Cabanga ngesiphepho seqhwa esinamandla kangaka, sishintsha ukuqwala izintaba kube umzabalazo wokuphila noma ukufa. Ngo-April 1954, iqembu labafundi nothisha laqala lokho okwakufanele kube ukuzijabulisa, kodwa ngokushesha kwaphenduka esinye sezenzakalo ezibuhlungu kakhulu emlandweni we-Alpine. Lena indaba yenhlekelele yase-Heilbronn Dachstein.
Entwasahlobo ka-1954, isixuku sase-Dachstein e-Upper Austria saba ufakazi buthule wenhlekelele eyayizothatha ukuphila kwabantu abayishumi nantathu. Abafundi abayishumi nothisha abane baseHeilbronn, eJalimane, bagibela umqansa obi, bengazi ngesiphepho esibulalayo seqhwa esasibalindile.
Kwakuphakathi neVeki Elingcwele, lapho abantu abangaba ngu-150, okuhlanganisa neqembu lase-Heilbronn Boys' Middle School, befika e-Obertraun Federal Sports School bezodla amaholide abo. Phakathi kwabo, iqembu elincane labayishumi nane, eliholwa uthisha uHans Georg Seiler, lihlele ukukhuphukela eKrippenstein ngoLwesine oluMaundy, Ephreli 15.
U-Willi Alfred Dengler, oneminyaka engu-16 ubudala, umfundi
U-Herbert Adolf Kurz, oneminyaka engu-15 ubudala, umfundi
UPeter Lehnen, oneminyaka engu-15 ubudala, umfundi
UPeter Eberhard Mössner, oneminyaka engu-16 ubudala, umfundi
URolf Richard Mössner, oneminyaka engu-14 ubudala, umfundi
U-Roland Georg Josef Rauschmaier, oneminyaka engu-15 ubudala, umfundi
UKarl-Heinz Rienecker, oneminyaka engu-16 ubudala, umfundi
UHans Werner Rupp, oneminyaka engama-24, uthisha
U-Hans Georg Seiler, oneminyaka engama-40, onguthisha (kweminye imithombo kubhalwe ukuthi: Sailer)
U-Kurt Seitz, oneminyaka engu-14 ubudala, umfundi
UDieter Steck, oneminyaka engu-16 ubudala, umfundi
U-Klaus Josef Strobel, oneminyaka engu-15 ubudala, umfundi
UChrista Doris Vollmer, oneminyaka engama-24, uthisha
Ngo-6:00 ekuseni leli qembu laphuma ehostela, lizimisele ngokuqala uhambo lwazo phezu kokuba isimo sezulu singesihle. Umoya wabo uphakeme. Nakuba umbiko wesimo sezulu wabonisa izimo ezikahle: amazinga okushisa aphansi, umoya ovela enyakatho-ntshonalanga, isibhakabhaka esiguqubele, kanye nemvula encane ngezikhathi ezithile. UHans wazisa abasebenzi basehostela ngomzila wabo nangesikhathi abalindele ukubuya ngaso ngo-6:00 ntambama
Nokho, njengoba isiphepho seqhwa sasishuba, bazishaya indiva izixwayiso eziphindaphindiwe ezivela kubantu bendawo nezisebenzi, kuhlanganise nonkosikazi waseSchönbergalm hut kanye nezisebenzi ezimbili zemoto yamakhebula ezazihla ku-support 5. Babengabantu bokugcina ukubona izisulu eziyishumi nantathu ziphila. . Ngisho noHildegard Mattes, omunye wothisha, wabuyela emuva ngemva kwamahora amabili, okuyisinqumo esasizosindisa ukuphila kwakhe. Abanye baqhubekile… endaweni engaziwa.
Ngo-6:00 ntambama, abafana ababengakhethwanga ukuyoqwala izintaba nothisha ababesele balindile. Kodwa kwadlula isigamu sehora, futhi kwakungekho zimpawu zeqembu. Umnikazi wehostela waqala ukukhathazeka, ikakhulukazi ngemuva kokuthi iqhwa elingalindelekile seliqalile ukuwa.
Izingcingo eziya emaqhugwaneni agudle umzila ohleliwe zaletha ukudideka. Akekho owayebabonile. Isiphepho seqhwa esibi kakhulu eminyakeni edlule, futhi leli qembu lalingatholakali ndawo. Lwaqala uvalo njengoba wonke umuntu ezama ukuhlanganisa okwenzekile.
Kungani iqembu lingajiki emuva? Kungani lungekho nolulodwa uphawu lwabo emzileni wabo? Impendulo yayilula: babengakaze balunyathele.
U-Hildegard Mattes, owayejike ngaphambili, waqaphela ukuthi umzila okwakuxoxwa ngawo awufani nalowo uHans ayeshiwo. Babazi-ke ukuthi iqembu lisenkingeni enkulu.
Naphezu kwezimo zokukhohlisa, amaqembu amabili amancane kodwa anolwazi aphuma ngalobo busuku. Omunye walahleka; omunye wabuya engazi lutho.
Ekuseni, ukuhlenga okukhulu kwe-alpine kuze kube manje kwaqala. Belandela izinyathelo zeqembu, ofakazi baqinisekisa ukuthi bathathe indlela ehlukile, eqhele ngamamayela ukusuka kumzila wokuqala.
Leli qembu lalibonwe endlini yezihambi cishe ngo-9:00 ekuseni, ibanga elingamakhilomitha amaningi ukusuka endaweni. UHans wakushaya indiva zonke izixwayiso mayelana nesiphepho, okwaholela iqembu engozini. Ukubonwa kokugcina kweqembu bekuyizithuba zabo-11:00 ekuseni
Abatakuli basezintabeni abangaphezu kuka-400, amaphoyisa ase-Alpine namavolontiya bahlola yonke indawo. Zahamba izinsuku zaba amasonto, imizamo yokuhlenga iqhubeka ize. Ezinsukwini eziyisishiyagalolunye kamuva, ngo-April 24, abatakuli bathola indawo yokukhosela yesikhashana futhi, ekugcineni, izidumbu ezigqitshwe eqhweni futhi ikhamera ithwebula iqiniso eliphazamisayo. Izithombe zaxoxa indaba ehlasimulisa umzimba. Kusukela ekuhlekeni nasekuhambeni kokuzijabulisa kuya emakhazeni, ekukhathaleni, futhi ekugcineni, kube mhlophe.
Kodwa kuze kube nguMeyi 28 lapho kutholwe khona izisulu ezimbili zokugcina. UHans Seiler kanye nomfana wesikole omncane kunabo bonke, uRolf Richard Mössner, wayeneminyaka engu-14 kuphela.
Njengoba kamuva kwavela, uHans wayengeyena umqwali wezintaba ayethi unguye. Waqamba amanga ngomzila, wazishaya indiva izixwayiso futhi wenza amacebo akhe angavamile. Iqembu lalilahlekelwe indlela ngenxa yesiphepho seqhwa futhi esikhundleni sokulandela indlela eya e-Krippenstein, laqhubeka likhuphuka libheke kwelinye icala. Njengoba bekhathele futhi belahlekile, bonke abayishumi nantathu banqotshwa amazinga okushisa abandayo. Ukuzidla kukaHans nokungahloniphi igunya ekugcineni kwaholela enhlekeleleni.
Ngemva kwalokho, kwakhiwa izikhumbuzo zokuhlonipha izisulu. Itshe emathuneni amakhulu ase-Heilbronn, indlu yesonto e-Krippenstein, kanye ne-Heilbronner Kreuz kuphawula izindawo lapho izimpilo zabantu abasha zalahleka khona.
Kodwa umbuzo osalayo: kungani uHans enza lokhu? Ngenkathi abafundi bakhe bemthanda, abanye ontanga babona uhlangothi olumnyama.
U-Hans waphikelela ngokuthi uyayazi into ayenzayo futhi wezwakala ekhuluma izinto ezinjengokuthi “bangabafana abancane, badinga nje ukuvivinya umzimba” futhi “kumele bazifudumeze”. Kubonakala sengathi izenzo zakhe ngalolo suku zaziqhutshwa ukunganaki ukuphepha nokucabangela ngokweqile amakhono akhe.
Umbuzo wecala waphikiswana ngawo kakhulu. Kwacutshungulwa icala lombango kodwa lagcina selihoxisiwe. UHans wakhokha inani elikhulu, kodwa akukho okwakungabuyisa lezo zingane.
Abanye baphikisa ngokuthi le nhlekelele yabangelwa ukungaqondi kahle, kuyilapho abanye bekholelwa ukuthi kwakuyisenzo semvelo esingenakugwenywa. Ekugcineni, ifa likaHans liyindaba eyisixwayiso. Isikhumbuzo sobuthakathaka bempilo kanye nemiphumela emibi ye-hubris.
