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| Helmuth Hübener belonged to the ], although he was not always comfortable with its drilling, nor with '']''. When the church congregation to which he belonged undertook to bar ]s from its religious services, Hübener found himself repelled by the new policy. | Helmuth Hübener belonged to the ], although he was not always comfortable with its drilling, nor with '']''. When the church congregation to which he belonged undertook to bar ]s from its religious services, Hübener found himself repelled by the new policy. | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| After Hübener finished middle school in ], he began an apprenticeship in administration at the Hamburg social agency. He met other apprentices there, some of them with a ] family background, and they got him listening to enemy radio broadcasts, which was strictly forbidden in ], being considered a form of ]. In the summer of that same year, Hübener began listening to the ] by himself, and used what he had heard to compose various anti-fascist texts and anti-war leaflets, of which he also made many copies. In the autumn of 1941, he managed to involve two of his friends, Karl-Heinz Schnibbe and Rudolf Wobbe, who were later also co-workers, in his unlawful listening, and also in the distribution of about 60 different pamphlets, all containing material from the ] broadcasts, and all consisting of typewritten copies. | After Hübener finished middle school in ], he began an apprenticeship in administration at the Hamburg social agency. He met other apprentices there, some of them with a ] family background, and they got him listening to enemy radio broadcasts, which was strictly forbidden in ], being considered a form of ]. In the summer of that same year, Hübener began listening to the ] by himself, and used what he had heard to compose various anti-fascist texts and anti-war leaflets, of which he also made many copies. The leaflets were designed to bring to people's attention how skewed the official reports about the war from Berlin were, and also to point out ]'s, Joseph Goebbels's, and other leading Nazis' criminal behaviour. Other themes covered by Hübener's writings were the war's futility, and Germany's looming defeat. | ||
| In the autumn of 1941, he managed to involve two of his friends, Karl-Heinz Schnibbe and Rudolf Wobbe, who were later also co-workers, in his unlawful listening, and also in the distribution of about 60 different pamphlets, all containing material from the ] broadcasts, and all consisting of typewritten copies. They distributed them all over Hamburg. | |||
| ⚫ | ] |
||
| In early February ], Helmuth Hübener was arrested by the ] at his workplace at the ''Hamburger Bieberhaus''. While trying to translate the pamphlets into French, and trying to have them distributed among ], he had been noticed by a Party member, who had denounced him. | In early February ], Helmuth Hübener was arrested by the ] at his workplace at the ''Hamburger Bieberhaus''. While trying to translate the pamphlets into French, and trying to have them distributed among ], he had been noticed by a Party member, who had denounced him. | ||
| On ] 1942, Hübener's case was tried at the '']'' in Berlin, and on 27 October, at the age of 17, he was beheaded at ] Prison in Berlin. His two friends, Schnibbe and Wobbe, who had also been arrested, were given lengthy prison sentences. | On ] 1942, Hübener's case was tried at the '']'' in Berlin, and on 27 October, at the age of 17, he was beheaded at ] Prison in Berlin. His two friends, Schnibbe and Wobbe, who had also been arrested, were given lengthy prison sentences. | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| As it says in the proclamation (at right), Hübener was found guilty of conspiracy to commit high treason and treasonous furthering of the enemy. He was sentenced not only to death, but also to permanent loss of his ]. | As it says in the proclamation (at right), Hübener was found guilty of conspiracy to commit high treason and treasonous furthering of the enemy. He was sentenced not only to death, but also to permanent loss of his ]. | ||
| It was highly unusual, even for the Nazis, to try an underaged defendant, much less sentence him to death, but the court stated that Hübener had shown more than average intelligence for a boy his age. This, along with his general and political knowledge, and his behaviour before the court, made Hübener, in the court's eyes, a boy with a far more developed mind than was usually to be found in someone of his age. For this reason, the court stated, Hübener was to be punished as an adult. | It was highly unusual, even for the Nazis, to try an underaged defendant, much less sentence him to death, but the court stated that Hübener had shown more than average intelligence for a boy his age. This, along with his general and political knowledge, and his behaviour before the court, made Hübener, in the court's eyes, a boy with a far more developed mind than was usually to be found in someone of his age. For this reason, the court stated, Hübener was to be punished as an adult. | ||
| It was not at all surprising that Hübener's lawyers and his mother appealed for clemency in his case, hoping to have his sentence commuted to life imprisonment, but truly astonishing was that the Berlin Gestapo also did. In their eyes, the fact that Hübener had confessed fully and shown himself to be still morally uncorrupted were points in Hübener's favour. The Reich Youth Leadership (''Reichsjugendführung'') would have none of it. They said that the danger posed by Hübener's activities to the German people's war effort made the death penalty necessary. On ] 1942, the Nazi Ministry of Justice upheld the ''Volksgerichtshof's'' verdict. Hübener was only told of the Ministry's decision at 1:05 p.m. on the scheduled day of execution and beheaded at 8:13 p.m. | |||
| A youth centre and a pathway in Hamburg are nowadays named for Helmuth Hübener. The latter runs between Greifswalder Straße and Kirchenweg in Sankt Georg. | A youth centre and a pathway in Hamburg are nowadays named for Helmuth Hübener. The latter runs between Greifswalder Straße and Kirchenweg in Sankt Georg. | ||
| ==Sources== | |||
| The linked German Misplaced Pages article | |||
| [http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/eras/edition_2/geerling.htm Protecting the National Community From Juvenile Delinquency: Nazification of Juvenile Criminal Law in the Third Reich, by Wayne Geerling (Melbourne University) | |||
| Gedenkstätte Plötzensee (Brigitte Oleschinski, published by the ''Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand'', and also listed in the German article). | |||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 22:05, 29 April 2005
Helmuth Hübener (8 January 1925 in Hamburg – 27 October 1942 in Berlin) was the youngest opponent of the Third Reich to be sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof and executed.
Helmuth Hübener came from an unpolitical family. Like his mother and grandparents, he belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons). His adoptive father gave him the name Hübener.
Helmuth Hübener belonged to the Hitler Youth, although he was not always comfortable with its drilling, nor with Kristallnacht. When the church congregation to which he belonged undertook to bar Jews from its religious services, Hübener found himself repelled by the new policy.
After Hübener finished middle school in 1941, he began an apprenticeship in administration at the Hamburg social agency. He met other apprentices there, some of them with a communist family background, and they got him listening to enemy radio broadcasts, which was strictly forbidden in Nazi Germany, being considered a form of treason. In the summer of that same year, Hübener began listening to the BBC by himself, and used what he had heard to compose various anti-fascist texts and anti-war leaflets, of which he also made many copies. The leaflets were designed to bring to people's attention how skewed the official reports about the war from Berlin were, and also to point out Adolf Hitler's, Joseph Goebbels's, and other leading Nazis' criminal behaviour. Other themes covered by Hübener's writings were the war's futility, and Germany's looming defeat.
In the autumn of 1941, he managed to involve two of his friends, Karl-Heinz Schnibbe and Rudolf Wobbe, who were later also co-workers, in his unlawful listening, and also in the distribution of about 60 different pamphlets, all containing material from the British broadcasts, and all consisting of typewritten copies. They distributed them all over Hamburg.
In early February 1942, Helmuth Hübener was arrested by the Gestapo at his workplace at the Hamburger Bieberhaus. While trying to translate the pamphlets into French, and trying to have them distributed among prisoners of war, he had been noticed by a Party member, who had denounced him.
On 11 August 1942, Hübener's case was tried at the Volksgerichtshof in Berlin, and on 27 October, at the age of 17, he was beheaded at Plötzensee Prison in Berlin. His two friends, Schnibbe and Wobbe, who had also been arrested, were given lengthy prison sentences.
As it says in the proclamation (at right), Hübener was found guilty of conspiracy to commit high treason and treasonous furthering of the enemy. He was sentenced not only to death, but also to permanent loss of his civil rights.
It was highly unusual, even for the Nazis, to try an underaged defendant, much less sentence him to death, but the court stated that Hübener had shown more than average intelligence for a boy his age. This, along with his general and political knowledge, and his behaviour before the court, made Hübener, in the court's eyes, a boy with a far more developed mind than was usually to be found in someone of his age. For this reason, the court stated, Hübener was to be punished as an adult.
It was not at all surprising that Hübener's lawyers and his mother appealed for clemency in his case, hoping to have his sentence commuted to life imprisonment, but truly astonishing was that the Berlin Gestapo also did. In their eyes, the fact that Hübener had confessed fully and shown himself to be still morally uncorrupted were points in Hübener's favour. The Reich Youth Leadership (Reichsjugendführung) would have none of it. They said that the danger posed by Hübener's activities to the German people's war effort made the death penalty necessary. On 15 October 1942, the Nazi Ministry of Justice upheld the Volksgerichtshof's verdict. Hübener was only told of the Ministry's decision at 1:05 p.m. on the scheduled day of execution and beheaded at 8:13 p.m.
A youth centre and a pathway in Hamburg are nowadays named for Helmuth Hübener. The latter runs between Greifswalder Straße and Kirchenweg in Sankt Georg.
Sources
The linked German Misplaced Pages article
[http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/eras/edition_2/geerling.htm Protecting the National Community From Juvenile Delinquency: Nazification of Juvenile Criminal Law in the Third Reich, by Wayne Geerling (Melbourne University)
Gedenkstätte Plötzensee (Brigitte Oleschinski, published by the Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand, and also listed in the German article).