They fought on opposite sides of World War II, but a German Secret Service officer and a U.S. Seaman stood next to each other recently in a Santa Margarita Catholic classroom.
The octogenarians told tales and answered questions about the war to end all wars in Scott McIntosh’s World War II class. McIntosh, who has been teaching for 11 years and at Santa Margarita for 10, called it one of the top three classes he has ever had. “It was pretty intense,” he said.
So intense that even after the bell rang for lunch, students remained glued to their seats for another 10 minutes.
At the center of attention were Dr. Werner Langer, 85, a lieutenant in the Waffen SS, and Ernesto "Ernie" Schimmer, 85, a Seaman First Class in the American Navy. They made two halves to a unique whole in a remarkable day in the classroom.
Schimmer was a Southern California kid. He graduated from Santa Monica High in 1943 and joined the U.S. Navy. He traveled throughout the Pacific and served as a powderman on the big gun of the U.S.S. Kalinin Bay. The escort carrier was the adjacent ship, in Tokyo Bay, to the U.S.S. Missouri on which Douglas MacArthur was among those who formally accepted the Japanese surrender on Sept. 2, 1945.
READ ABOUT THIS MEETING FROM A STUDENT'S PERSPECTIVE
Langer was 15 when he met German dictator Adolf Hitler, and he was in boot camp three years later. He was in special forces that laid low during the day and killed Russians at night. He was eventually captured and taken as a prisoner of war.
Langer emphasized that he was not a member of the Nazi party. “He got a little fired up about not being a Nazi now or then, but you’re pretty much thrust into what you’re going to do,” McIntosh said.
Langer was the real attraction. He converted to Christianity in 1957. A member of Hitler youth, McIntosh said “he spoke highly of Germany but he did not speak highly of Hitler."
Students said the two men “brought to life” a part of history they had been studying in the elective course. In the first semester McIntosh teaches about the Civil War, the second semester is devoted to WWII. For four years he has had veterans speak to the class, but it’s the first time he had someone who fought for the other side.
“I would say it’s definitely one of the top three classes of my career in the sense that you see the history come alive,” McIntosh said. “The very first time I had two World War II vets come in was pretty special. It was the first time I had ever heard them speak. But this is definitely up there.”
Though he may have been fighting on behalf of Germany almost seven decades ago, Langer had some good advice for those rapt audience members.
“Be proud Americans,” he said, “and stand up for your people.”
My respects for Dr. Werner Langer, a lot of desinformation has been poured over them since the end of the war.
Initially, the SS was organized as a second layer of protection for Adolf Hitler, and only those who were racially pure (no Jewish ancestors) were admitted. In addition, SS members had to be in excellent physical shape and at least six feet tall. The SS was radically expanded during the Second World War, and entry requirements were relaxed of necessity. The mission of the SS also expanded. Members of the SS were responsible for overseeing mass executions of the racially unsuitable, and committed unspeakable atrocities against the Allies, including the execution of American prisoners of war. After 1945, the SS and the Nazi Party were banned in Germany as criminal organizations. The Waffen-SS, which Mr. Langer apparently entered in 1944, consisted of frontline combat units, but many of these units also committed horrific atrocities, particularly on the Eastern Front. Students should know that service in the Waffen-SS is not admirable in any way.
This seems to me to be a terrific method by which HISTORY can be taught to students. It has been said by Alex Haley that "history is written by the winners." How wonderful that these students have been provided the opportunity to learn something from both sides of a conflict that ended long before they, or their parents, were born. Kudos to Mr. McCook for his assistance in arranging for this presentation.
"Langer emphasized that he was not a member of the Nazi party" I am incredulous at the emphatic denial. Did anyone in the class ask how it'd be possible for someone not in the Nazi party rise to the rank of a lieutenant in the Waffen SS? This the Waffen SS that Hitler groomed as an elite force. Wikipedia sometimes gets hacked to reinforce that Palin was right and Revere was wrong, but take a look at Mr. Schumaker's link. It does not add up. I have no issues that Mr. Langer is accepted as a reformed ex-war-criminal, but it is puzzling if not disingenuous to claim that he was never a Nazi member. I wonder how it'd go down if we got an ex- al Qaeda operative standing next to a NYPD policeman to present 'both sides' of 9/11. Would we have a discussion of the Holocaust with both sides presented? Maybe even a third side which would deny the Holocaust? Balance is good, raw footage is gripping, but should it at least be vetted to ensure that it is authentic? “he spoke highly of Germany but he did not speak highly of Hitler." Well, what do you think WW II Germany was? An overwhelmingly Christian nation that was supportive of Hitler and his actions, especially against the Jews, the rarity of a Schlindler, the obscure group on an NBC movie of the week, and Tom 'Valkyrie' Cruise notwithstanding. No one asked him these things?
There are and always have been U.S. Armed Forces fighting under the command of both Democratic and Republican Commander In Chiefs. This did not make them Republican or Democratic Party Members. Germans were forced into military service and this did not make them all Nazis (National Socialists). This no defense of the WWII atrocities but, Dr Langer was not a Nazi and did not participate in any horrific acts against Jews.
There is no one in RSM more supportive than myself of The United States Military, our country, the protection of Jews and Israel.
I read your entire indicated website and it indicated that only one Waffen SS group was assigned to concentration camp duty. Thanks for sharing. Let us hope that these atrocities never occur again! Also, do not ever let us forget the genocide of Armenians, Yugoslavians, Bulgarians and Africans. What sordid history!
With regard to Mr. Langer, I do not object to debriefing a Waffen SS officcer on his experiences. I do object to the false moral equivalency that is implied when you put a U.S. sailor and a member of the Waffen SS on the stage together. To repeat, the Waffen SS was declared a criminal organization at Nuremberg, and its members do not deserve the honor normally accorded to soldiers who fight for their country.
If the students learned nothing but that lesson about people, Mr. McCook has truly done kids a great favor and our society a great service by giving up an hour of his class time.
Thank you for the nice comments. My father also served during WWII as a Corpsman in the U.S. Army and afterward in the U.S. American Legion . I have been driving WWII veterans around Orange County to speak at schools for a number of years. We lost two of these outstanding veterans last December. One was a highly decorated USAAF Major P-38 fighter pilot and the other a Master Chief in the USN who was assigned to a special mission in Africa for the OSS. I continue to miss these two true heroes tremendously. Larry