Armin Dieter Lehmann (23 May 1928 – 10 October 2008) was a

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...

courier in the '' Führerbunker'' towards the end of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

's life, leaving shortly after Hitler committed suicide. He spent his post-war life in travel, tourism, and writing as a

peace activist A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world pea ...

Early life

Lehmann was born in 1928 in Waldtrudering, a borough of

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

. Lehmann received his education at Elisabet Gymnasium in Breslau during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and The Journalism School in

after the war.

Hitler's last courier

Hitler seized power before I was five years old. It was not my choice to grow up under the form of government in which absolute power is held by a
dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in tim ...
. At the age of ten, it was mandatory that I join the
Deutsches Jungvolk The ''Deutsches Jungvolk in der Hitlerjugend'' (; DJ, also DJV; German for "German Youngsters in the Hitler Youth") was the separate section for boys aged 10 to 13 of the Hitler Youth organisation in Nazi Germany. Through a programme of outdoor a ...
(DJV), the junior branch of the ''Hitlerjugend'' or
Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth (german: Hitlerjugend , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth organisation of the Nazi Party in Germany. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. ...
. In January 1945, I was drafted into the Volkssturm, the home defense. I was decorated (with the
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...
) for pulling battle-injured comrades out of the line of fire, after I had been seriously wounded myself. I was selected by Reichsjugendführer
Artur Axmann Artur Axmann (18 February 1913 – 24 October 1996) was the German Nazi national leader (''Reichsjugendführer'') of the Hitler Youth (''Hitlerjugend'') from 1940 to 1945, when the war ended. He was the last living Nazi with a rank equivalent t ...
to be a member of a Hitlerjugend Helden (Hitler Youth Heroes) delegation to visit the
Führer ( ; , spelled or ''Fuhrer'' when the umlaut is not available) is a German word meaning "leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Nazi Germany cultivated the ("leader princip ...
in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
on his birthday. I met Adolf Hitler in the
Reich Chancellery The Reich Chancellery (german: Reichskanzlei) was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany (then called ''Reichskanzler'') in the period of the German Reich from 1878 to 1945. The Chancellery's seat, selected and prepared ...
garden (also known as the Hinterhof or backyard) outside his bunker on his last birthday, April 20, 1945. I became one of his last couriers as a member of Axmann’s staff. During my duty as a courier inside and outside the bunker, I witnessed the total collapse of the
Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. I was able to observe the final days of Hitler,
Eva Braun Eva Anna Paula Hitler (; 6 February 1912 – 30 April 1945) was a German photographer who was the longtime companion and briefly the wife of Adolf Hitler. Braun met Hitler in Munich when she was a 17-year-old assistant and model for his ...
, Martin Bormann, and Joseph Goebbels and his family. I was in the adjacent Party Chancellery when Hitler committed suicide. After Hitler's death, I participated in the bloody breakout from the bunker. Two months later, I succeeded in reaching the American Occupation Zone.

Life in the United States

Lehmann emigrated to the United States in 1953. From 1955 to 1957, Lehmann taught at the United States Armed Forces Institute, and also served as transportation coordinator at Tachikawa AFB in Japan. For over 40 years, Lehmann worked in the travel and tourism industry as a tour director and operator, as well as a travel industry training specialist and consultant. He lectured extensively as an associate professor in Travel & Tourism for the Airline & Travel Academy, TWA's Breech Academy, and Pacific States University in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Lehmann was the author of ten books, including ''Travel and Tourism, An Introduction To Travel Agency Operations'', and ''Travel Agency Policy & Procedures Manual''. In addition, he wrote more than 200 articles for travel industry trade journals. From 1977-81, Lehmann served as Vice President of Education & Training for the Association of Retail Travel Agents. In 1969, he was honored with the "Community Leader of America Award." In 1993, Lehmann retired as a travel management consultant and retail travel agency owner. He then spent his time researching, along with developing his memoirs. Books about his childhood experiences in the Hitler Youth include '' Hitler's Last Courier'' and '' In Hitler’s Bunker'', which has been translated into seven different languages. He also produced a documentary film about his experiences as one of Hitler's "boy soldiers", entitled ''Eyewitness to History''.

Peace activism

At the end of

, when he was 17, Lehmann decided to devote his life to peace activism. As a peace advocate, Lehmann participated in Professor Linus Pauling's "Campaign For Nuclear Weapons Disarmament." In the cause of peace, Lehmann traveled to more than 150 countries, speaking out for non-violence, tolerance, and understanding with such other voices as

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

and

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian-German/French polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. A Lutheran minister, Schweit ...

to all who would listen.

Death

Lehmann died in

Coos Bay, Oregon Coos Bay ( Coos language: Atsixiis) is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The city borders the city of North Bend, and together they are often referred to as one ent ...

, on 10 October 2008. His wife of 29 years, Kim, and daughter, Angie, were at his bedside. The location of his burial was not released to the general public.

References

Bibliography

*Boulé, Margie "From Hitler's bunker to Coos Bay" Oregonian, October 21, 2008. * Joachimsthaler, Anton. ''The Last Days of Hitler''. London: Cassell, 2002. *Knauer, Kelly (ed.). ''V-E Day''. Time: New York, 2005. *Lehmann, Armin D. ''Hitler’s Last Courier''. Xlibris Corporation, 2000. *Lehmann, Armin D. and Carroll, Tim. ''In Hitler’s Bunker''. Guilford: The Lyons Press, 2004. *Lehmann, Armin. ''Tomorrow’s World: A Book of Peace''. Free e-book *Lehmann, Armin D. ''Resume'', 2007. *Lester, Gary. ''Eyewitness To History'' (DVD). Port Orange: Blue Heron International Pictures LLC, 2007. http://blueheronpix.com/armin_lehmann_for_peace *North, Oliver. ''War Stories III''. Washington: Regnery Publishing, 2001.

External links

Lehmann as witness in the Bunker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lehmann, Armin D. 1928 births 2008 deaths German anti-war activists German anti–nuclear weapons activists German memoirists German non-fiction writers Emigrants from West Germany to the United States Hitler Youth members People from Coos Bay, Oregon People from Munich (district) Waffen-SS personnel German male non-fiction writers 20th-century memoirists Volkssturm personnel Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939) Child soldiers in World War II