Helmut Damerius
Encyclopedia
Helmut Damerius was a German communist and a member of the Left Column
, an agitprop
theater group. As the Nazi Party gained in strength, he went into exile in Moscow, only to be arrested in the Hitler Youth Conspiracy
and sentenced to a long term in a Soviet prison. After his prison sentence, he was banished to Kazakhstan
and was not permitted to move elsewhere. In 1956, he received permission to move to East Germany, where he stayed until his death.
, working first as an errand boy and other jobs, and later, as a painter. He began getting interested in politics when he became friendly the Lankwitz
Friends of Nature
. In 1922, already an actor, he married Emma Zadach and joined the Anarcho-Syndicalist
Youth of Germany, a political party
that was in existence from 1920 to 1933.
In 1923, Damerius joined the Communist Party
(German: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, or KPD) and he and his wife had a baby, who died when a small child. They were divorced in 1927. In 1928, he began to lead the Left Column, which was working to support the Workers International Relief (WIR). Their advertising efforts for the WIR resulted in 16,000 new members for the organization, which then rewarded the Left Column with a five-week tour in the Soviet Union
. Damerius took this opportunity to emigrate to the Soviet Union. He began studying at the State Institute for Theater Arts in Moscow and he applied for citizenship in the Soviet Union.
Am 17. März 1938 wurde er unter falschen Anschuldigungen von der Geheimpolizei NKVD
verhaftet und in das Lubyanka Prison eingeliefert. Später klagte man Damerius in einem nicht öffentlichen Prozess wegen „Spionageverdacht“ an und verurteilte ihn im Oktober 1938 zu sieben Jahren Arbeitslager. Es folgten die sieben Jahre Strafe in einem so genannten „Besserungslager“ in der Taiga und direkt danach weitere zwei Jahre Haft mit anschließender dauerhaften Zwangsansiedlung in Kasachstan. Dort mussten er weitere elf Jahre aushalten, ohne dass es eine Fluchtmöglichkeit für ihn gab.
Im Mai 1955 wurde das Unrechtsurteil aufgehoben, wobei es im Aufhebungbeschluss hieß: „Laut Beschluss des Kriegstribunals des Moskauer Militärbezirks vom 22. September 1955 ist das Urteil von 1938 aufgehoben und Helmut Damerius in alle Rechte wiedereingesetzt. Die damalige Aussage der Wanda Bronskaja, dass Helmut Damerius sie für die Hitler-Jugend werben wollte, ist frei erfunden.“
1956 durfte er in die DDR
ausreisen, bekam aber hier die „strikte und strafbewehrte Auflage," nicht über seine Vergangenheit in der Sowjetunion in Wort oder Schrift zu berichten.
Von 1960 bis 1961 war er Direktor der Künstler-Agentur der DDR.
Dennoch hat H. Damerius seine Vergangenheit aufgearbeitet; in seinem 1990 postum erschienenen Werk Unter Falscher Anschuldigung – 18 Jahre in Taiga und Steppe, das er bereits 1982 heimlich fertiggestellt hatte, berichtet er zum ersten Mal öffentlich über seine schrecklichen Erlebnisse.
In the 1980s, he began to secretly write his memoirs about the "years of his pointless arrest, the loss of the middle years of his life". He secretly gave his complete manuscript to Professor Werner Mittenzwei in 1982.
He died in East Berlin
. His memoir, Unter Falscher Anschuldigung – 18 Jahre in Taiga und Steppe, was released posthumously in 1990.
Left Column (theater troupe)
The Left Column was an agitprop theater troupe during the 1920s and 1930s. The troupe worked in support of the Workers International Relief...
, an agitprop
Agitprop
Agitprop is derived from agitation and propaganda, and describes stage plays, pamphlets, motion pictures and other art forms with an explicitly political message....
theater group. As the Nazi Party gained in strength, he went into exile in Moscow, only to be arrested in the Hitler Youth Conspiracy
Hitler Youth Conspiracy
The Hitler Youth Conspiracy was a case investigated by the Soviet secret police, during the Great Purge in the late 1930s. Essentially a theory in search of evidence, it nonetheless resulted in the arrest of numerous German teenagers and some in their twenties and beyond, who were accused of having...
and sentenced to a long term in a Soviet prison. After his prison sentence, he was banished to Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
and was not permitted to move elsewhere. In 1956, he received permission to move to East Germany, where he stayed until his death.
Biographical details
Damerius was born in Berlin-Wedding, where he also spent his youth. After school, he apprenticed at a florist. He then worked at an upholsteryUpholstery
Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word upholstery comes from the Middle English word upholder, which referred to a tradesman who held up his goods. The term is equally applicable to domestic,...
, working first as an errand boy and other jobs, and later, as a painter. He began getting interested in politics when he became friendly the Lankwitz
Lankwitz
Lankwitz is a German locality within the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Berlin. Until 2001 it was part of the former borough of Steglitz.-History:The locality was first mentioned in 1239 with the name of Lankowice...
Friends of Nature
Friends of Nature
Friends of Nature is an international movement with a background in the Social Democratic movement, which aims to make nature accessible to the wider community by providing appropriate recreational and travel facilities.-Background:It is a non-profit organisation which, in addition to encouraging...
. In 1922, already an actor, he married Emma Zadach and joined the Anarcho-Syndicalist
Anarcho-syndicalism
Anarcho-syndicalism is a branch of anarchism which focuses on the labour movement. The word syndicalism comes from the French word syndicat which means trade union , from the Latin word syndicus which in turn comes from the Greek word σύνδικος which means caretaker of an issue...
Youth of Germany, a political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
that was in existence from 1920 to 1933.
In 1923, Damerius joined the Communist Party
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
(German: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, or KPD) and he and his wife had a baby, who died when a small child. They were divorced in 1927. In 1928, he began to lead the Left Column, which was working to support the Workers International Relief (WIR). Their advertising efforts for the WIR resulted in 16,000 new members for the organization, which then rewarded the Left Column with a five-week tour in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Damerius took this opportunity to emigrate to the Soviet Union. He began studying at the State Institute for Theater Arts in Moscow and he applied for citizenship in the Soviet Union.
Am 17. März 1938 wurde er unter falschen Anschuldigungen von der Geheimpolizei NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
verhaftet und in das Lubyanka Prison eingeliefert. Später klagte man Damerius in einem nicht öffentlichen Prozess wegen „Spionageverdacht“ an und verurteilte ihn im Oktober 1938 zu sieben Jahren Arbeitslager. Es folgten die sieben Jahre Strafe in einem so genannten „Besserungslager“ in der Taiga und direkt danach weitere zwei Jahre Haft mit anschließender dauerhaften Zwangsansiedlung in Kasachstan. Dort mussten er weitere elf Jahre aushalten, ohne dass es eine Fluchtmöglichkeit für ihn gab.
- 1938–1947 Haftverbüßung unter erniedrigenden Bedingungen im Lager Solikamsk (Nord-Ural), wo er schwer im Wald arbeiten musste.
- 1947–1955 Entlassung aus der Lagerhaft mit der Auflage, in Kasachstan in so genannter „freier Ansiedlung“ zu leben.
- 1955 Aufhebung des Unrechtsurteils aus der Zeit des so genannten Great PurgeGreat PurgeThe Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
und Rehabilitierung.
Im Mai 1955 wurde das Unrechtsurteil aufgehoben, wobei es im Aufhebungbeschluss hieß: „Laut Beschluss des Kriegstribunals des Moskauer Militärbezirks vom 22. September 1955 ist das Urteil von 1938 aufgehoben und Helmut Damerius in alle Rechte wiedereingesetzt. Die damalige Aussage der Wanda Bronskaja, dass Helmut Damerius sie für die Hitler-Jugend werben wollte, ist frei erfunden.“
1956 durfte er in die DDR
DDR
DDR may refer to:In entertainment:*Dance Dance Revolution, a music video game series by Konami*DDR , a Norwegian rock band singing in German.*DDR , a Greenlandic punk band singing in Danish.In organizations:...
ausreisen, bekam aber hier die „strikte und strafbewehrte Auflage," nicht über seine Vergangenheit in der Sowjetunion in Wort oder Schrift zu berichten.
- 1956 Ausreise in die DDR, mit der „strikten und strafbewährten Auflage“, nicht über seine Vergangenheit in der Sowjetunion in Wort oder Schrift zu berichten. Wird nach seiner Rückkehr Leiter der Konzert- und Gastspieldirektion der DDR.
Von 1960 bis 1961 war er Direktor der Künstler-Agentur der DDR.
Dennoch hat H. Damerius seine Vergangenheit aufgearbeitet; in seinem 1990 postum erschienenen Werk Unter Falscher Anschuldigung – 18 Jahre in Taiga und Steppe, das er bereits 1982 heimlich fertiggestellt hatte, berichtet er zum ersten Mal öffentlich über seine schrecklichen Erlebnisse.
In the 1980s, he began to secretly write his memoirs about the "years of his pointless arrest, the loss of the middle years of his life". He secretly gave his complete manuscript to Professor Werner Mittenzwei in 1982.
He died in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
. His memoir, Unter Falscher Anschuldigung – 18 Jahre in Taiga und Steppe, was released posthumously in 1990.
Sources
- Catherine Epstein, "The Last Revolutionaries: German Communists and Their Century, President and Fellows of Harvard College (2003), ISBN 0-674-01045-0
External links
- Der Kampf (1936) Internet Movie Database. U.S. release of Gustav von Wangenheim's film. Original Russian title: Bortsy, German title: Kämpfer