“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
Although this website is dedicated to Artful Scholar, this page is dedicated to some interesting life experiences of Ulrich and Caroline Fechner (the parents of “Artful Scholar” Walter Fechner). Ulrich was born in (at the time) Germany (now Poland). He was only 16 when at the end of the war he was drafted into Hitler’s Army. He served the last 2 weeks of the war, never shot anyone and eventually met Caroline in Bavaria. Caroline was born in Romania, though her father grew up in St. Louis MO. After meeting in 1946, they emigrated to the U.S. Primarily these are experiences from World War II.
Although part of Artful Scholar’s mission deals with technology and art, lets keep in mind that war destroys everything that society considers precious. It would be foolhardy to think that another world war cannot happen. It only takes enough countries who are in desperate shape to lead to conflict. Climate change, extreme poverty and religious fanaticism are already fanning the flames. Ulrich Fechner was a child soldier in such a conflict, and supporting documents can be downloaded from this page..
Available here are 4 downloadable documents plus a link to photos plus a video plus a song. The 5th item is a link to my naturesolovely.com website, a photo gallery with historic (pre 1950) photos of Ulli and his family. The video is “Ulrich Fechner: His Life In Pictures”, (20 min). The next 4 links open documents directly on a PC or download a document on a mobile phone. At the end, click the red link to hear “Ulli’s Theme” from “Music for Mature Souls”.
The 1st document tells of my father’s war experiences as a 16 year old draftee into Hitler’s army at the end of World War II. Dad was not a member of the Hitler Youth, but just a kid living alone in Berlin. He fought the last 2 weeks of the war, but he never killed anyone.
The 2nd document is my translation & commentary on my father’s handwritten diary, “Diary of a 17 Year Old” from March - August 1945. It reveals his surprising feelings and emotions as things were happening. He neatly copied his original diary so fiancée Caroline & others could read it.
The 3rd document tells the story of my mother’s family. Her father went from St. Louis Missouri to rural Romania (where she was born) and back again to St. Louis at the end of the war. Its a cool story.
The last document is a more detailed biography of Ulrich Fechner.
Video:
Ulrich Fechner: His Life In Pictures
Downloads:
Ulrich Fechner War Chronicle, originally presented to the Military History Club of the Missouri Athletic Club in July 2014.
Diary of a 17 Year Old: Ulrich’s diary of March-August 1945.
Caroline Renon War Experiences. (Also on Caroline’s Page)
Ulrich Fechner’s Biography. This includes childhood & post war life.
Photos
Historic Photo Gallery. Pre 1950 photos of Ulli, Caroline and their families.
Song