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HORST HOWLER - FORMER WAR PRISONER OF KIROVAKAN CAMP
Horst Howler
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
Interviews | March 30, 2015 10:08
exclusive
This year will mark the 70th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War.
It has particular significance for our nation as hundreds of thousands
of Armenians fell in that war. If we take into account that in 1945
only 30 years had passed since the Genocide, which took the lives of
1.5 million Armenians, then it becomes clear how heavy the casualties
our nation incurred during 1941-1945 were.
One of the consequences of this war was the emergence of German,
Romanian, and Hungarian prisoners of war in Armenia. They were mainly
engaged in construction works "redeeming" the sins of Nazi Germany.
Mediamax correspondent Anush Petrosyan found 87-year old Horst Howler,
former prisoner of war (POW) of Kirovakan camp, in Berlin and talked
to him.
- When and how did you take part in World War II?
- After I turned 16 in 1944, I was called up for military service as an
assistant to air defense antiaircraft gun operating soldier. Back then
there was lack of soldiers so many teenagers aged 16 were recruited
as assistants to air defense soldiers. We were not even wearing German
army uniform.
Horst Howler
Photo: from Horst Howler's archive
- How were you taken a war prisoner? It must be hard to be a prisoner
of war, especially in such a remote and unknown country.
- The war had almost ended. It was May 7, 1945. The Soviet Army
launched an offensive toward Germany from the Oder. We were taken
during the escape. We had neither weapons nor any means to defend
ourselves. We surrendered without battle. We first came to Konigsberg
(now Kaliningrad) and in late December, 1945, we were taken to
Kirovakan.
We thought we were being taken home, while it turned out we were
moved far away from home. After three weeks on the road we arrived
in Kirovakan. I know that now the name of the city has been changed
to Vanadzor.
We were taken to Kirovakan camp for prisoners of war. At first we
had no idea where we were.
- Violence and aggression used in the camps against the POWs are much
spoken about. What do you remember?
-The guards was comprised of soldiers from various Soviet Union
republics. They were guarding and accompanying us to work.
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
The guards had varying attitudes to us and it was accounted by the
emotional experiences they went through during the war. They were
older and had their own war memories and practice. They had suffered
much and had lost their family members and it is precisely why there
was certain aggression toward the POWs. But now that I cast a glance
back I realize that it couldn't be otherwise. The soldiers who had
lost their families and close ones because of the Hitler Army had to
guard the POWs now. Naturally, they couldn't treat us as nobles. We
should understand that it was quite hard for them as well. There were
lots of opposites. In part, the POWs were also causing troubles - they
were sometimes acting aggressively in their claims and expressions.
Horst Howler
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
Food shortage was a major issue back then; the Soviet Union was unable
to provide food as there were no conditions. The USSR did not have
enough food even for the children of the orphanage next to our camp.
The population was also suffering from food shortage.
- Did you come into contact with the locals?
- I should say that we had good relations with Armenians but they
were purely work-related.
During the first two years we were leaving the camp early in the
morning and going to the building site with the guard. We were
isolated from the population. We were communicating with only the
Armenian builders who were controlling our work.
Besides, Armenians were speaking their own language, which was alien
to us. I remember only a few Russian expressions we used to learn
from the soldiers. I remember one of the most frequently used ones -
"OÑ~GенÑ~L много Ñ~@абоÑ~BÑ~K" ("There is much work"). We
used to hear Armenian but couldn't get a word of it. I regret it
much. There are few words I remember and one of them is Â"Õ~GÕ¸O~BÕ¿
Õ¡O~@Õ¡Â" (Hurry up!).
Horst Howler
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
In 1947-1948 we started getting some money as prisoners of war and
along with that we got a chance to have an afternoon break. I remember
the long street leading out from the camp with small sales outlets
at the end. We used to buy sunflower seeds or tobacco from there. Our
communication with locals was confined to only that.
During construction Armenians working with us used to give us bread
or other things that we needed.
- What did you take with you from Armenia - things, friends, memories?
- I did not manage to take anything material. I was freed unexpectedly,
within just a day. The guards took us to Tbilisi from where we finally
reached home across the Black Sea coast.
I took only memories from Armenia and today they no longer seem to
be holistic...
- Talks with your fellow POWs - don't they complete your memories?
- Over many years, I tried to find the people with whom I was in the
camp. But in vain, as I did not manage to find them I had only one
friend from back then - he was freed earlier and went home earlier
than me. We remained friends in Germany as well. However, he has
already died.
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
The rest were also gradually being released and were returning home.
We did not manage to keep in touch. We lost each other. I lived in
the German Democratic Republic where we hardly ever spoke about it.
Besides, there was no institution where we could register and find
each other.
The worst memory that remains is uncertainty. When we arrived in
Kaliningrad as POWs, we had no clear information as to how long we
would remain in captivity. It was redoubtable and ghastly.
We were taken to Armenia by train. It was cold winter. The road
took three weeks. It was a sad, strained and complicated situation,
which did much harm to the health. We had taken a cold and long road
to uncertainty. We had no idea of where we were going and how long we
would stay there. This uncertainty was scaring. The military officers
of the Soviet Army were telling us that we were to recover all the
losses the fascist war had caused. It was unbearable.
I was 17 back then. I was thinking "but what do I have to do with
the Nazi war and damned Hitler?" I was not even a real soldier. I
was taken a prisoner of war without committing any sin and did not
feel even the slightest guilt for what had happened. I hadn't done
anything to the Soviet people. I had not fired even a single shot. Why
was I to be a POW for four years, when I was not guilty at all?
But now that I look back over the years I realize that we had to take
part of the guilt on us and claim responsibility and redeem it.
At my 87 I can say for sure that it was our duty as POWs to render
modest support to the Soviet Union. I don't have a sense of guilt
but I neither find the decision the Soviet Union passed back then
wrong. I think the young years of my life that I spent in captivity
in Kirovakan do not spring up upsetting thoughts.
- Do you remember Kirovakan? Can you describe it?
- I know almost nothing about Kirovakan, We were in a camp in the
center of the city. I remember crossing a river when going down for
work. I think we were working on construction in one of Kirovakan
suburbs to the north. We were building a factory under the supervision
of Armenian specialists. They were dressing the red Armenian stone,
cutting with their small hammers and turning them into squares. We
were then taking the cut stones to the building site where the walls
were being built. I was solely working on construction there and was
helping the building constructors.
I thought quite much about it but never really managed to say where
exactly in Kirovakan it was. We couldn't go out in the city freely. We
just knew the way to the building site and back "home." People in
my surrounding also tend to ask me about Kirovakan. Unfortunately,
I don't have much to say. I just know that our life was monotonous -
camp-building site-camp.
Horst Howler
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
One day in 1948 we were taken to work on a road. We were to make
it wider. The road was stretching to Lake Sevan, people said. We
worked on a mountain for weeks on end. Sometimes I talk to one of
my acquaintances about Armenia. They all confidently say: "You must
have courted many Armenian girls." The wives of my sons joke saying:
"Admit it. You surely have children in Armenia." They do not understand
that I really had a very monotonous life as a POW.
- What was your life like after you returned? Was there an adaptation
period?
- Our train arrived in Frankfurt (Oder). My family and relatives were
living in the Soviet territory - in German Democratic Republic (GDR).
I also remained there. I lived with my mother in one of the small
villages in Mecklenburg. At first it was unbearably hard - a curse. I
was 21. Life in Soviet Germany was not easy at all. I jumped out
of the frying pan into the fire where the situation of my relatives
was not any better than mine as a former prisoner of war. The living
conditions were hard and the quality of life was low but I managed to
quickly recuperate. I learned shipbuilding and moved to Warnemunde. I
worked in the shipbuilding sector for many years. I used to feel
good in GDR. I should admit that although the situation was hard,
I feel neither fear, nor fury when recalling the years of my captivity.
- How did that stage of life affect the further course of your life?
- You know, many Germany soldiers felt honored to fight, kill and
struggle for their ideas. Captivity was unacceptable for them -
it was better to be killed than to be taken prisoner. But I do not
share this view.
Being a prisoner of war is not easy but being a POW is way better
for a person's inner world than having to deal with killing people
on the front every day.
Horst Howler
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
In this case, I personally preferred to be a war prisoner than take
part in battle actions.
- What do you think about your life today and in the past days?
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
- I am happy. I lead a "charmed life." I live in Berlin with my 85-year
old wife. I have a big family - my four sons, seven grandchildren
and great-grandchildren adorn my life.
- Do you want to visit Armenia?
Horst Howler with his wife
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
- During the GDR I thought less about it. But now that I am much older
and tried to put down my recollections for my family and friends,
I thought that I should have gone to Armenia, Kirovakan. With age
I attached more importance to my visit to Armenia, unfortunately I
cannot fulfill that wish any more. I told my children only about the
good moments of that period. I choose to keep the dark and hard parts
to myself.
Anush Petrosyan talked to Horst Howler
Photos: Nora Erdmann, specially for Mediamax
http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/13672#sthash.AMjGdIIc.dpuf
Horst Howler
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
Interviews | March 30, 2015 10:08
exclusive
This year will mark the 70th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War.
It has particular significance for our nation as hundreds of thousands
of Armenians fell in that war. If we take into account that in 1945
only 30 years had passed since the Genocide, which took the lives of
1.5 million Armenians, then it becomes clear how heavy the casualties
our nation incurred during 1941-1945 were.
One of the consequences of this war was the emergence of German,
Romanian, and Hungarian prisoners of war in Armenia. They were mainly
engaged in construction works "redeeming" the sins of Nazi Germany.
Mediamax correspondent Anush Petrosyan found 87-year old Horst Howler,
former prisoner of war (POW) of Kirovakan camp, in Berlin and talked
to him.
- When and how did you take part in World War II?
- After I turned 16 in 1944, I was called up for military service as an
assistant to air defense antiaircraft gun operating soldier. Back then
there was lack of soldiers so many teenagers aged 16 were recruited
as assistants to air defense soldiers. We were not even wearing German
army uniform.
Horst Howler
Photo: from Horst Howler's archive
- How were you taken a war prisoner? It must be hard to be a prisoner
of war, especially in such a remote and unknown country.
- The war had almost ended. It was May 7, 1945. The Soviet Army
launched an offensive toward Germany from the Oder. We were taken
during the escape. We had neither weapons nor any means to defend
ourselves. We surrendered without battle. We first came to Konigsberg
(now Kaliningrad) and in late December, 1945, we were taken to
Kirovakan.
We thought we were being taken home, while it turned out we were
moved far away from home. After three weeks on the road we arrived
in Kirovakan. I know that now the name of the city has been changed
to Vanadzor.
We were taken to Kirovakan camp for prisoners of war. At first we
had no idea where we were.
- Violence and aggression used in the camps against the POWs are much
spoken about. What do you remember?
-The guards was comprised of soldiers from various Soviet Union
republics. They were guarding and accompanying us to work.
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
The guards had varying attitudes to us and it was accounted by the
emotional experiences they went through during the war. They were
older and had their own war memories and practice. They had suffered
much and had lost their family members and it is precisely why there
was certain aggression toward the POWs. But now that I cast a glance
back I realize that it couldn't be otherwise. The soldiers who had
lost their families and close ones because of the Hitler Army had to
guard the POWs now. Naturally, they couldn't treat us as nobles. We
should understand that it was quite hard for them as well. There were
lots of opposites. In part, the POWs were also causing troubles - they
were sometimes acting aggressively in their claims and expressions.
Horst Howler
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
Food shortage was a major issue back then; the Soviet Union was unable
to provide food as there were no conditions. The USSR did not have
enough food even for the children of the orphanage next to our camp.
The population was also suffering from food shortage.
- Did you come into contact with the locals?
- I should say that we had good relations with Armenians but they
were purely work-related.
During the first two years we were leaving the camp early in the
morning and going to the building site with the guard. We were
isolated from the population. We were communicating with only the
Armenian builders who were controlling our work.
Besides, Armenians were speaking their own language, which was alien
to us. I remember only a few Russian expressions we used to learn
from the soldiers. I remember one of the most frequently used ones -
"OÑ~GенÑ~L много Ñ~@абоÑ~BÑ~K" ("There is much work"). We
used to hear Armenian but couldn't get a word of it. I regret it
much. There are few words I remember and one of them is Â"Õ~GÕ¸O~BÕ¿
Õ¡O~@Õ¡Â" (Hurry up!).
Horst Howler
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
In 1947-1948 we started getting some money as prisoners of war and
along with that we got a chance to have an afternoon break. I remember
the long street leading out from the camp with small sales outlets
at the end. We used to buy sunflower seeds or tobacco from there. Our
communication with locals was confined to only that.
During construction Armenians working with us used to give us bread
or other things that we needed.
- What did you take with you from Armenia - things, friends, memories?
- I did not manage to take anything material. I was freed unexpectedly,
within just a day. The guards took us to Tbilisi from where we finally
reached home across the Black Sea coast.
I took only memories from Armenia and today they no longer seem to
be holistic...
- Talks with your fellow POWs - don't they complete your memories?
- Over many years, I tried to find the people with whom I was in the
camp. But in vain, as I did not manage to find them I had only one
friend from back then - he was freed earlier and went home earlier
than me. We remained friends in Germany as well. However, he has
already died.
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
The rest were also gradually being released and were returning home.
We did not manage to keep in touch. We lost each other. I lived in
the German Democratic Republic where we hardly ever spoke about it.
Besides, there was no institution where we could register and find
each other.
The worst memory that remains is uncertainty. When we arrived in
Kaliningrad as POWs, we had no clear information as to how long we
would remain in captivity. It was redoubtable and ghastly.
We were taken to Armenia by train. It was cold winter. The road
took three weeks. It was a sad, strained and complicated situation,
which did much harm to the health. We had taken a cold and long road
to uncertainty. We had no idea of where we were going and how long we
would stay there. This uncertainty was scaring. The military officers
of the Soviet Army were telling us that we were to recover all the
losses the fascist war had caused. It was unbearable.
I was 17 back then. I was thinking "but what do I have to do with
the Nazi war and damned Hitler?" I was not even a real soldier. I
was taken a prisoner of war without committing any sin and did not
feel even the slightest guilt for what had happened. I hadn't done
anything to the Soviet people. I had not fired even a single shot. Why
was I to be a POW for four years, when I was not guilty at all?
But now that I look back over the years I realize that we had to take
part of the guilt on us and claim responsibility and redeem it.
At my 87 I can say for sure that it was our duty as POWs to render
modest support to the Soviet Union. I don't have a sense of guilt
but I neither find the decision the Soviet Union passed back then
wrong. I think the young years of my life that I spent in captivity
in Kirovakan do not spring up upsetting thoughts.
- Do you remember Kirovakan? Can you describe it?
- I know almost nothing about Kirovakan, We were in a camp in the
center of the city. I remember crossing a river when going down for
work. I think we were working on construction in one of Kirovakan
suburbs to the north. We were building a factory under the supervision
of Armenian specialists. They were dressing the red Armenian stone,
cutting with their small hammers and turning them into squares. We
were then taking the cut stones to the building site where the walls
were being built. I was solely working on construction there and was
helping the building constructors.
I thought quite much about it but never really managed to say where
exactly in Kirovakan it was. We couldn't go out in the city freely. We
just knew the way to the building site and back "home." People in
my surrounding also tend to ask me about Kirovakan. Unfortunately,
I don't have much to say. I just know that our life was monotonous -
camp-building site-camp.
Horst Howler
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
One day in 1948 we were taken to work on a road. We were to make
it wider. The road was stretching to Lake Sevan, people said. We
worked on a mountain for weeks on end. Sometimes I talk to one of
my acquaintances about Armenia. They all confidently say: "You must
have courted many Armenian girls." The wives of my sons joke saying:
"Admit it. You surely have children in Armenia." They do not understand
that I really had a very monotonous life as a POW.
- What was your life like after you returned? Was there an adaptation
period?
- Our train arrived in Frankfurt (Oder). My family and relatives were
living in the Soviet territory - in German Democratic Republic (GDR).
I also remained there. I lived with my mother in one of the small
villages in Mecklenburg. At first it was unbearably hard - a curse. I
was 21. Life in Soviet Germany was not easy at all. I jumped out
of the frying pan into the fire where the situation of my relatives
was not any better than mine as a former prisoner of war. The living
conditions were hard and the quality of life was low but I managed to
quickly recuperate. I learned shipbuilding and moved to Warnemunde. I
worked in the shipbuilding sector for many years. I used to feel
good in GDR. I should admit that although the situation was hard,
I feel neither fear, nor fury when recalling the years of my captivity.
- How did that stage of life affect the further course of your life?
- You know, many Germany soldiers felt honored to fight, kill and
struggle for their ideas. Captivity was unacceptable for them -
it was better to be killed than to be taken prisoner. But I do not
share this view.
Being a prisoner of war is not easy but being a POW is way better
for a person's inner world than having to deal with killing people
on the front every day.
Horst Howler
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
In this case, I personally preferred to be a war prisoner than take
part in battle actions.
- What do you think about your life today and in the past days?
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
- I am happy. I lead a "charmed life." I live in Berlin with my 85-year
old wife. I have a big family - my four sons, seven grandchildren
and great-grandchildren adorn my life.
- Do you want to visit Armenia?
Horst Howler with his wife
Photo: Nora Erdmann (www.noraerdmann.com) for Mediamax
- During the GDR I thought less about it. But now that I am much older
and tried to put down my recollections for my family and friends,
I thought that I should have gone to Armenia, Kirovakan. With age
I attached more importance to my visit to Armenia, unfortunately I
cannot fulfill that wish any more. I told my children only about the
good moments of that period. I choose to keep the dark and hard parts
to myself.
Anush Petrosyan talked to Horst Howler
Photos: Nora Erdmann, specially for Mediamax
http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/interviews/13672#sthash.AMjGdIIc.dpuf