Hitler Youth Gets American Mercy

Karl Arno Punzeller was born in Germany and raised during the Nazis rise in power. He was a leader of the Hitler Youth organization called Hitlerjugend, or HJ for short, in Monschau Germany. In 1945, when he was only sixteen years old, there is a photo of Karl listening to United States Army Sergeant Eric Hartmann of Albany, New York, translating his verdict of a life sentence in prison. See Karl Arno Punzeller, 16. Punzeller was originally sentenced to death for espionage which was the common sentence for the crime of spying on US troops. However, because of his age, the sentence was commuted. Witnessing the occasion was United States Army Major James D. Clemens of Bowling Green, Missouri. In 1955, many prisoners were pardoned and returned to Germany - there is no record of whether Karl was one of these or not. If you have more knowledge about the life of Karl after age 16, please share within this biography.