Wilhelm Hübner(1928-2010)
Wilhelm Hübner was born in Kerzdorf near the town of Lauban. He had two brothers. At ten years age he joined the "Jungvolk" which was part of the Nazi organization 'Hitler Youth'. When the Red Army approached the area prior to its Upper Silesian Offensive in March 1945, Hübner got himself a uniform and joined the armed forces as "Melder" (runner).
After the German Wehrmacht pushed back the Red Army forces and recaptured Lauban in early March 1945, Hübner was awarded the iron cross 2nd class on March 9th 1945. News reel footage of the The German Weekly Review (1940) showed him being congratulated by Joseph Goebbels, who tried to exploit this small victory on the Eastern Front for propaganda purposes. Reichsjugendführer Artur Axmann invited him to Berlin, along with other Hitler Youth soldiers who had been given awards. On March 19th 1945 this group of 20 children was greeted by Adolf Hitler near the Reichskanzlei. In the last official news reel footage of Adolf Hitler he can be seen shaking Hübners hand and stroking his cheek. Many years later, in the documentary film Zwei Deutsche (1988), he remembered this iconic scene as the proudest moment of his young life.
After the end of the war, he and his brother had to leave their hometown and moved to Borna near Leipzig, Eastern Germany. While being placed under legal guardianship, he completed his training as a metalworker. Later he applied to join the 'Deutsche Volkspolizei' (law enforcement agency of the GDR), though left shortly after, being unsatisfied with the drill in the barracks. In 1949 he moved to Bavaria, Germany to find work and rejoined his parents. At the time of the documentary (1988) he worked as an engine fitter, was married, and a collector of militaria.
After the German Wehrmacht pushed back the Red Army forces and recaptured Lauban in early March 1945, Hübner was awarded the iron cross 2nd class on March 9th 1945. News reel footage of the The German Weekly Review (1940) showed him being congratulated by Joseph Goebbels, who tried to exploit this small victory on the Eastern Front for propaganda purposes. Reichsjugendführer Artur Axmann invited him to Berlin, along with other Hitler Youth soldiers who had been given awards. On March 19th 1945 this group of 20 children was greeted by Adolf Hitler near the Reichskanzlei. In the last official news reel footage of Adolf Hitler he can be seen shaking Hübners hand and stroking his cheek. Many years later, in the documentary film Zwei Deutsche (1988), he remembered this iconic scene as the proudest moment of his young life.
After the end of the war, he and his brother had to leave their hometown and moved to Borna near Leipzig, Eastern Germany. While being placed under legal guardianship, he completed his training as a metalworker. Later he applied to join the 'Deutsche Volkspolizei' (law enforcement agency of the GDR), though left shortly after, being unsatisfied with the drill in the barracks. In 1949 he moved to Bavaria, Germany to find work and rejoined his parents. At the time of the documentary (1988) he worked as an engine fitter, was married, and a collector of militaria.