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

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...

courier in the ''

Führerbunker The () was an air raid shelter located near the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Germany. It was part of a subterranean bunker complex constructed in two phases in 1936 and 1944. It was the last of the Führer Headquarters (''Führerhaupt ...

'' towards the end of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

'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 p ...

Early life

Lehmann was born in 1928 in Waldtrudering, a borough of

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. Lehmann received his education at Elisabet Gymnasium in Breslau during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...
. 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" or "German Young People") was the separate section for boys aged 10 to 13 of the Hitler Youth organisation in Nazi Germany. Throug ...
(DJV), the junior branch of the ''Hitlerjugend'' or
Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...
. In January 1945, I was drafted into the
Volkssturm The (, ) was a ''levée en masse'' national militia established by Nazi Germany during the last months of World War II. It was set up by the Nazi Party on the orders of Adolf Hitler and established on 25 September 1944. It was staffed by conscri ...
, the home defense. I was decorated (with the
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
) 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 Germans, 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 equi ...
to be a member of a Hitlerjugend Helden (Hitler Youth Heroes) delegation to visit the
Führer ( , spelled ''Fuehrer'' when the umlaut is unavailable) is a German word meaning "leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. Hitler officially cal ...
in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
on his birthday. I met Adolf Hitler in the
Reich Chancellery The Reich Chancellery () 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 since 1875, was the fo ...
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, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
. 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 in 1929 (aged 17) when she was an assistant and model ...
,
Martin Bormann Martin Ludwig Bormann (17 June 1900 – 2 May 1945) was a German Nazi Party official and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery, private secretary to Adolf Hitler, and a war criminal. Bormann gained immense power by using his position as Hitler ...
, and
Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and philologist who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief Propaganda in Nazi Germany, propagandist for the Nazi Party, and ...
and his family. I was in the adjacent
Party Chancellery The Party Chancellery (), was the name of the head office for the German Nazi Party (NSDAP), designated as such on 12 May 1941. The office existed previously as the Staff of the Deputy Führer (''Stab des Stellvertreters des Führers'') but was ...
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 The United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) was an educational organization that was part of the United States Armed Forces. It was founded in April 1942, as the Army Institute. Between 1942 and 1974, the USAFI provided education opportunitie ...

, and also served as transportation coordinator at

Tachikawa file:Autumn colors in Showa memorial park.jpg, 250px, Showa Memorial Park is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western Tokyo, western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 184,383 in 93,428 househ ...

AFB AFB may refer to: * Armed Forces Bank, a US-based financial institution for military members and families * Armed Forces Bikers, a UK-based motorcycle charity to assist former members of the armed forces * Acid-fast bacilli * Air Force Base * A ...

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 The Twa, often referred to as Batwa or Mutwa (singular), are indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples of the Great Lakes Region in Central Africa, recognized as some of the earliest inhabitants of the area. Historically and academically, the term � ...

Breech Academy Breech Academy (also called Breech Training Academy) was a school operated by Trans World Airlines between 1969 and 1988 to train flight attendants, ticket agents, and even pilots. Management training classes were attended there by TWA employees a ...

, and Pacific States University in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. 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 IN, In or in may refer to: Dans * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independen ...

'', which has been translated into seven 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 Linus Carl Pauling ( ; February 28, 1901August 19, 1994) was an American chemist and peace activist. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific topics. ''New Scientist'' called him one of the 20 gre ...

's "Campaign For Nuclear Weapons Disarmament." In the cause of peace, Lehmann traveled to more than 150 countries, speaking out for

non-violence Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

, tolerance, and understanding with such other voices as

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

and

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was a German and French polymath from Alsace. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. As a Lutheran minister, ...

to all who would listen.

Death

Lehmann died in

Coos Bay, Oregon Coos Bay () is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. It shares Coos Bay with the adjacent city of North Bend, Oregon, North Bend. Together, they are often referred to as ...

, 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 20th-century German memoirists German non-fiction writers Emigrants from West Germany to the United States People from Coos Bay, Oregon People from Munich (district) Waffen-SS personnel German male non-fiction writers Volkssturm personnel Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939) Hitler Youth child soldiers