History UsefulNotes / WilliHerold

The young man at the heart of the deadliest masquerade of World War II, Willi Paul Herold was born on September 11, 1925, in Lunzenau, a small village in Saxony, Germany. The son of a roofer, he grew up in a middle-class family of comfortable means. A well-built, good-looking boy, always well-groomed, he proved to be highly individualistic and ambitious, a natural-born leader, although somewhat of a quarrelsome bully, fibber and risk-taker.

He joined the Jungvolk at the age of ten in 1935, but was kicked out the next year because he kept skipping exercises and organized his own "pack" of boys, which was against the rules. At the age of fifteen, he began an apprenticeship as a chimney sweep, from which he eventually ran away together with a friend because (according to him) he didn't feel like working and wanted to emigrate to America. He was caught by the Gestapo in northern Italy, held for a week and given a good beating, after which he was picked up by his father, who also applied the same treatment. This correction seems to have had the desired effect, as he completed his apprenticeship in 1943.

From June until September 1943, he fulfilled his Reich Labour Service in France, on the Atlantic Wall, and three weeks after his eighteenth birthday he willingly joined the army and was sent to Tangermünde, where thanks to his above average physical fitness he was trained as a paratrooper. He underwent three months of infantry training and a sixteen day parachute course, and his division was the last to receive near full paratrooper training. He claims that in the early months of 1944, he took part in the battles at Nettuno and Monte Cassino, where he was promoted to Lance Corporal. He was wounded during combat when a bullet pierced his lung, but recovered well. According to him, he received the following medals during his military service: Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class (for allegedly destroying two British tanks on the shores of Salerno), Silver Close Combat Clasp, Silver Purple Heart, Parachutist Badge and Infantry Badge. During his first leave home in the summer of 1944, he was always in uniform and raised eyebrows by suddenly displaying some very prestigious medals, including the insignia of a non-commissioned officer; the people in his hometown doubted he had the right to wear them, as it would have been very difficult for someone so young to receive them. He used his newfound authority to take over the instruction of the Hitler Youth boys (which he berated at the slightest mistake), and to humiliate a villager who had not saluted him according to his rank. He was eventually uncovered to have awarded some of those medals to himself, much to the amusement of the villagers. It is unknown if he was ever punished for this act of stolen valor, but it would not be his last.

He joined the Jungvolk at the age of ten in 1935, but was kicked out the next year because he kept skipping exercises and organized his own "pack" of boys, which was against the rules. At fourteen, he joined the Hitler Youth and for a while he was enthusiastic about them, thanks to the long nature hikes they took him on and the other advantages they offered. At the age of fifteen, he began an apprenticeship as a chimney sweep, from which he eventually ran away together with a friend because (according to him) he didn't feel like working and wanted to emigrate to America. He was caught by the Gestapo in northern Italy, held for a week and given a good beating, after which he was picked up by his father, who also applied the same treatment. This correction seems to have had the desired effect, as he completed his apprenticeship in 1943.

* ''Film/TheCaptainFromNowhere'' (Der Hauptmann von Muffrika), a documentary about the Aschendorfermoor massacre. Notable for containing first hand testimonies of former camp inmates, witnesses and his defense attorney. Available [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-3BtbjPw1k here.]]

From June until September 1943, he fulfilled his Reich Labour Service in France, on the Atlantic Wall, and three weeks after his eighteenth birthday he willingly joined the army and was sent to Tangermünde, where thanks to his above average physical fitness he was trained as a paratrooper. He underwent three months of infantry training and a sixteen day parachute course, and his division was the last to receive near full paratrooper training. In the early months of 1944, he took part in the battles at Nettuno and Monte Cassino, where he was promoted to Lance Corporal. He was wounded during combat when a bullet pierced his lung, but recovered well. According to him, he received the following medals during his military service: Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class (for allegedly destroying two British tanks on the shores of Salerno), Silver Close Combat Clasp, Silver Purple Heart, Parachutist Badge and Infantry Badge. During his first leave home in the summer of 1944, he was always in uniform and raised eyebrows by suddenly displaying some very prestigious medals, including the insignia of a non-commissioned officer; the people in his hometown doubted he had the right to wear them, as it would have been very difficult for someone so young to receive them. He used his newfound authority to take over the instruction of the Hitler Youth boys (which he berated at the slightest mistake), and to humiliate a villager who had not saluted him according to his rank. He was eventually uncovered to have awarded some of those medals to himself, much to the amusement of the villagers. It is unknown if he was ever punished for this act of stolen valor, but it would not be his last.

From June until September 1943, he fulfilled his Reich Labour Service in France, on the Atlantic Wall, and three weeks after his eighteenth birthday he willingly joined the army and was sent to Tangermünde, where thanks to his above average physical fitness he was trained as a paratrooper. He underwent three months of infantry training and a sixteen day parachute course, and his division was the last to receive near full paratrooper training. In the early months of 1944, he took part in the battles at Nettuno and Monte Cassino, where he was promoted to Lance Corporal. He was wounded during combat when a bullet pierced his lung, but recovered well. According to him, he received the following medals for destroying two British tanks on the shores of Salerno: Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, Silver Close Combat Clasp, Silver Purple Heart, Parachutist Badge and Infantry Badge. During his first leave home in the summer of 1944, he was always in uniform and raised eyebrows by suddenly displaying some very prestigious medals, including the insignia of a non-commissioned officer; the people in his hometown doubted he had the right to wear them, as it would have been very difficult for someone so young to receive them. He used his newfound authority to take over the instruction of the Hitler Youth boys (which he berated at the slightest mistake), and to humiliate a villager who had not saluted him according to his rank. He was eventually uncovered to have awarded some of those medals to himself, much to the amusement of the villagers. It is unknown if he was ever punished for this act of stolen valor, but it would not be his last.

->''Of course, the answer had to be composed of many individual components, although perhaps neither as profound nor as simplistic as some pseudo-scientific sociologists would like us to believe. Mentally and morally, he wasn't quite put together, but in those days that was true of many people of all ages. From a legal point of view, he was sane: he knew what he was doing and that it was wrong. He was a product of his time and had seized the opportunity offered to him under wholly exceptional circumstances. He had personality and charm, but not the appropriate character. [...] Basically, for him, it was the biggest and greatest Cowboys and Indians game of his life, only with live ammunition on real people. A terrible shame. Under more fortunate circumstances, he would have made a damn good officer.''

From June until September 1943, he fulfilled his Reich Labour Service in France, on the Atlantic Wall, and three weeks after his eighteenth birthday he willingly joined the army and was sent to Tangermünde, where thanks to his above average physical fitness he was trained as a paratrooper. He underwent three months of infantry training and a sixteen day parachute course, and his division was the last to receive near full paratrooper training. In the early months of 1944, he took part in the battles at Nettuno and Monte Cassino, where he was promoted to Lance Corporal. He was wounded during combat when a bullet pierced his lung, but recovered well. According to him, he received the following medals for destroying two British tanks on the shores of Salerno: Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, Silver Close Combat Clasp, Silver Purple Heart, Parachutist Badge and Infantry Badge. During his first leave home in the summer of 1944, he was always in uniform and raised eyebrows by suddenly displaying some very prestigious medals, including the insignia of a noncommissioned officer; the people in his hometown doubted he had the right to wear them, as it would have been very difficult for someone so young to receive them. He used his newfound authority to take over the instruction of the Hitler Youth boys (which he berated at the slightest mistake), and to humiliate a villager who had not saluted him according to his rank. He was eventually uncovered to have awarded some of those medals to himself, much to the amusement of the villagers. It is unknown if he was ever punished for this act of stolen valor, but it would not be his last.

As he walked into Bentheim, he contacted a Major there and asked him about his unit. Additionally, he asked the major if he could have some soldiers to make up for his alleged "lost" ones. The major agreed, and gave him a few soldiers. As he moved from town to town, he was joined by several other lost soldiers, and his "combat troop" grew in size. Although his core group comprised of twelve people, about sixty others would join him temporarily, leaving when it suited them. Remarkably, for someone who claimed to have been on a special mission from the Führer, Herold was asked to identify himself only two times: the first time, while his soldiers were presenting their soldier [=IDs=], he went to the side and began a conversation with the major who had requested the identification. The major's troops, not wanting to disturb their superior in the middle of a conversation with another officer, contented themselves with checking Herold's soldiers. The second time, he managed to weasel out of it by [[RefugeInAudacity acting haughty and offended]]. His behavior was so confident and so much like that of a real officer that many people believed him to be a real captain. Those who had their doubts were too intimidated by the presence of his band (and by their savage willingness to murder) to voice them. Herold attempted to fight the enemy by joining the unit stationed in Lathen with his troop, but this effort remained unsuccessful and he ordered a retreat towards the Aschendorfermoor prisoner camp.

Up until his arrival in the Aschendorfermoor camp, his little masquerade could have been considered entertaining, amusing even. It's here that things took a dark turn, as the local camp supervisor, Karl Schütte, suggested that perhaps Herold could help them out of the considerable pickle they were in: the camp was overpopulated, several prisoners had escaped and the neighboring civilians were complaining about them. Schütte was worried about the morale of the villagers, since the front lines were only a few miles away. Additionally, he was struggling to operate and control the severely overpopulated camp. Eager to rise up to the occasion, Herold suggested that the men be reintegrated into the army. After his suggestion was turned down by a skeptical Schütte, who described the overworked, malnourished and desperate prisoners as useless cowards, Herold decided to begin summarily executing them in a gruesome, bungled orgy of violence. Prisoners were beaten, made to perform exhausting exercises, and summarily executed without any trial, including through the use of an anti-aircraft gun.

After the camp was destroyed by Allied air raids on April 19th 1945, Herold and his remaining troop moved north, traveling from town to town and terrorizing the population. They hanged a farmer which had hoisted a white flag, withdrew five Dutchmen accused of espionage from a local prison, forced them to dig their own graves and executed them. In Leer, Herold visited the local prison and arranged the release of a wealthy baker in exchange for 10,000 Reichmarks, which he pocketed. They slept all day, partied all night and did a minimum of military exercises, such as standing guard. On April 30th, he and his men were arrested in a hotel in Aurich. On the 3rd of May 1945, he was put on trial by the Germans, but released thanks to a German higher up by the name of Urbanek, to the prosecutor's dismay. Herold was brought to a special battalion, where he was enthusiastically greeted, but from which he [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder quickly deserted]] under the cover of night and headed over to the port city of Wilhelmshaven. He put together a soldier's paybook and discharge papers under his real name and began working as a chimney sweep.

Up until his arrival in the Aschendorfer Moor camp, his little masquerade could have been considered entertaining, amusing even. It's here that things took a dark turn, as the local camp supervisor, Karl Schütte, suggested that perhaps Herold could help them out of the considerable pickle they were in: the camp was overpopulated, several prisoners had escaped and the neighboring civilians were complaining about them. Schütte was worried about the morale of the villagers, since the front lines were only a few miles away. Additionally, he was struggling to operate and control the severely overpopulated camp. Eager to rise up to the occasion, Herold suggested that the men be reintegrated into the army. After his suggestion was turned down by a skeptical Schütte, who described the overworked, malnourished and desperate prisoners as useless cowards, Herold decided to begin summarily executing them in a gruesome, bungled orgy of violence. Prisoners were beaten, made to perform exhausting exercises, and summarily executed without any trial, including through the use of an anti-aircraft gun.