Willi Herold, the Emsland Executioner - Part I: THE BOY

Willi Herold remains in the German consciousness as a notoriously cruel and inscrutable figure - what made this nineteen year old boy orchestrate a terrible massacre against his own countrymen and fellow soldiers? In the first part of my trilogy, I attempt to paint a picture of Herold’s early life and shed some light on his personality and background. When I was researching the case, I was frustrated that nobody seemed to talk much about his life before Aschendorfermoor. Herold was born in 1925 - the same year as my own grandfather. I thought to myself: “It’s not that long ago. There must be someone back in his home town who remembers this boy.“ And so I went to Lunzenau myself to ask about him, and to my surprise, discovered a treasure trove of information. 00:00 - Introduction 01:50 - Sources 04:20 - Childhood 07:59 - Lunzenau: a village full of life 17:55 - Adolescence 27:52 - Reich Labor Service in France 28:30 - War 29:44 - Summer of 1944: the first &