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Germany (1920)
Source:
Irmgard Koger (cousine) / Weingarten
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Ernst Friedrich was born on January 19, 1920 in the Baden community of Weingarten, a few kilometers northeast of the city of Karlsruhe. His mother Luise Friedrich was only seventeen years old when she gave birth to her son, and the father remained unknown to the child throughout his life. Luise Friedrich was and remained unmarried and had to raise her son alone. At that time, this was a particularly difficult situation for the young mother, because an illegitimate child was still considered something shameful. And so it is not surprising that her parents were also unhappy with her, since her father was of a grumpy nature anyway. Ernst Friedrich grew up in simple conditions under the shadow of circumstances. At school, he was teased by his classmates, but instead of accepting it, he tried very hard to gain their recognition. He finally succeeded in doing this in sport. He took up wrestling and soon won his first prizes. Even the local newspapers reported on the competitions and mentioned him by name. Later, the young Ernst Friedrich and a school friend went on a bike tour that took them both over the Alps to Lake Maggiore in Italy. A great achievement for the young, athletic man, at a time when there were no cross-country bikes or good roads.
Due to his financial situation, Ernst Friedrich was unable to attend a higher school. Instead, after completing primary school, he did an apprenticeship as a sheet metal worker, as the profession of plumber was also called in Baden. What prompted Ernst Friedrich to join the navy in 1938 is unfortunately no longer known. For his home region far from the sea, it was at least an unusual decision. In any case, his volunteer application was successful, and the eighteen-year-old started into basic training in 1938. He was later trained as an artillery mechanic and then went to sea. During the war, his ship was sunk and Ernst Friedrich had to endure several hours in the water before he was rescued with a swollen face and skin. He was immediately taken to a hospital and wrapped in cotton wool. After recovering from this experience and enjoying a home leave, he was given a new command, which unfortunately fell on the battleship Bismarck. Ernst Friedrich naturally had no idea of the impending disaster, he felt safe and was convinced that the Bismarck could not sink. However, he was tragically proven wrong.
The twenty-one-year-old mechanic did not survive the sinking of the Bismarck. He died on May 27, 1941.
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