Erna Herbers

Erna Herbers
Personal information
Born 2 May 1925 (1925-05-02) (age 90)
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

  1. 1 2 3 4 Schwimmen – Deutsche Meisterschaften (Damen-Teil 2). sport-komplett.de
  2. ↑ Erna Herbers. sports-reference.com
  3. 1 2 Fabian Wachsmuth (3 August 2008) Da war das Kribbeln zu stark. rp-online.de.
  4. ↑ "Erna Herbers", Südkurier - Seniorenzentrum. Stadt Hilden. pp. 8-9. July 2012
  5. 1 2 Marian Hamacher (11 July 2012) Bei Olympia mit geschwommen. rp-online.de
  6. ↑ Forum. wehrmacht-awards.com
  7. ↑ Niederländische Plauderei. derwesten.de. 20 July 2007


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