Memory of the victims: Malchov's tragic werewolf history

Memory of the victims: Malchov's tragic werewolf history

in the small town of Malchow, which was occupied by the Red Army in 1945, there is a painful but important story to tell. Between 1945 and 1946, 33 boys and girls were arrested by the Soviet secret police (GPU), under which vague and unsustainable accusation that they were part of the "werewolf" movement, which was launched by the National Socialists as a guerrilla troop. These young people, some still have children, suffered from cruelty that were committed in the Villa Blanck in the heart of Malchow - the place where many of them were interrogated and brutally tortured, and where 13 young people lost their lives, how nordkurier.de.

In addition to the arrests in Malchow, there were similar fates in other places in the Soviet occupation zone such as Penzlin, Güstrow and Schwaan. It is estimated that at the end of 1946 at least 6000 young people were arrested in special bearings due to the same suspicion. These “werewolf” rumors had their roots in a German military project from 1944, which resulted in a number of injustice until the end of the Second World War.

annual memorial event

to remind of these tragic events, an annual memorial event in front of Villa Blanck will take place on July 4 at 11.45 a.m. This year Burkhard Bley, the state representative for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, will consider the memorial to deal with the SED dictatorship. Pastor Eckhard K trader and the mayor René Putzar also take part in this event, together with committed young people from the Fleesenschule. It is an opportunity to bring the memory of the victims in honor and young people the importance of this story, such as ndr.de.

The darkness of this time lists many events that are not only limited to Malchow. Many of the arrested young people were wrongly accused and suffered from inhuman terms of detention that led to numerous deaths. According to their dismissal, around 8,000 survivors had to sign silence and were monitored by the Stasi-a gentle but hard yoke of oppression that had an impact on the lives of many people long after the end of the Second World War. What a tragedy that there was often only the punishing silence for these children and adolescents instead of the hoped-for justice, as in the reports of the Federal Center for Political Education!

A tragic example is the case of Karl-Heinz Vau, which was arrested in December 1945 and later murdered in Sachsenhausen. Such fates illustrate how deeply the fear and horror of the time was cut into the life of normal people. It is all the more important that the names of the adolescents concerned will not be forgotten. A memorial stone in Malchow is reminiscent of the "Werwolf" victims and invites you to reflect on this dark time in German history. The initiative to learn more about the convict and their fate was launched with the aim of the memories of these young people to be passed on to the coming generations.

For many people in Malchow, the memorial event is not only a funeral service, but also a call to act - so that such injustices never happen. "We have to learn from history" is often emphasized. Have a good hand to deal with the past is essential for the community in Malchow.