Due to the length of the war and the resulting shortage of personnel, the emergency service regulations were changed on January 22, 1943. This meant that the Navy, like the Air Force, was able to use underage anti-aircraft assistants from that day onwards. The first call-up date was February 15, 1943, and around 69,000 young people were initially available. Students born in 1926 and 1927, aged 15 to 17, received a call-up notice, which was sent out by the district administrator. From January 1944, students born in 1928 were also called up. In the same summer, students from vocational and commercial schools were also called up. The young people were initially deployed mostly near their homes, but later also further away from their homes. They received school lessons on site. The anti-aircraft assistants were obliged to fulfill their duties by repeating a declaration of commitment. There was a special disciplinary punishment code for cases of breach of duty. An "unauthorized departure from the troops" could be punished with death, although no cases are known. Their assignment of tasks was usually based on the physical and mental suitability of the helper. It was expressly forbidden to use the helpers for menial work, such as in the kitchen, mess, and cleaning services. Of all the anti-aircraft helpers deployed, the naval helpers on the North Sea coast were also assigned the worst of all. While there were anti-aircraft batteries in the interior of the Reich that did not fire a single shot during the entire war, the naval helpers on the North Sea coast were exposed to an almost constant air raid warning. This was due to the fact that the Allied bomber units inevitably had to cross the anti-aircraft positions of the coastal batteries on their way to targets in Germany, but also attacked them specifically. This is why they suffered the most losses. The forces on Heligoland and Wangerooge were hit particularly hard, being hit several times and ultimately devastatingly.Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flakhelfer

Marine helper of the Kugelbake anti-aircraft batteryPhoto source: Marine helper in the Kugelbake battery / 1995

As early as February 1943, we, the students in our class, were examined by the medical officer Dr. Zedelius to determine whether we could be employed after school. The fitness certificate stated: "1.2.1943 fit for naval helpers." This meant that we met the requirements for "pupils to be recruited for military service in the German youth navy."

The notice we received states, among other things: "The German youth of higher and middle schools are called upon to contribute to the defense of the fatherland in a way that is appropriate to their abilities, as has long been the case in other countries." The legal basis for this was the emergency service regulation of October 15, 1938, according to which students are called up for long-term emergency service until further notice and assigned to the navy. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we took our intermediate school leaving exams at school. We were then given our certificates on Saturday after a short ceremony. Sunday was our last day with the family. On the second day after we left school, Monday, we, the boys in our class, had to go to the schoolyard. We were picked up with military music and accompanied by the girls in our class.

We headed towards the Kugelbake battery. Everyone had their small suitcase or bag in their hand. We had been told what we had to take with us. No one really knew what would happen next. But we were all clear about one thing: after the bombing of Cuxhaven with the personal and material damage (8/9 May 1941 - direct hit on the clubhouse in Friedr.Karl-Str.: 30 dead, 8 injured), we wanted to help ensure that the enemy planes could not cause any further damage here. Although we were only 15 and 16 years old, we had the right motivation for the activities that would await us during the training.

After the long march to the battery, we were received by the battery commander and the sergeant, "the mother of the company". A short greeting followed. We spent the first night in emergency accommodation on mattresses in the common room of the staff barracks.

When we were given our uniforms, we were given a blue overall, which we wore as a work uniform, when on guard duty, during gun drills, gun cleaning and later also when shooting. We were also given a naval uniform. Unlike the soldiers of the Kriegsmarine, we had to wear a Hitler Youth armband and a “naval helper” sleeve stripe on our left arm. As headgear, we wore the ship’s cap, the so-called “Schiffchen”. An extensive search for small sizes began in the clothing store.

After we were given our uniforms, the ceremonial commitment took place in the battery, as we could not be sworn in because we were not yet of legal age. The artillerymen viewed our training with mixed feelings, because after we had been assigned to our combat stations, we were given our first assignments. This actually fulfilled the purpose. We were supposed to replace the soldiers at home so that they were free to go to the front. Unfortunately, this meant we had to say goodbye to some of our much-loved comrades. Source: Harald Schönemann/Marinehelfer in the Kugelbake battery from Cuxhaven

After two days in which we were temporarily housed in the common room, we were given a barracks as accommodation, which was halfway between the main gate and control station 2 outside the actual battery. After that, our training as naval assistants began, which was quite varied. Some were on the guns, others on the small command device, the control station and the three-car. Used to absorbing teaching and learning material from school, it was not difficult for us to quickly process the material presented here. The gun commanders and the other instructors often found it amusing how easily we found it to grasp the sometimes difficult topics. It was not long before we were recognized as full members of a gun crew or crew. After all, in addition to the anti-aircraft artillerymen, the naval assistants and us, as naval assistants, there were also Russians (volunteers) as ammunition men in the battery - a truly colorful bunch.

Corporal Kähler was our instructor for general subjects. He had a small separate room in our barracks and was constantly "cramming" for exams. Often the light from his lamp could still be seen under the door after the curfew. Wall to wall with us, his patience and forbearance were often put to the test, because things were sometimes very loud in our barracks and the walls were very thin. To our disadvantage, he quickly got to know each of his "people". During the heating period, he sometimes noticed that it was always nice and warm in our house. Coal and briquettes were allocated, but we always found a way to "get" heating material. An additional locker was always locked and, when the lockers were checked, always belonged to someone who was on leave or on guard duty. No one was allowed to know that our supply of coal and briquettes was stored there.

Corporal Kähler went through general artillery topics with us. It wasn't just about knowledge, but many of the key points had to be learned by heart. His plan included ballistics, the principles of the various types of shooting, holding up when firing anti-aircraft guns, the three-car and the small cog. In addition to these lessons, we actually preferred the training on the guns and equipment.

In addition to training on the Kleinkog (small command device - a calculator used in the battery that determined the shooting values from the measured values), I worked for a while in the control room on the rangefinder. During test measurements, it was determined that my values were very accurate. This meant that I was considered for more intensive training.

Hatten Höhen- und Seitenrichtnummer das Ziel In ihren Gläsern, so meldete ich: „E.M.-Ziel aufgefasst kommendes/gehendes Ziel” und hatte optisch die Zielentfernung zu ermitteln. Wenn die Batterie diese Werte später als Grundlage für das Schießen verwendete, war das oberstes Gebot: Ruhe halten und Konzentration. Ich war davon überzeugt, dass dies eine sehr wichtige Aufgabe im Funktionsablauf des Batterieschießens war. Die Erfahrungen, die ich an der 6m Basis der Batterie Kugelbake machte, kamen mir in der Folgezeit des Krieges zugute. Während der Einsätze auf dem Leichten Kreuzer "Köln’ war Ich am E-Meßgerät und zwar an einer 3m-Basis (Fla-E-Meß Fockmast) tätig.

Von Seiten der Artilleristen sah man unsere Ausbildung mit gemischten Gefühlen an, denn nachdem wir fest auf unseren Gefechtsstationen eingeteilt waren, gab es die ersten Abkommandierungen. Eigentlich war damit der Zweck erfüllt. Wir sollten die Soldaten in der Heimat ersetzen, damit sie frei für den Fronteinsatz wurden. Leider mussten wir auf diese Weise von manchem gern gesehenen Kameraden Abschied nehmen.
 
Quelle: Harald Schönemann/Marinehelfer in der Batterie Kugelbake aus Cuxhaven

So wie überall im Reich Jugendliche als Flak- und Marinehelfer eingezogen sind, so stehen auch Cuxhavener Jungen im Dienst der Kriegsmarine. Zwar sind sie nicht an Bord eingesetzt, doch leisten sie an Land bei der Marine-Artillerie trotz ihrer Jugend bereits vorbildliche Hilfsdienste. Einmal ist es in Cuxhaven die oberste Klasse der Oberschule für Jungen, die geschlossen als Marinehelfer eingesetzt sind, und zum anderen sind es die Schüler der Mittelschule "Hermann-Göring-Schule", die ebenfalls geschlossen bei der Marine-Artillerie helfen. Seit gut zwei Monaten sind nun diese Jungen eingesetzt, und die allererste Frage, die sich einem aufdrängt, wenn man über diese Marinehelfer schreiben will, ist natürlich: wie machen sie sich, sie, die doch bis auf die vormilitärische Ausbildung in der Hitlerjugend keine militärische Ausbildung erhielten, können sie schon zu praktischem Kriegsdienst eingesetzt werden, werden sie nicht im Fall der Gefahr versagen? Doch der Batteriechef, den wir fragten und auch seine Feldwebel und Unteroffiziere äußerten sich alle sehr anerkennend über ihre Marinehelfer. Die Jungen, die gerade von der Schule kommen, sind sehr aufnahmebereit, gelehrig, aufmerksam und sie begreifen schnell, worauf es ankommt und sind vor allem mit ganzem Herzen dabei. Sie spritzen wie der Wind durch die Befestigungen und handhaben am liebsten die verschiedenen zum Teil äußerst komplizierten Apparate. Jeder von ihnen ist heute in der Lage, jeden einem Marinehelfer zugewiesenen Posten zu besetzen.
 
Die Jungen werden nicht nur zum Einsatz ausgebildet, sondern erhalten auch gleichzeitig unter der Leitung von Ausbildungs-Unteroffizieren eine gründliche infanteristische Ausbildung, und wenn man heute einmal solch einer Ausbildungsstunde beiwohnt, so können die Jungen, die sich in ihrem Soldatenzeug von den Soldaten unterscheiden, ihr "Das Gewehr 98 besteht aus....." genauso schneidig herunterrasseln wie die zünftigen Rekruten. Untergebracht sind die Marinehelfer in einer eigenen Baracke. Sie haben einen eigenen Feierabendraum, bekommen weder Alkohol noch Rauchwaren wie die Soldaten und werden zu den Truppenbetreuungsveranstaltungen zugelassen, die jugendfrei sind. Die Verpflegung ist wie bei der Wehrmacht üblich - gut und reichlich, auch für genügend Schlaf wird gesorgt, indem den Jungen von Rechtswegen die ansehnliche Schlafzeit von neun Stunden zudiktiert wurde. Nachmittagsurlaub gibt es alle fünf bis sechs Tage, wo sie - da sie alle aus Cuxhaven stammen - sich daheim vorstellen können. Im Jahr gibt es zweimal Urlaub. Sonntags haben sie unter Führung eines Kameradschaftsführers regelrechten Übungsdienst, wie überhaupt die Betreuung durch die Truppe naturgemäß stark ist. Pro Tag gibt es eine Art Wehrsold. Für die ehemaligen Schüler der Mittelschule wird mit Ende dieses Monats bereits die Marinehelferzeit beendet sein - sie werden durch Schüler der Oberschule für Jungen abgelöst so daß sich diese Jungen dann ihrer Berufsausbildung widmen können. Da die Jungen der Oberschule neben ihrem Dienst als Marinehelfer noch Schulunterricht haben, können sie sich während ihres Einsatzes bei der Marine Artillerie, der ja in der Hauptsache ein Bereitschaftsdienst ist, gut persönlich weiterbilden. Beim Ausscheiden aus dem Marinehelferdienst und Übertritt in den Arbeits- oder Wehrdienst werden diese Jungen im Allgemeinen den Reifevermerk auf dem Abschlusszeugnis erhalten. So ist nun - wie bei den Feindmächten schon seit langem auch unsere Jugend zum Kriegseinsatz herangezogen. Aber wenn man die Jungen, durch Sport und Tätigkeit im Freien gekräftigt, braungebrannt und flink über die militärischen Anlagen laufen sieht, dann kann man wohl glauben, daß sie sich bei den Soldaten recht wohl fühlen. Fragt sie mal,-sie werden es Euch bestätigen.
 
Let.