Rendition of “Iconic” 1936 photo seems to prove — the wrong guy has been accredited — as being ‘lone hero’.
An artist’s 2020 rendition titled, “Maskquerade” — of an infamous 1936 photographic image known as “Just one refused the Nazi salute” seems to have uncovered the fact that the wrong guy has been accredited as being him.
Being a “blogger” looking out for fresh-subject matter to write about, especially when it comes to photographs and works of art in general; I could see this new version of — the 1936 original “Just one refused the Nazi salute”— was causing some kind of controversy on Twitter — in regards to its origins, — and that some people actually thought those wearing the masks were part of a contemporary photograph — as it appeared they were unaware of the 1936 original.
I then contacted the artist Al Terego and asked him what he thought about controversy online, — and more importantly — what prompted him to recreate the 1936 image of “Just one refused the Nazi salute?”
Here’s what he said; “Haha, it’s not surprising my version is causing some kind of controversy, though to be honest, I was half-expecting it. Basically, it was following the 2020 COVID-19 virus outbreak that has seen the world in virtual lock-down, the wearing of masks mandatory in some countries, — and with many people refusing to wear them, — thus causing a “divide” between those -pro, — or anti-mask-wearing in public.” — “And it was this “divide” that reminded me of the original 1936 photograph, — where you can see one lone-guy refusing to comply “with the rules” so to speak — which in them days in Germany, — was to give the Nazi salute whenever you greeted another member of the Nazi party.”
Terego, continues; “It wasn’t until I researched into the background of this photograph, alleged to have been August Landmesser, that it seemed to me it was used as a propaganda tool for “the left”, — as the man in the photograph refusing to give the Nazi salute was more likely to have been Gustav Wegert (1890–1959), also a metalworker at Blohm+Voss who habitually refused to give the Nazi salute on religious grounds. His son has since presented documentation of Wegert’s employment at Blohm+Voss at that time, and family photos which resemble the man in the famous photo, as evidence of his claim.”
I asked Terego, how did he come to this conclusion, — and was Al Terego his real name — and he replied; “Well, one, the photo wasn’t “made public” until quite recent times as it was first published on 22 March 1991 in Die Zeit, a German newspaper. Two, it’s then alleged the “lone hero” was identified as being August Landmesser by a woman named Irene Eckler, the alleged daughter of Irma Eckler, who its said gave birth to two girls (Ingrid, on 29 October 1935, and Irene sometime in 1937) — and that August Landmesser was the father. And three, it seems “Lansmesser” was more befitting to use as the “lone hero”, due to his alleged persecution for dating and having children with a Jewish woman, — and that Gustav Wegert’s version of events didn’t quite fit their remit.
Terego continued; “I recommend you look further into the subject yourself, — as to me the story doesn’t seem right. I say this, as like already said the photograph wasn’t seen by the public until 55 years after it was taken. Such an iconic image, yet we still do not know who the actual photographer was. It seems the photograph was then released by Die Zeit in 1991 and that over the following five or so years — no one came forward to claim who “the lone hero” was refusing to make a Nazi salute, — when all of a sudden and sometime prior to Irene Eckler publishing her book titled; ‘The Guardianship Documents 1935–1958: Persecution of a Family for “Racial Disgrace’ — she came forward claiming it was her father in that photograph. — Oh yeah, is my real name Al Terego? — No, its a pseudonym and means Altered Ego, a kind of Australian Strine.”
What’s Strine, I asked, — and how did he know ‘…that over the following five years or so, no one came forward to claim who “the unknown man” was in -, the photograph?
H e replied; “What’s Strine?— Look it up! — Well, like most people when they see such a powerful image as in the photograph in question, “they” too wanted to know ‘Who is that guy?’ — Therefore it was published several times from 1991 to 1995 — and when another German newspaper, the “Hamburger Abendblatt” — appealed to its readers ‘if anyone recognised the ‘lone hero’ in the photograph” — I then read a blog titled 1936 — Just one refused the Nazi salute written by members of the Wegert family in defence of Gustav being the “lone hero” in the 1936 photograph. It reads; ‘…when on a November morning in 1995, whilst seeing a copy of the photograph in the “Hamburger Abendblatt”, a chap named Wolfgang Wegert, states; ‘…without even reading the article I said to my surprised wife, that I discovered my father — Gustav Wegert’.
I must admit I was quite blown away by this revelation, as like so many others, I couldn’t understand as to why the “acclaim” had not been given to the “correct person”, Gustav Wegert, — and instead to August Landmesser in which it does in the Wikipedia page about him? On saying that, there is an entry that reads; The identity of the man in the photograph is not known with certainty. Another family claims it is Gustav Wegert (1890–1959), a metalworker at Blohm+Voss who habitually refused to salute on religious grounds. — Yet the “evidence” is compelling that it could not be August Landmesser, and more like Gustav Wegert, — that for the sake of integrity and honesty lets hope that one day it will be amended.
Terego, went on the say why; “It seems that despite Wolfgang Wegert being totally convinced it was his own father Gustav Wegert in the photograph, he waited several days to see who else may answer to the appeal. And that’s when some days later the newspaper reported that the alleged daughter of a man named August Landmesser believed that was him in the picture.” Wolfgang went on to say, ‘…that in connection with this information the newspaper published the story of the persecution of Mr Landmesser because of his Jewish fincée. Deeply moved by this story he did not inform the newspaper,’— even though he was 100% convinced that the “hero” in that picture must have been his father’, — and his own family photographs seem to back up his story, he didn’t contact the newspaper in question, as at the time he felt it would be seen as insensitive as to what was being said by Irene Eckler.”
Terego goes onto say, “I too, do not wish to be insensitive about this matter, and that perhaps somehow Irene Eckler was coerced into thinking the man in the photo was her father August Landmesser. However, the evidence I have seen, and logic seems to not be on her side, — for if you look into her story it would appear at the very latest, around 1941, though it seems earlier, Irene would have been around 4 years old when it's alleged she could have last seen her father August Landmesser — if of course she ever did.”
“On 29 October 1935, August Landmesser and Irma Eckler’s first daughter, Ingrid, was born. Around 1937, Irma Eckler was again pregnant, and it was around this time August Landmesser was charged and found guilty in July 1937 of “dishonouring the race” under Nazi racial laws, this means Irene was aged around 4 years old at this time. Ingrid Eckler was later allowed to live with her maternal grandmother, while Irene went to the home of foster parents in 1941.” — Terego finally says before ending our conversation, “This means she was a very young child when it’s said, “she last see her father”. It seems the only photograph in existence and used as “evidence” as it being of the “lone hero” in the 1936 photo seen above and below — is all Irene has to go by-I find it impossible to believe she would be able to recognise him in the 1936 photograph, whereas in the case of Wolfgang Wegert, he clearly has photographs of his father, Gustav Wegert, and who so happens to look exactly like the ‘lone hero’ in the photograph, with a family “history” that seems to fit his overall demeanour back in those days.”
Terego then gave me a link, to a “blog” (as mentioned and seen above) written by the Wegert family — and where the following comes from as does the photograph of Gustav Wegert. It reads; “His general behaviour during the time of the Nazis fits exactly to the worker in the picture. Both my father himself and my mother, as well as many friends and a fellow worker, told me again and again, that Gustav never raised his arm for the Nazi salute. From the beginning of the Nazi regime, this was his basic principle. If someone greeted him with “Heil Hitler”, he answered with a simple “Guten Tag” (which means “Have a good day”). My mother told me oftentimes about her anxiety that her husband could get imprisoned after he received several warnings. It was a miracle in her eyes that this did not happen.”
Then in addition to this, I could further see someone else had called into question the validity of Irene Eckler’s claim as to her father being the “lone hero”, in a blog titled; The German Non-Saluter Myth October 26, 2014. In the blog, it covers even more outstanding evidence, such as; ‘…AL had been, in 1938, put into a prison camp and he may have been made to do war work subsequently in 1939. However, as we have seen, the picture actually dates from 1936 when AL had not yet been to prison and when there was, in any case, no proof that he was working in the shipyard (quite the opposite)’.
And that since reading that blog, the Wegert’s families take on the matter and their evidence presented, I too now believe it is indeed Gustav Wegert in the 1936 — “Just one refused the Nazi salute” photograph, — and that it was not August Landmesser — that the world has falsely been led to believe — and high time this “error” was made-right and full accreditation given to Gustav Wegert and his family.
