Figure 1.--This is a fascinating account told through the eyes of a little growing up in the Third Reich and then coming terms as an adolescent with what had happened. Irmgard's account is especially interested because she lived in Berchtesgaden. |
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This is a fascinating account told through the eyes of a little growing up in the Third Reich and then coming terms as an adolescent with what had happened. Irmgard's account is especially interested because she lived in
Berchtesgaden. Her father taught her to do the Hitler salute as a todler. And it was at Berchtesgaden that she was photographed sitting on Hitler's lap. Her parents admired Hitler, her grandfather hated him. Perhaps the most harrowing moment in the book is when her teacher tries to get information on her grandfather's anti-Hitler views. After the War she came to America where she lived most of her adult life. Her account is an important addition to the literature of the Germans and the Third Reich.
Irmgard's account is especially interested because she lived in
Berchtesgaden. This was the small Bavarian village located at the base of the montain where Hitler's retreat was built. It was here that Prime Minister Chamberlain negotiated the Munich Accords with Hitler. It is one of the most nbeautiful places in the world. The counstruction of Hitler's retreat was soon followed by other homes built for other NAZI big-wigs. The construction brought thousands of jobs for the local people, but meant that the mountain was off limits for Irmgard and the other locals when she was growing up.
Irmgard's grandfather was a committed Social Democrat. He had fought in the trenches during World War I and had a horror of war. Like many older people, he saw that Hitler's promises would likely bring another war. He was devestated when his two aprentices were killed on the Eatern Front.
Her parents were from a younger generation. Her mother was born in 1908. They were impatient for a better life and like many Germans came to support Hitler and his dream for the future. Her father taught her to do the Hitler salute as a todler. Her father was killed in France (1941). He had no desire to be a soldier and fancied himself an artist. After the War his mother complained of all the sacrifice that was for nothing. You never really understand if her mother was complining about what the NAZIs did or that her life was tramautized and the suffering that ensued because the NAZIs lost the War. I'm not sure that Irmgard knows the answering to this question.
Irmgard's aunt sided with Grandfather about Hitler. Her aunt and mother were sisters and very close, but differed on this. Her mother warned her sister, "You are now in the wrong camp". But in the end they avoided discussions of politics to preserve their friendship. Her mother dropped her NAZI ideas and became a committed democrat after the War. Irmgard notes the strength of anti-Semitism and the NAZI propaganda effort. She recalls after the War her aunt tlling her that some of the Jewish people behaved very badly after the War. As there were almost no Jews in Berchtesgaden, this opinion must have come from NAZI propagand.
And it was at Berchtesgaden that she was photographed sitting on Hitler's lap. I think she was about 3 years old. Hitler of course at this stahe loved to be photographedwith children as a symbol of his devotion and love for the German people. She recalls being very uncomfortable and constantly glancing at her parents to be sure they were there. She also recalls being fascinated with his mustache and intrigued with his very sharp hair part.
Irmgard has very vivid memories of what happened after her father's death. At the time, German casualties in the War had been relatively limited. Her father had been one of the first parents killed in her school. She had to stand before her class and tell her classmates that she was grateful that he had died for the Fatherland. She was only about 7 years old at the time, but she recalls that she was not at all gratefull and missed her father. Later as a teenager she recalls being even more bitter, realizung that he had died fighting for a criminal dictatorship.
Irmgard recalls asking her Grandfather for his old newspapers as part of a paper drive. He told her that he was not about to give his magazines for that scoundrel Hitler. She remembers being very angry with him. She could not understand why he would not want to support all the brave soldiers fighting for the Fatherland. he herself was beginning to become devoted to the Führer. She relates that she eventually came to see herself as a child of the Führer more than her parents. She believes that iwas primarily because of the behavior of most of the adults around her and then the school program.
Irmgard parents admired Hitler, her grandfather hated him. Perhaps the most harrowing moment in the book is when her teacher tries to get information on her grandfather's anti-Hitler views. Her teacher was Fraülin Hoffman. On one occassion, Fraülein Hoffman invited Irmgard for a treat of hot chocolate. At this stage of the War, chocolate was a very special treat. (The Allied naval blockade made imported items like chocolate almost impossible to obtain.) The teacher used the occassion to try to obtain information on Irmgard grandfather. Fraülein Hoffman asked what her Grandfather said about Hitler. Irmgard did not know what to say. This was just after the newspaper incident and she was still very angry with her grandfather. Irmgard was about 9 years old and not fully aware of the repercussions of what me might say--but bright enough to be wary. In the end she decided that she liked her Grandfather more than this nosy teacher. She told her that her Grandfather rarely talked about Hitler. This was a lie. He often talkked about him in the most negative way. In fact, the windows of the house would be quickly closed when Grandfather got really going. The teacher insisted that Irmgard tell her. She came very close to telling her. Then Fraülein Hoffman relented with the comment that they woud talk later and the instructions tha she should pay more attention. She never told her Grandfather about this.
German women would wear black dresses for mourning, generally for a year after their husband's died. I'm not sure about mother's. At first they would also wear black veils, but this became less common as battlefield deaths increased. Irmgard remembers how many women were dressed in black.
Like all 10 year olds she had to join the Hitler Jugend movement. For the girls it was the BD. This happened so late in the War, however, that it had little impact.
After the War she learned that her teacher Fraülein Hoffman attempted to recruit her for the Adolf Hitler Schools. The were the spartan boarding schools established to educate the next generation of NAZI Party leaders. Irmgard was apparently chosen because of her fair complexion and the fact that she was a bright little girl. Her teacher never mentioned it to her, but she found an account in her mother's diary. Fraülein Hoffman went to her mother. It was quite late in the War, sometime in 1944. Her mother did not know how to react. It was a honor. Eventually she told Fraülein Hoffman that she could bor bear to part with Irmgard.
As a child Irmgard knew nothing about the Holocaust. There had been only three Jewish families in Berchtesgaden. She had heard vague rumors, but knew nothing. The relevations as to what the NAZIs had done were a shock. She recalls listening to the radio briadcasts of the Nurrenberg trials of the war criminals. This was not only a difficult time because of the economic conditions, but she struggled with a realization of what her country had done. She found sollace in religion anf joined a Protestant youth group. She concluded that she did not want to be a citizen of any one country, but wanted to be a global citizen.
After the War she came to America where she lived most of her adult life.
Hunt, Irmgard. On Hitler's Mountain: Overcoming the Legacy of a NAZI Childhood. The book is being translated into German. The author is unsure what the reaction will be.
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