They stand up for peace in the world and preserve the memory of their comrades who sacrificed their lives for this peace: the members of the association "soldatenkameradschaft leutenbach mit landwehr". In a festive ceremony last friday, they remembered the founding and development of the association, commemorated deceased comrades and honored long-time members.
81-year-old alfred geck, for example, was honored for 60 years of association membership and also received the honorary cross on the blue ribbon in gold. "I was first a tank driver in the army and then joined the warriors’ association", he paid geck. It was a matter of conviction. "I was impressed by the unity and the fact that there were many old men with whom you could have a good chat", he recalled; and also that he earned ten marks a month and that the monthly bus pass to work in wiesenthau alone had cost 5.20 marks. 80-year-old franz drummer was a parachutist in the german army. "Yes, it took a lot of guts to jump out of there. And whoever pulled, got a shove from behind.", drummer laughingly. He came from the drummer inn, the club’s pub, so it was an honor that he became a member after the army. That was 60 years ago.
Richard alt, franz gotz, georg heid, hans ismeier, konrad roth and georg ruppert were honored for 40 years of membership.
The chairman of the board of the "soldatenkameradschaft leutenbach mit landwehr" (soldier comradeship leutenbach with landwehr), michael messingschlager, buried the guests and his predecessor igor lamprecht led through the entertaining program. Patron and mayor of leutenbach, florian kraft (), was pleased that he was allowed to take over the patronage for the first time in his term of office. But he was also concerned about the number of young people who lost their lives in the world wars. He reminded us that we have been living in a time of peace for a long time and called on the citizens to commit themselves to a peaceful europe and to go to the polls next sunday.
Lieutenant colonel michael kaiser stated in his presentation that at the end of the 18th century. First associations were founded as military and funeral associations at the end of the nineteenth century. The first was the "kyffhauserbund" in 1786 in the year of the death of friedrich the rough. This was also the year in which the first warriors’ association was founded in bavaria; in aying. 1872 the german warriors association was founded. They wanted to reconcile with the former enemies. In 1938, soldier and student associations were banned. After the second world war, however, the connections were rebuilt. Reinhold kraft reported in his lecture that the "veterans, warriors and military association of leutenbach" had been founded on 8. Had been founded in july 1894. The "landwehr there were already since 1812. "All landwehrmanner were members of the association", kraft reported and showed a picture of the grounding protocol. Konrad drummer was elected the first chairman of the club.
Rebels in national socialism
On 20. July 1939 the then district administrator issued the police order that the leutenbach warriors’ association be dissolved because the kunreuth gendarmerie station had unsuccessfully demanded that the members join the national socialist reichskriegerbund. "We were rebels", said kraft. In 1954, however, the club was re-founded. Reinhold kraft showed in his presentation many pictures from the past to the present.
After another piece of music by the musikkapelle pinzberg, other guests of honor congratulated the association and presented michael messingschlager with gifts. Hans schiener, president of the bavarian comrades and soldiers association, said that every activity for peace and freedom was a meaningful one. Heinrich von pollnitz spoke about the importance and the high value of comradeship. District administrator hermann ulm (CSU) praised the cooperation between the generations and matthias fischer from the volksbank presented a check for 500 euros. After the awards evening, the board of directors was satisfied and pleased that it had been such a success.