Hans Hauck
Encyclopedia
Hans Hauck was an Afro-German survivor of the Nazi regime in Germany
.
Hans was born in Frankfurt
in 1920. He was the son of an Algerian soldier serving in the French Army
. In 1933 he joined the Hitler Youth
while living in Saarland
(not integrated into Germany at that time). An SS officer helped get him work on the railway. During 1935 or 1936 Hauck was sterilised
under the Nazi racial purity measures
.
In 1939 he was declared "unworthy" to join the Army when he went through the conscription process. Following an unsuccessful suicide attempt in 1941, Hauck joined the Wehrmacht
the following year. His father had a friend who had been a leader with the Hitler Youth and who arranged matters so that Hans Hauck did not have to pass the racial purity test conducted by the SA
on recruits to the army. He attributed his survival of the Nazi regime to his service in the Army. He made "Private first Class" within five months. Hauck was wounded five times, and captured by the Red Army
in 1945 and released in 1949.
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
Hans was born in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
in 1920. He was the son of an Algerian soldier serving in the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
. In 1933 he joined the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
while living in Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
(not integrated into Germany at that time). An SS officer helped get him work on the railway. During 1935 or 1936 Hauck was sterilised
Compulsory sterilization
Compulsory sterilization also known as forced sterilization programs are government policies which attempt to force people to undergo surgical sterilization...
under the Nazi racial purity measures
Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 were antisemitic laws in Nazi Germany introduced at the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. After the takeover of power in 1933 by Hitler, Nazism became an official ideology incorporating scientific racism and antisemitism...
.
In 1939 he was declared "unworthy" to join the Army when he went through the conscription process. Following an unsuccessful suicide attempt in 1941, Hauck joined the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
the following year. His father had a friend who had been a leader with the Hitler Youth and who arranged matters so that Hans Hauck did not have to pass the racial purity test conducted by the SA
SA
-Organizations:* S.A. , a type of corporation in various countries* Salvation Army, a Christian denomination founded by William Booth* Sewickley Academy, a private school in the United States...
on recruits to the army. He attributed his survival of the Nazi regime to his service in the Army. He made "Private first Class" within five months. Hauck was wounded five times, and captured by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
in 1945 and released in 1949.
See also
- Rhineland Bastards, the children of French colonial troops occupying the RhinelandRhinelandHistorically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
and German women.