Many people know about the tragedies of the Holocaust. But what you may not know, is how everyday citizens lived during the war. On March 12, 1938, Hitler marched his troops into Austria. Ultimately, he forced their government to annex, and Austria came under the power of his Nazi Government. Although many of his followers supported the downfall of Jews in favor of a stronger government, many people followed the Nazi party simply because they were afraid of what would happen if they didn't. And in the small village of Punitz, in the region of Burgenland, Austria, there was an eight year old boy. That little boy, happened to be my grandfather, Ruppert Sokasits.
As the Germans occupied Austria, they began to seed out Jews and other 'enemies' of the Third Reich. Many families, like my own, were forced to complete something called an ahnenpaß, which translates to 'ancestor passport'.
The original ahnenpaß my ancestors were forced to complete, complete with the official Nazi swaztika.
In this journal, families had to trace back multiple generations in order to prove that they had no Jewish relatives, and were of the desired Aryan race. Multiple family trees of ancestors that were traced back as early as 1874 are shown in the pictures below
As you can see, it took a multitude of generations to prove that one was a worthy member of the Aryan race. If even one ancestor proved to be Jewish, you were considered a Jew, and sent to concentration camps. To avoid this, many people, especially empathetic members of the clergy, forged and provided jews with fake passports, birth certificates and ahnenpaß.
Once you proved yourself to not be Jewish... It wasn't uncommon for the everyday citizen to become supporters and sometimes Nazis themselves. Although my grandfather was not a Nazi, like many other young Austrian citizens, he spent much of his free time involved in the Nazi Youth Group. For most young kids, this organization was simply a fun time playing sports with his friends.Life was fairly easy and normal for citizens under Hitler. They went about their daily life unbothered, if they were loyal to the Third Reich. Children went to school until they were 14, then helped with the family business or farmed. Mothers and fathers went about their daily lives.
What he, and unfortunately many others, never knew, was what Hitler and his Nazis were really doing. They had no idea about concentration camps or the torture the Nazis carried out. They had heard rumors of it, but since Hitler's propaganda was so effective, found it too hard to believe. Life was fairly easy and normal for citizens under Hitler. They went about their daily life unbothered, if they were loyal to the Third Reich. Children wen
When the Soviets came marching through As the Soviets progressed through Europe, they eventually came through my grandfather's small village of Punitz. For weeks, he and his friends were kidnapped, forced to tend to cattle for Soviet soldiers. He and his friends eventually escaped in the middle of the night in a thunderstorm, managing to escape certain death. Under German rule, Austrians lived a fairly comfortable life. But when the Soviets came, they were faced with these sort of crimes on a day to day basis.
In a Nutshell Hitler's ultimate goal was to anihilate all Jews and someday take over the world. This could only be done by gaining a base of loyal followers. So, it was obvious that he had to show people under his rule a better quality of life. By implementing things like Nazi Youth Groups and supporting education, he gained the trust of his people. Unfortunately, every loyal follower of his was deceived, and had no idea about what he was truly up to.
My grandfather's diploma from the eighth grade. It wasn't unusual for children to not pursue a higher education.