Erna Herbers
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 May 1925 (age 99) Amsterdam, the Netherlands |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Club | Undine Mönchen-Gladbach ETV – Hamburg[1] |
Erna Herbers (née Westhelle; born 2 May 1925) is a retired German swimmer. She competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in the 100 m backstroke event, but failed to reach the final.[2] In 1948 she won the German 100 m backstroke title,[1] but missed the 1948 Olympics because Germany was excluded from them.[3]
She was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and grew up in Hilversum, where she started swimming aged 12. Her family had bonds with Germany, as her father was German[4] and was employed by a German company. Westhelle herself worked as a stenographer at a Waffen-SS office in Hilversum[5] and competed for the German club Undine Mönchen-Gladbach. In 1943 she won the German 100 m backstroke title,[1] for which she received a personal present from the SS-Gruppenführer Karl Maria Demelhuber.[6] During World War II she met her future husband and in 1945 moved with him to Germany; there she changed her last name to Herbers.[1] She retired from swimming in 1953, and in 1970 moved to Hilden, a town near the German-Dutch border.[3][5][7]
References
- ^ a b c d Schwimmen – Deutsche Meisterschaften (Damen-Teil 2). sport-komplett.de
- ^ Erna Herbers. sports-reference.com
- ^ a b Fabian Wachsmuth (3 August 2008) Da war das Kribbeln zu stark. rp-online.de.
- ^ "Erna Herbers", Südkurier - Seniorenzentrum. Stadt Hilden. pp. 8-9. July 2012
- ^ a b Marian Hamacher (11 July 2012) Bei Olympia mit geschwommen. rp-online.de
- ^ Forum. wehrmacht-awards.com
- ^ Niederländische Plauderei. derwesten.de. 20 July 2007
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