Yes. He enrolled in the Nazi youth movement when he was 14 in 1941 because membership was compulsory.

In 1943, he was forced to join a Nazi anti-aircraft unit as a helper; a year later he was sent to the Austrian-Hungarian border to construct tank barriers.

He deserted the German army in May 1945. When he returned home, American soldiers took him prisoner and held him for several weeks.

Upon his release, he entered the seminary.

Photograph: German Catholic News Agency KNA via Getty Images

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