Augsburg is located just twenty-five miles west of Munich. Situated on the banks of the Lech River, it was an important Protestant city in an intensely Catholic region of the former kingdom of Bavaria. As World War II approached an unwitting populace in the late summer of 1939, the city had 180,039 inhabitants, of whom fifty-seven were members of the LDS Church. They met in rooms rented at Liebig Platz next to the Emelka Theater, according to the mission directory. [1] The meeting schedule was similar to other LDS branches in Germany, with Sunday School beginning at 10:00 a.m. and sacrament meeting at 7:00 p.m. The auxiliary organizations that existed held their meetings on Wednesday evenings—Mutual at 7:45 and Relief Society at 9:00. The priesthood holders met at the same time as the Relief Society, as well as on the first Sunday of each month at 11:30 a.m. With only three children of record, there was no Primary organization at the time.

The leader of the Augsburg Branch in July 1939 was an American missionary, Stanford Poulson. His first counselor was a local member, Otto Wintermayr. Elder Poulson’s mission companion at the time was Erich W. Bauer, apparently a native of Germany, who was serving as the second counselor. It is not known as of this writing whether Brother Wintermayr was designated as branch president when Elder Poulson left Germany on August 26 or whether Elder Bauer left Augsburg as well.

The city of Augsburg attracted the attention of the Allied air forces. At least 1,499 persons are known to have lost their lives in attacks on the city, while an additional 9,500 Augsburg men lost their lives in fighting away from home. On April 28, 1945, the US Seventh Army entered the city with no resistance. The conquerors found that at least 25 percent of the city’s dwellings had been destroyed. Experts evaluated the losses at 155,000,000 Reichsmark. [3] Several members of the Augsburg Branch disappeared during the air raids and were never seen again.

As of this writing, no eyewitness testimonies or reports could be located to describe the life of the Latter-day Saints in Augsburg from 1939 to 1945. It is known only that the branch was still functioning when the war ended, though a substantial percentage of the membership had died or were killed by 1945.

In Memoriam

The following members of the Augsburg Branch did not survive World War II:

August Anhalt b. Wittislingen, Schwaben, Bayern, 9 Sep 1923; adopted son of Friedrich Josef Anhalt and Sofie Ackermann; bp. 3 Aug 1935; conf. 3 Aug 1935; navy; corporal; k. in battle 21 or 26 Dec 1942 or 1943 (CR Augsburg Branch, FHL microfilm 68783, no. 3; CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 725; www.volksbund.de; IGI)

Erich Willy Bauer b. Zschornewitz, Bitterfeld, Sachsen, 24 Jun 1919; son of Robert Alfred Bauer and Marie Sofie Wassmuss; bp. 30 Jun 1927; conf. 3 Jul 1927; ord. deacon 26 Aug 1934; ord. priest 27 Mar 1938; ord. elder 19 Mar 1939; m. 21 Aug 1943, Adina Blechschmidt; corporal; d. wounds field hospital at Brest-Litowsk, Belarus, 23 or 28 Oct 1943 (no. 61; CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 926; FHL microfilm 25719, 1925 and 1930 censuses; www.volksbund.de; IGI)

Lydia Heck b. Hohengehren, Jagstkreis, Württemberg, 30 Jan 1892; dau. of Christian Heck and Karoline Wolf; bp. 23 Jan 1925; conf. 23 Jan 1925; m. Friedrich Alwin Queitsch; missing as of 20 Jul 1946 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 347; FHL microfilm 271398, 1925 and 1935 censuses)

Herbert Heinhaus b. Barmen, Jülich, Rheinprovinz, 5 Aug 1914; son of Walter Heinhaus and Klara Gutjahr; bp. 14 May 1938; conf. 14 May 1938; ord. deacon 18 Dec 1938; m. 7 Sep 1939 Anni Wein; k. in battle Ukraine 14 Sep 1941 (no. 55; CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 765; IGI)

Helga Elisabeth Heinhaus b. Augsburg, Augsburg, Bayern, 23 Aug 1941; dau. of Herbert Heinhaus and Anni Wein; missing as of 20 Jul 1946 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 955)

Wolfgang Herbert Heinhaus b. Augsburg, Augsburg, Bayern, 13 Mar 1940; son of Herbert Heinhaus and Anni Wein; missing as of 20 Jul 1946 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 932)

Xaver Franz Klughammer b. Göggingen, Augsburg, Bayern, 11 Nov 1905; son of Anselm Männer or Menner and Philomina Häring; bp. 6 Apr 1928; conf. 6 Apr 1928; d. neurological disease 7 Feb 1945 (no. 11; CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 517; FHL microfilm 271380, 1930 and 1935 censuses)

Ludwig Josef Lang b. München, München, Bayern, 4 Jun 1917; son of Ludwig Janner and Rosa Marie Theresia Lang; bp. 25 Sep 1930; conf. 25 Sep 1930; ord. deacon 2 Oct 1932; m. 3 or 6 or 10 Feb 1940, Kreszentia Senkmajer; corporal; k. in battle Jabokrok, Russia, 21 Apr 1944; bur. Potelitsch, Ukraine (no. 13; KGF; CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 654; www.volksbund.de; IGI)

Franz Xaver Lutz b. Augsburg, Augsburg, Bayern, 20 Oct 1926; son of Georg Lutz and Kreszentia Hehl/Kehl; bp. 22 Jun 1937; conf. 22 Jun 1937; missing as of 20 Jul 1946 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 750)

Erich Queitsch b. Esslingen, Württemberg, 2 Jan 1915; son of Friedrich Queitsch and Karoline Leiss; bp. 23 Jan 1925; conf. 23 Jan 1925; missing as of 20 Jul 1946 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 343; FHL microfilm 271398, 1925 and 1935 censuses)

Friedrich Alwin Queitsch b. Filtan, Sachsen, 3 Mar 1883; son of August Karl Queitsch and Pauline Kirsten; bp. 23 Jan 1925; conf. 23 Jan 1925; missing as of 20 Jul 1946 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 344; FHL microfilm 271398, 1925 and 1935 censuses)

Fritz Queitsch b. Esslingen, Neckarkreis, Württemberg, 28 Dec 1909; son of Friedrich Queitsch and Karoline Leiss; bp. 23 Jan 1925; conf. 23 Jan 1925; missing as of 20 Jul 1946 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 345; FHL microfilm 271398, 1925 and 1935 censuses)

Otto Karl Queitsch b. Esslingen, Neckarkreis, Württemberg, 6 Aug 1911; son of Friedrich Queitsch and Karoline Leiss; bp. 23 Jan 1925; conf. 23 Jan 1925; missing as of 20 Jul 1946 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 348; FHL microfilm 271398, 1925 and 1935 censuses)

Willy Paul Queitsch b. Esslingen, Neckarkreis, Württemberg, 4 May 1913; son of Friedrich Queitsch and Karoline Leiss; bp. 23 Jan 1925; conf. 23 Jan 1925; missing as of 20 Jul 1946 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 350; FHL microfilm 271398, 1925 and 1935 censuses)

Mina Richter b. Augsburg, Augsburg, Bayern, 2 Sep 1876; dau. of August Richter and Pauline Östreicher; bp. 1 Aug 1937; conf. 1 Aug 1937; m. Johann Seidel; d. 3 Mar 1944 (no. 36)

Christine Schramm b. Augsburg, Augsburg, Bayern, 5 Aug 1890; dau. of Matthias Schramm and Walburga Vaumann; bp. 1 Nov 1930; conf. 1 Nov 1930; m. —— Braun; d. lung ailment 22 Sep 1940 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 644; IGI)

Elise Emilie Schreitmüller b. Bertenbreit, Kaishaim, Bayern, 15 Jun 1923; dau. of Johann Schreitmüller and Emilie Wörnle; bp. 5 Nov 1933; conf. 5 Nov 1933; d. stomach operation 9 Aug 1940 (CHL microfilm 2447, pt. 26, no. 652; FHL microfilm 245258, 1930 census; IGI)

Beno Senkmayer b. Augsburg, Augsburg, Bayern, 11 Jun 1913; son of Emilian Senkmayer and Kreszintia Hoermann; bp. 1 Sep 1929; conf. 1 Sep 1929; m. 1 Jun 1940, Maria Durner; MIA near Iwan See or Naswa Fluss or Pakalowo or Tschernosem 1 Jun 1944 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 623; FHL microfilm 245261, 1935 census; www.volksbund.de)

Joseph Spendler b. München, München, Bayern, 1 May 1900; son of Maria Spendler; bp. 3 Mar 1914; conf. 3 May 1914; m. 5 Sep 1931, Karolina ——; missing as of 20 Jul 1946 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 711; FHL microfilm 245272, 1935 census)

Kreszenzia Wolf b. Augsburg, Ausgburg, Bayern, 12 Apr 1913; dau. of Josef Wolf and Viktoria Mayer; bp. 20 Jan 1929; conf. 20 Jan 1929; m. Nov 1934, Artur Hatmann; missing as of 20 May 1943 (CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 588)

Elisabeth Agatha Zoller b. Augsburg, Augsburg, Bayern, 12 May 1943; dau. of Hans Zoller and Sophie Kerner; bl. 6 Jun 1943; d. croup 18 Aug 1943 (no. 73; CHL CR 375 8 2445, no. 982; IGI)

Notes

[1] West German Mission branch directory, 1939, CHL LR 10045 11.

[2] Presiding Bishopric, “Financial, Statistical, and Historical Reports of Wards, Stakes, and Missions, 1884–1955,” 257, CHL CR 4 12.

[3] Augsburg city archive.