Treffen Tuesday

“I was the oldest and had to take care of everyone” – The Story of Ludwig Schaaf

The thirty-five year period between the Russian Revolution in 1917 and post-World War II imposed unimaginable suffering and horrors upon our German relatives who lived in the Soviet Union. This presentation is centered on the life of Ludwig Schaaf, who was born in the Ukraine SSR in 1931. The Soviet Union was subject to the absolute rule of Joseph Stalin at the time and Schaaf experienced this most difficult time period. This presentation will tell two parallel stories. One will discuss some of the pivotal historical events that affected the ethnic Germans living in the USSR from 1930 to 1952. The other details the remarkable story of how the Schaaf family survived these calamities.

Historical events discussed will include:

Schaaf’s story illustrates how ethnic Germans in the USSR coped with these events. His biography, written by Jillian Fortin, provides the basis for this presentation.

Wayne Garman grew up on a mixed farm southeast of the town of Allan, Saskatchewan, Canada, a predominantly Germans from Russia town near Saskatoon in central Saskatchewan. Both of his parents were descendants of Germans from Russia. His father’s family came from the villages of Elsass and Strassburg of the Kutschurgan region northwest of Odessa. His mother’s family is Mennonite, and came from the Chortitza region, northeast of the Black Sea, from the village of Neu Chortitza. History has always been one of Wayne’s interests. Upon semi‐retirement, he completed a Masters of History degree from Texas State University. Historical research and writing are his retirement career.