her to the priest who told her that the church was also
the home of 26 children and young people who were disabled. He asked
her if she were willing to work and help take care of the boys and girls
who lived there. Most of the children and young people were independent,
but they required some help to do their chores and their school work.
Annaliese nodded her head, she was so nervous she could barely hear
what the priest was saying. But his voice was gentle and calming and
she saw the kindness in his eyes.
"I'll
do whatever you like, but please let me stay," she said.
The
priest nodded and told her she would be expected to help with the cleaning
and cooking chores.
Annaliese
did not hesitate and promised to do whatever they asked of her.
Sister
Mary took Annaliese to the dining room where the residents were eating
breakfast. The residents were seated around a long table. There was
no fighting or loud talk, but there were smiles and quiet laughter.
Sister Mary walked her around the table and introduced Annaliese. One
by one they stood up and greeted her politely. The sister introduced
each resident by name. Annaliese barely noticed the slight physical
disabilities or deformities of some of the residents. Their friendliness
was what important to her. One of the boys invited her to sit with them
and have breakfast. They brought her a plate filled with eggs and fresh
bread. He told her to eat as much as she wanted. For the first time
in a long time, Annaliese felt safe.
After
breakfast, Sister Mary showed Annaliese the small room where she would
live and brought her some clothing. After she washed her face and changed
her clothes. Sister Mary took her around the grounds and explained that
most of the boys worked on the small farm in back of the church and
the girls worked inside the Home. There was a sewing room and a school
room for the younger residents. It was calm, friendly and peaceful at
St. Joseph's and in a short time. Annaliese settled into the routine
of the home. She worked in the kitchen helping with cooking and cleaning
chores and assisted the younger children with their school work. The
residents appreciated the help she gave and they were always polite
and respectful. Annaliese felt as if she had found a real family and
she joined in all of the activities of the home. She always there to
help a child solve a problem and they began looking for her whenever
they needed help. And when one of the residents was ill, Annaliese sat
by their bedsides and read or talked to them. She took the boys and
girls on picnics and outings and earned their love and trust. The priest
and the two Sisters who worked at the Home told Annaliese that she was
making life easier for everyone. Annaliese felt that she belonged and
had a great respect for these young people who accepted and encouraged
one another. There was no teasing or bullying and everyone cooperated.
One
afternoon, black smoke surrounded the barn. One of the older boys was
the first to see the smoke coming out of the barn and he called to the
others. Annaliese watched in quiet admiration as the boys filled buckets
with water and quietly put out the fire. Even the priest and the Sisters
were surprised that the residents knew exactly what to do. No one panicked
or refused to help. Afterwards they even helped to repair the part of
the barn that was damaged. Annaliese thought that the young people at
the Home were a lot smarter than the girls who were making babies for
Hitler.
Annaliese
had been at the Home for two years and her life was good. Germany was
losing the war and Sister Mary confided to Annaliese that she was glad.
"Life was good before the Nazis and will be good again", she
told her. But then groups of soldiers and many Nazi officials came to
the village that was near the Russian front. They wanted to escape the
approaching Russian army
Until
the end of the war, children and young people with disabilities were
safest
in
homes run by religious orders in rural parts of Germany. In other places
Nazi doctors were killing them. The killings continued even though Germany
was losing the war and the killing operations were being extended to
rural homes like St. Joseph's.
It
was just a few months before the end of the war, when the public health
doctor came to see the priest and told him that his residents were to
be put to death. The doctor told the priest that the residents were
a burden on the government and that as a good citizen he was obliged
to cooperate. The doctor planned to inject everyone with poison.
The
priest knew that children and adults who lived in the big institutions
and hospitals were murdered, but he never thought that would happen
at St. Joseph's. As soon as the doctor left the priest went to the town
hall to beg the Mayor to intervene, but the Mayor refused to help. When
no one offered to help, the priest and the nuns and Annualize tried
to make a plan to keep the residents out of the Home when the public
health doctor paid a visit.
Annualize
took the residents for long walks in the forest and stayed there until
nightfall. It was an abrupt change in routine and older children sensed
the fear. They stayed close to one another and to Annualize tried to
be cheerful as she led them through the thickest parts of the forest.
The
Russian troops were getting closer and the Nazi officials knew they
would be taken prisoners. They too planned to escape, but that did not
keep the public health doctor from planning the murder of the residents.
The doctor did not disguise his anger with the priest, who secretly
arranged for a bus to come and take the residents to another church
far away in another village. Finally the bus arrived on a Saturday night
and was parked in front of the church. Early the next morning, the residents
went to the church and the plan was to board the bus after the Mass.
But as soon as they emerged from the church, Annaliese saw the soldiers
coming and shouted for everyone to run into the woods. One of the younger
boys tripped and fell and Annaliese stopped to help him and together
they ran into the woods.
The
Russian troops were expected to be coming soon and the Nazi officials
were eager to escape before the Russians came. The soldiers were yelling
and shooting and there were dead bodies everywhere. Annaliese held the
shaking boy in her arms and tried to calm him. She took him behind a
tall tree, but a soldier saw them and fired his rifle. Annaliese and
the boy were killed.
The
priest and the Sisters stood in front of the church in silent horror
and watched helplessly as the Nazi officials climbed aboard the bus
to escape from the Russian army.
[Return to Table of Contents]
The
Helmuth Huebener Group
Helmuth
Huebener and his friends, Karl Heinz Schnibbe, Rudolf Wobbe and Gerhardt
Duewer, were known as the Huebener group. They defied the Nazi regime
by distributing leaflets to expose the lies and deceit of Nazi propaganda.
This was viewed as a crime by Nazi authorities and was severely punished.
Helmuth Huebener was seventeen years old when he was sentenced to death.
Karl, Rudolf and Gerhardt were imprisoned and sent to forced labor camps
in Russian and Poland.
From
1941 to 1943 they distributed their leaflets to working class sections
of Hamburg, a busy industrial city, situated in northern Germany on
the Elbe and Alster Rivers. Hamburg was Germany's second largest city
and its biggest port.
Sons
of working class families, Helmuth and Gerhardt were administrative
apprentices in social administration. Karl-Heinz was apprenticed to
a house painter and Rudi (Rudolf), the youngest member of the group,
was a mechanic's apprentice. Full of youthful idealism and exuberance,
the Huebener group may not have been fully aware of where their activities
would take them.
"Come
and visit me. I have something to show you", Helmuth told Karl
at a meeting of young people at St. Georg's. Karl had no idea of what
he would find when he arrived at the apartment later that night. It
was dark and quiet in the apartment; Helmuth's grandparents were already
asleep. Helmuth showed Karl a small radio. "The radio has short
wave and we can listen to foreign broadcasts."
"Man
are you nuts?" Karl said. "Don't you know that's illegal?"
He was feeling nervous, knowing that listening to foreign broadcasts
was strictly forbidden and severely punished.
"Hitler
is making a lot of good things illegal. But we are not sheep, we don't
have to obey all the crazy laws." Helmuth said, turning on the
radio.
A
feeble light illuminated the numbers on the short wave dial and they
listened to the German language broadcast from the Britain. The broadcast
contradicted all the boasts of German victories they were hearing every
day.
"Do
you realize that we are being told lies. They tell us that hundreds
of Russian soldiers are being killed, but they don't mention how many
German soldiers are also losing their lives".
"Think
about it, Germany has no raw materials and is dependent on other countries.
When the Allies will start to win, Germany will have nothing. Hitler
is leading us to destruction. Don't you think people have the right
to hear the truth".
The
British had already begun to bomb Hamburg. After the broadcast, Helmuth
showed Karl a leaflet he had written.
"I
know you'll want to help me distribute these", he said handing
the leaflet to Karl. Karl picked up the red paper and felt it burn his
hand, He could not believe what he was reading.
Who
is Lying ??????????????????
The official report of the German
High Command of the Armed Forces
Quite a while
ago they claimed
The roads to Moscow, Kiev
and Leningrad were opened
And today-six weeks after
Germany's invasion of the USSR,
Severe battles are still occurring
Far from these places.
This
is how they are lying to us!
"This
is crazy", Karl said. "Don't you know how dangerous this is?"
"It's
only dangerous if we are not careful and we will be careful. People
need to be told the truth".
"But
how is this going to help anybody?" Karl asked.
"What
we can do is warn people and wake them up. When enough people hear the
truth, who knows what can happen".
Karl
was reluctant but he agreed to take seven leaflets. The streets were
very dark because of the blackout. Britain had begun their bombing raids
on Hamburg. Karl felt sick to his stomach with fear, and looked around
him. When he was sure there was no one to see, he placed a leaflet in
the telephone box at the entranceway of an apartment house. When he
had gotten rid of all the leaflets, he let out a sigh of relief and
dashed home as fast as he could.
Two
policemen were on the street where Karl lived. Passing them he mumbled
"Heil Hitler" and wished them a good evening.
"Where
are you going so late?" one of the policeman asked.
"Oh,
I was just visiting a friend", Karl answered in as strong a voice
as he could muster.
"Well,
good night then. Let's hope there will be no more air raids."
Opening
the door to his apartment, he felt a wave of relief. He did not want
to distribute any more leaflets. If Helmuth asked him at that moment
to distribute more leaflets, he would turn him down. But the next morning
he felt differently and told himself that he would be willing to do
it now and again. If he were careful, nothing could go wrong. HE did
not tell his mother what he had done.
Karl
was to learn later that Rudi was involved. He did not know about Gerhardt
until later. Helmuth tried to protect his friends by not telling them
everything. At that time Karl did not know that Helmuth had already
written and distributed short leaflets.
The
President of the church knew about Helmuth's good stenographic and typing
skills and asked him to type letters to soldiers on the front lines.
He gave Helmuth a typewriter and access to paper. Helmuth typed his
first leaflet on red paper so it would be noticed and made ten copies.
| |
Down
with Hitler.
People's Seducer
People's
Corrupter
People's
Traitor
Down with Hitler. |
He
put them in the telephone boxes of apartment buildings with the notice,
"This is a chain letter, so pass it on." The first leaflets
were very short and contained brief messages, but listening to the radio
broadcasts gave him the idea of writing news reports. With carbon paper
he typed seven or eight copies at a time. Realizing that if the information
campaign was to be successful, he would need the help of his friends.
Helmuth,
Karl and Rudi saw one another often at the church. Karl and Rudi looked
up to Helmuth who often had answers to difficult questions. They knew
he read a lot of books and knew a great deal about religion as well as
history. Karl began to call Helmuth the "professor" because
he seemed to know so much. On his part, Helmut trusted Karl and Rudi.
They met regularly in the church and often went to a small restaurant
afterwards. That is where they told one another about their experiences
with the Nazi Youth.
The
three boys were forced to join the Hitler Youth against their will. Strong
individualists, they shared an intense dislike of Nazi Youth activities,
the pressures to conform, the persecution of Jewish people, and the ugliness
and sheer brutality of what they saw around them. Helmuth, Karl and Rudi
came from religious families and much of what they saw around them contradicted
their beliefs. Hamburg was a working class city with a strong tradition
of Social Democracy and many Mormons were Social Democrats who had opposed
Hitler. Helmuth thought that the Mormons who supported Hitler were mislead
and misinformed like the President of St. Georg's who was a member of
the Nazi party. Helmuth still had respect for the President and knew he
was a good and caring man. He could not understand what made him have
so much faith in Hitler.
Living
in Hamburg, where there was still a strong belief in democracy, Helmuth,
Karl and Rudi were skeptical and aware of the cruelties imposed by Hitler.
Hamburg never went completely over to the Nazis like other German cities;
the city had too many Social Democrats. Hamburg was a sprawling city with
many bridges that cross the rivers and canals. Nazi patrols were everywhere.
Whenever a flag patrol came along, everyone was expected to stop and raise
his or her hands in salute. Helmuth avoided the patrols and when he saw
them coming, he would turn and walk the other way. From the corner of
his eye, he could see that there were other people managed to avoid saluting
too.
As teen
aged boys, Helmuth, Karl and Rudi lived with their families. Helmuth's
mother worked as a nurse and when she married for the second time, Helmuth
moved in with his grandparents. He was not happy with his new stepfather
who was avid Nazi. Rudi lived with his widowed mother, who had strong
religious beliefs and encouraged Rudi to be respectful of other people.
Their family doctor was Jewish and she refused to find another doctor,
even after people were warned not to go to Jewish physicians. Karl's parents
were social democrats.
One
evening when Helmuth, Karl and Rudi were walking home from church they
defiantly began to sing American songs. They heard the loud voice of a
Nazi Youth Patrol ordering them to stop.
"How
dare you sing English songs?" the Nazi Youth demanded to see their
identification papers and warned them never to sing English songs again.
Helmuth
remarked, "Have you noticed that that our country is being run by
threats and brutal force".
"Everywhere
you go you see signs that say "Forbidden", Forbidden on pain
of death" "Not permitted" "What kind of country is
this, anyway?" Karl added.
"This
|