Wolf children in Lithuania - The forgotten orphans of World War Two | DW Documentary

Key Concepts

• Wolf's Kinda (Wolf Children): East Prussian children who fled to Lithuania during and after World War II, often orphaned or separated from their families, and who survived by begging or working for food.
• East Prussia: A historical German province, whose territory was divided between the Soviet Union and Poland after World War II.
• Mass Exodus: The large-scale, forced departure of people from a region, in this case, East Prussian civilians fleeing the advancing Red Army.
• Lithuanianization: The process by which East Prussian children in Lithuania were given Lithuanian names and forbidden to speak German, often to assimilate them and erase their German identity.
• Forced Labor: The compulsory employment of individuals, often under harsh conditions and for little or no pay, as experienced by many women in Soviet farms.
• Remembrance Tour: Organized trips for former "Wolf Children" to revisit their former homeland in Lithuania.
• Day of Remembrance for the Wolfkinda: An annual event in Lithuania to commemorate the experiences of these children.

The Plight of East Prussian Children During and After WWII

The Second World War drastically altered the lives of East Prussian children, transforming their childhoods from idyllic to a desperate struggle for survival. Prior to October 20th, 1944, life was described as "heaven on earth," but the following day marked the beginning of a forced exodus by horse and cart. East Prussia, once the northeasternmost province of the German Reich, was divided after the war: its northern part fell to the Soviet Union, and its southern part to Poland.

The Red Army's Advance and its Consequences

As the Red Army advanced, it exacted revenge on Nazi Germany, leading to a mass exodus of civilians. The transcript vividly describes the horrors witnessed: "So many dead people, empty suitcases lying open, and I saw quite a few teddy bears. Then I saw the first Russian Red Army soldiers and so many, many women screaming. They were raped right there on the road." In the former East Prussia, tens of thousands, particularly in and around Königsberg, perished from famine and disease. Many children were left orphaned.

The "Wolf Children" in Lithuania

Approximately 20,000 of these orphaned children fled to neighboring Lithuania, facing starvation and surviving by working for meager rations of bread or begging for necessities. They became known as "Wolf's Kinda" or "wolf children" due to their solitary and precarious existence in a hostile world.

Personal Testimonies and Traumatic Experiences

The video features the testimonies of several elderly survivors, highlighting their deeply traumatic experiences.

Johanna Ruga's Journey

Johanna Ruga, 91 years old, recounts her flight to Danzig with her mother and sisters. They endured days of waiting in the bitter cold for a ship. She describes a harrowing incident on the ship: "And there was a woman screaming with two boys. They were screaming and freezing. It was January and they had nothing on. And suddenly the woman went crazy. She threw the two boys overboard into the ice flows and jumped after them. That was the first time in my life that I lost faith in humanity."

Later, as "Reich Germans" (those who arrived in Poland after 1939), they were forced to leave, even the children. The journey back was particularly traumatic, marked by the fear of the approaching Russians. Johanna describes an encounter where Russian soldiers, suspecting her mother was hiding, beat her and her sisters. In desperation, she lied about her mother's whereabouts, leading to a terrifying search in the woodpile.

Louisa Keech's Survival and Lithuanianization

Louisa Keech, 85 years old and chairwoman of the Adal Vice Wolf Children Association, was four years old when she fled Königsberg with her aunt. Her mother, overwhelmed with four other children, likely perished. Louisa remembers crawling over a pile of human corpses alone. She spent time in a children's home, constantly hungry and thirsty, hoping for her family's return, which never happened. She narrowly avoided being taken to Russia by Russian soldiers.

Louisa's experience in Lithuania involved "Lithuanianization." She was given a Lithuanian name and forbidden to speak German. She recalls being punished severely for speaking German, even in secret. The German language was associated with the occupying Wehrmacht, making it risky to be German. Many East Prussian children remained invisible, some forgetting their language and names, feeling homeless. Louisa, unlike many others, was allowed to attend school, but the trauma of her past and the suppression of her identity left a lasting mark.

Ursula Dorne's Search for Her Father

Ursula Dorne, 90 years old, is another "wolf child" whose siblings starved to death near Königsberg. She struggled and begged in Lithuania for years, holding onto the hope that her father had survived. It wasn't until 2006 that she learned from the missing persons service that her father had died in Labinsk, Russia, in 1946.

The Harsh Realities of Survival

The transcript details the extreme hardships faced by these children.

Begging and Traveling

Johanna, at 11 years old, traveled with her younger sisters to Lithuania to beg. They rode freight trains, jumping on as they started moving, and walked long distances. They crossed the May River via pontoon bridges after the main bridge was blown up, a dangerous crossing where children exhausted from hunger and fatigue drowned.

Living Conditions and Psychological Impact

The children traveled in groups of 6 to 8, sleeping in barns or under trees, constantly searching for food. The feeling of hunger was unforgettable. Even in their dire circumstances, moments of simple joy, like finding pebbles to put in their mouths, provided solace. A poignant anecdote describes a dying girl who spoke of a table set for dinner and people waving her to come, illustrating the children's altered perception of reality and their longing for peace and belonging.

The Church of the Archangel Gabriel

Johanna found refuge at the Church of the Archangel Gabriel in Ces, where nuns provided food, clothing, and washing facilities. This sanctuary offered a brief respite from their ordeal.

The Legacy of the "Wolf Children"

The experiences of the "Wolf Children" have had a profound and lasting impact on their lives.

Invisibility and Adaptation

Historian Christopher Schbatz, who interviewed over 50 eyewitnesses, notes that these individuals were "strong people and lone fighters." They trained themselves to be invisible and adapt, rarely becoming politically active. Their journeys were driven by inner strength and the existential realization that they could only rely on themselves.

Reconnecting with Identity

With Lithuania's independence in 1990, the "Wolf Children" began to speak about their past. Louisa's daughter initially reacted with disbelief and outrage when told her mother was German, highlighting the generational gap in understanding the horrors of war.

The Fate of Families

Louisa eventually learned that her biological mother was shot by soldiers when she was unable to walk and holding her youngest child. While Louisa found her siblings through the Red Cross, her brothers, influenced by their wives, refused to see her, viewing her as a "Russian sister." She found solace with her sisters.

Post-War Lives and Lingering Trauma

Johanna was transported to East Germany in 1948, becoming a financial clerk and raising a family. However, she faced suspicion in the GDR for refusing to join the Society for German Soviet Friendship.

The "Day of Remembrance for the Wolf Children" in Lithuania serves as a vital platform for acknowledging their past, though many survivors are no longer alive. Some East Prussian children moved to Germany, but not all fully integrated or relearned the language.

The Deeply Ingrained Fear of Hunger

The transcript highlights the enduring impact of hunger. One survivor always carried a large red bag with sandwiches, explaining, "this hunger is so deeply ingrained in the brain. You have to be ready for anything." Many asked if there would be enough to eat in Germany, demonstrating the deep psychological scars left by their experiences.

Gratitude and Lasting Scars

The survivors express deep gratitude to the Lithuanians for their help, without which thousands would have perished. However, the years of hardship left indelible marks. Johanna, for instance, initially struggled with the concept of marriage and affection, having never witnessed it as a child. The trauma of witnessing suffering and death, like the women in Danzig, made it difficult for her to form intimate relationships. Ultimately, she found happiness, but the journey was long and arduous.