Reinfried Vogler

“We were in the Jungvolk, as it was called. It wasn't actually seen as compulsory, but it was, everyone was in it. I spent a lot of time dealing with things like that. Looking back, at least from my perspective, I think the developments in Austria (and I consider our region to be part of Austria too) were very different to those in the old Reich, as we used to say. Firstly, the Germans always do everything to one hundred and fifty percent when they do it. Whereas in Austria, at least that's how it was with us and how I personally experienced it, it was a continuation of the Wandervogel movement and young Turners. So it was more of a boy scout story. And that fascinated us, because you did a lot of sport, you played outdoor games and you learned a lot of history. Of course, there were ulterior motives, but as a boy you didn't see it that way. I say I would never have done as much sport as I did at that time and I think that still helps me today. It was a time that I don't really see as a negative influence. And of course today, some things can be seen as negative, it certainly wasn't all positive, nor was it all negative. I am firmly convinced, because I have studied it a lot, that the development here in Austria was completely different. Of course, when Austria and the Sudetenland were annexed, the Nazis had already been in power in the Reich for six years, so some things were already entrenched and perhaps even encrusted. Here it was basically, again I know this from stories told by colleagues who are a few years older than me and who were still in their youth before 1938, it was more or less the continuation of youth alliances with slightly different signs.” “So you didn't experience anything like ideological indoctrination, or were you not aware of it?” “Well, we weren't aware of it. But if you look back, it was indoctrination, because everyone had to know Hitler's CV by heart, practically. And the Wehrmacht was simply a permanent institution that was integrated into society, that you became close to at an early age. And there are many examples where this was practiced very strongly on a subliminal level. But people didn't know that at the time, because there was no compulsion behind it and they understood very well how to move people inwardly, how to make them active there.”

“We were used to the planes always flying over Lundenburg. They usually flew to Silesia, so we didn't think much of it when the planes flew over the town. Then in November there was this attack. It lasted a short time, a few minutes, but caused considerable damage. And that is one of the formative experiences of my childhood. You'll never forget it when you're sitting in the cellar and it's so provisionally shored up, but the walls are shaking and the plaster is falling from the walls and the ceiling and you're always waiting for it, it's getting closer and closer - so now it's going to start here too! But thank God it was over before then and when we came out, we saw what had happened.” “What had happened?” “Yes, parts of the town were destroyed, for example the church on the market square, it was in the middle of the square, it was totally destroyed. The whole row of houses was destroyed, then I came to the Dubič villa district, a lot of it had been destroyed. It was mainly residential areas that were hit. Industry and the central railroad junction, which was in Lundenburg at the time, were hardly hit at all. And as a result, there were also considerable casualties among the civilian population, but I can't say how many there were, but it was a decisive moment. And we were there for a few more days before we went to Leipertitz, but time bombs were still going off there, so nobody knew where it was going to start again and, interestingly, Lundenburg had large barracks and nothing happened there either.”