Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
May 2025
Audio recording, 1968
Historical Context
On May 8/9 of this year, 80 years have passed since the signing of the surrender document in Berlin-Karlshorst, officially marking the end of World War II (in Europe). In the twelve years leading up to 1945, children, teenagers, and young adults were raised and shaped by racist and nationalistic Nazi propaganda—and the effects of this propaganda did not simply vanish with the end of the war.
Ursula Winkler with her little brother next to their father in Wehrmacht uniform
Short Biography
Albert Winkler is born in 1921 in Bremen-Blumenthal. As a teenager, he learns the trade of typesetting. Shortly after his training, World War II begins. At the age of 19, Albert becomes a naval soldier in the 10th Ship Division of the Wehrmacht. In February 1943, he is captured by the British. The British ship parts of their prisoners of war to Canada, including Albert Winkler. He lives until 1946 with thousands of others in a camp near Medicine Hat in Alberta, before spending his last year of captivity in England.
After his release, Albert returns to Bremen-Blumenthal in 1947 and marries Ursula Krause there. In the early 1950s, the family emigrates to the country where Albert had been a prisoner of war and where he had been impressed by the kindness of the people: Canada.
In 1968, Albert and Ursula’s teenage son Elmar decides to interview his parents and his uncle Karl-Heinz, who was born in 1934, for a school project. He wants to know how they, as young people, experienced the NS era and World War II, as well as the immediate post-war period. The tech-savvy young man records his interviews on a tape recorder. His history teacher Evans, a Canadian World War veteran on the side of the Allies, gives Elmar a poor grade for the interview, which reflects the perspective of three Germans. In hindsight, Elmar Winkler expresses understanding for this.
Father Albert with his two sons Gero and Elmar at Christmas in Canada
Significance of the object
Elmar Winkler’s interviews with his parents and uncle testify to the experiences of three youths or young adults during the NS era. In Germany, young people also begin to ask their parents questions by the end of the 1960s: What did you do during the NS era? What was your responsibility? Elmar’s parents, as children, had the impression or continued to believe in the propaganda myth that Hitler had, among other things, ensured a strong economy for Germany through highways even after the war.
Additionally, Elmar inquires about processes: Could the father choose whether he went to the navy or another unit? Why did he choose the navy? What was the experience of being a prisoner of war like?
Elmar’s father volunteers for the Wehrmacht so that he can choose which unit to join. He does this because his father had been in the artillery during the First World War and had terrible experiences.
Elmar’s mother Ursula recounts the end of the war and the first encounter with allied soldiers:
.cls-1 { fill: none; }“We were told by the Germans that we would all be shot if the enemy took power. When Canadian soldiers told us to go down to the basement, we thought that would be the end. We went down, thinking we would be shot and that would be the end. Looking back now, it’s kind of funny, because we are now in the country where the Canadian soldiers came from and we don’t really think about the war anymore.”
“We were told by the Germans that if the enemy ever takes over we would all be shot. Now when the Canadian soldiers told us to all go down into the basement we thought this was the end. We just went down, thought we would be shot and that is the end of it. Thinking back now it is kind of funny. We are now in the country where the Canadian soldiers came from and we really do not think too much about the war anymore.”
For decades, the tape has been lying in Elmar Winkler’s attic. Encouraged, among others, by his wife Gina, Elmar Winkler decides to revisit this part of his family history. He digitizes the old audio recordings and begins to research details about the historical events. Together, they create four short films about the lives of his parents and one of their childhood friends in Bremen from the historical audio documents, photos, and research results. In 2022, Elmar Winkler donates these films, as well as the historical recordings and other objects, to the collection of the DAH during a trip to Europe.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de