[xoxoxoBruce]

Joseph Ratzinger was born in Marktl am Inn, in Bavaria, the son of a police officer who was staunchly anti-Nazi. In 1937 Ratzinger's father retired and settled in the town of Traunstein. When Ratzinger turned 14 in 1941, he joined the Hitler Youth, as was required by a 1938 law. According to National Catholic Reporter correspondent and biographer John Allen, Ratzinger was an unenthusiastic member who refused to attend any meetings. In 1943, at the age of 16, he and the rest of his class were drafted into the Flak or anti-aircraft corps, responsible for guarding a BMW plant outside Munich. This plant manufactured aircraft engines and used slave labor from the Dachau concentration camp. He was then sent for basic infantry training and was posted to Austrian-Hungarian border, where he worked setting up anti-tank defenses. After being shipped back to Bavaria, he deserted in May 1945 and returned to Traunstein.

Doesn't sound like he was a very good Nazi.