‘I suppose you could call it that. Although, I prefer to think of it as an education centre. It’s been overshadowed now of course by the NS-Dokumentationszentrum, the Munich Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism, which was built on the site of what used to be the headquarters of the former NSDAP—the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, which you will no doubt better know as the Nazi Party.’
Langner looked down at the photocopy of the newspaper cutting again. ‘1963,’ he said, smiling to himself. ‘I remember the mayor of Munich cutting the ribbons as though it were yesterday.’ He looked up at Tayte. ‘How can a former Hitler Youth training academy possibly help you in your search to find your mother?’
It was a good question, and one which Tayte had already asked himself many times since he’d embarked on this most personal of assignments. When it came to his own family history, Tayte knew he’d been clutching at straws his whole life, and he had to admit to himself that this time was no great exception, but this time he knew for a fact that this former Hitler Youth building was somewhere his mother had once been. He had never found such a concrete connection to his family before, and Marcus had clearly thought it important, which had helped to spur Tayte on. All he figured he had to do now was to find out why his mother had gone there, and then follow the clues. He reached a hand towards Langner and pointed to another image on the newspaper copy. It showed a crowd and several protest placards. He singled someone out.
‘Going back to your earlier question, I know the photo I have of my mother was taken in 1963 because she was there the day your education centre was officially opened. She was at the ceremony.’ Tayte paused as he wondered again whether his father had perhaps taken the photograph. ‘See the dogtooth 1960s baker-boy hat this woman’s wearing?’
Langner looked more closely and nodded. Tayte drew his attention back to the photograph of his mother.
‘Her face is a little obscured in the newspaper image, but that’s very clearly the same hat my mother’s holding in the photo she left me. The style and pattern are identical.’
‘So your mother was a Demonstrant? She was protesting against my having saved this former Hitler Youth building from demolition?’
‘Maybe,’ Tayte said. ‘Or maybe she was there for some other reason and just got caught up in the crowd. It’s the reason she was there at all that interests me—whether it was because of the building or perhaps someone connected with it.’
‘Which is what brought you to me,’ Langner said.
Tayte nodded. ‘I figure if I can find out what or who my mother was interested in, and why, it could lead me to someone who can identify her.’
‘But I’ve already told you I don’t know the woman in this picture. I can’t see how I can be of any further help to you.’
‘Volker Strobel,’ Jean said, sitting forward as her eyes locked on Langner.
Langner’s eyebrows twitched at hearing the name and he smiled. ‘Ah,’ he said. ‘Now I begin to see where this is going.’
Tayte elaborated. ‘According to the article in this newspaper, Volker Strobel was the main reason for the protests at your opening ceremony that day—the day my mother was there. As I’m sure you can imagine, when I set out to identify why she was there, Strobel went straight to the top of my list.’
Jean leaned in and picked up the newspaper copy. ‘This article shows that the protestors were strongly against preserving the institution that had, and I quote, “spawned such evil as Volker Strobel, the Demon of Dachau”.’
Langner’s features had taken on a solemn appearance. He slowly nodded his head in recognition of the facts being presented to him as Tayte continued.
‘I spent a considerable amount of time trying to find out about Strobel—trying to understand why my mother might have been interested in him. I soon learned that researching a most-wanted war criminal, whom no one’s been able to find since the war ended, is no walk in the park. Coupled with the seemingly impossible task of trying to connect this man with a mother I know nothing about made the job of finding my family seem as impossible as ever.’
‘But something has given you hope?’ Langner said.
‘Possibly, which of course is why we’re here. I managed to identify a few people in Strobel’s family line, but no one wanted to talk to me about him. They all gave me the same answer—the answer I’m sure they’ve given to many Nazi hunters over the years. They said they knew nothing about him. They were ashamed of him and wanted to be left alone, and for the past to be left where they felt it belonged. So, after that avenue was closed to me, I returned to the archives and kept digging in the hope that I might turn something up. Then I found a reference to Volker Strobel that made it all the more imperative that I see you.’
‘Do you remember the magazines of the Hitler Youth?’ Jean asked. ‘One was called Will and Power. Issued bi-monthly.’