She’s easy to spot in the snapshots that American Signal Corps photographers took during the funeral. And, she has an interesting story to tell.
Her name is Zita Mueller. I mentioned her once in a previous post, and had the great fortune of interviewing her in 2005. She hails from Ulm, a city in the south German state of Baden-Wurttemberg. In 1945, when Zita turned 13, she and her family lost their home in an Allied bombing raid. To their fortune they had family in Schwarzenfeld. They hitchhiked their way across war-torn Germany, catching rides in farm wagons and trains, until they reached the obscure farm town on the other side of the country.
They arrived in town shortly before the American army and found themselves swept into the dramatic 48-hour effort to save its men. Zita spent two solid days hammering coffins with blistered hands. She had never met Fr. Viktor before that point, but the moment he burst into a carpentry shop and pushed American soldiers away from a group of weeping German women made a profound impact upon her. From that moment onward, she was a devout follower.
Hours before the funeral ceremony on April 25, three escapees from the Flossenbürg Death March emerged from hiding to survey the arrangements being made for their fellow Jews. Noticing crosses on the coffins, they approached Fr. Viktor and requested that the ornaments be stripped. Even though the American commander demanded that the Schwarzenfelders bury the dead in a proper Christian funeral, the decorations were inappropriate because they belonged to a different religious tradition. It was an argument that Fr. Viktor respected, and he agreed.
Young Zita dolefully surveyed the rows of unadorned coffins. It saddened her to see them so bare. She noticed sprays of greenery in the fields and gathered a band of children to pick branches. If you look closely at the picture below, you’ll see their handiwork adorning the caskets.
When Zita told me this story, it amazed me. Given what I learned about WWII-era Germans in history classes, I expected their attitudes at this moment to be colored by prejudice against Jews and resentment for Americans. Instead, her young mind is focused upon consideration for the dead.
It just goes to show you. History is not as black and white as we expect. Between the extremes there are myriad grays and a million stories.
I’m glad that I could preserve this one.
Useful reminders
This post is part of a month-long series reflecting upon historical events that contributed to my debut historical fiction novel, The Sower of Black Field. Visit the “Latest News” area on my website for a recap »
The Sower of Black Field is available in paperback, eBook / Kindle, and audiobook on Amazon. Get your copy »
To learn more about the American role in events in Schwarzenfeld—and other historical instances where American forces compelled German civilians to tend Holocaust victims—see Dr. Christopher Mauriello’s Book, Forced Confrontation: The Politics of Dead Bodies in Germany at the End of WWII. The book is available on Amazon. Get your copy »
