Heck, Alfons 1928–2005

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born November 3, 1928, in Wittlich, Germany; died of heart failure April 12, 2005, in San Diego, CA. A former leader of the Hitler Youth during World War II, Heck later renounced his loyalty to the Nazis and wrote and lectured widely about the dangers of authoritarianism. At age ten he joined Germany's Hitler Youth, an organization of children and teenagers who professed fanatical dedication to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Heck believed fervently in his country's leaders and became a star in the organization, eventually becoming a major general, a glider pilot, and a recipient of the Iron Cross. Toward the end of the war, while still a teenager he was even put in charge of a town near Luxembourg while still a teenager. Even after the fall of the Nazis and the end of World War II, Heck still believed in Hitler's ideals. He was sentenced to a month in prison and prevented from traveling for two years after the war. Heck's faith in the Nazis was not shaken until he had the chance to attend the Nuremberg trials. There, he learned the truth about the crimes Hitler and his followers had perpetrated. Not long afterward, Heck moved to Canada, where he worked a variety of jobs, such as taxi driver and lumberman. He later moved to the United States, where he was employed by Greyhound, first as a bus driver and later as a supervisor in San Diego. Forced to retire after suffering a heart attack in 1972, Heck became depressed because he could not work. Following his wife's suggestion that he take up writing, he found it therapeutic to write about his experiences in the Hitler Youth. Heck subsequently published two memoirs: A Child of Hitler: Germany in the Days When God Wore a Swastika (1985) and The Burden of Hitler's Legacy (1988). These books also inspired a documentary on Heck's life, Heil Hitler: Confessions of a Hitler Youth, which aired on Home Box Office. Partnering with Auschwitz concentration camp survivor Helen Waterford, Heck then traveled the country, giving lectures about the evils of Nazism. With Waterford and Eleanor H. Ayer, he also published a children's book, Parallel Journeys (1995).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, April 17, 2005, section 4, p. 11.

Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2005, p. B13.

Washington Post, April 18, 2005, p. B4.