August Lang

August Lang was born in Bad Kreuznach in the diocese of Trier. After completing his theological studies, he was ordained a priest in 1897. In 1904, he registered for the Litomefice diocese, which was short of priests, and worked as a chaplain in Wiese [Ves Okres Liberec/Czech Republic], Friedland [Frylant] and Liebeschitz [Libesice]. In 1917, he was appointed parish priest in Svebofice, later in Wiese and Dittersbach near Friedland [Detfichov u Frydlantu] in the Jizera Mountains/Bohemia. He was later awarded the titles of dean, consistorial councillor and episcopal notary. Due to his age, he seeks a smaller parish position, which has already been promised to him.

The National Socialists, however, do not want the "hated priest", who is an excellent preacher, to leave, as he has repeatedly harshly criticized government measures such as the refusal to give the church press paper, the fact that children are kept away from Sunday services, etc.

Pastor August Lang prepares to move. On his way home from the "Hillebrand" inn, where he had been sitting with the circle of dignitaries, to the vicarage on the night of Thursday, May 29, to Friday, May 30, 1941, the henchmen (fanatical National Socialists) lay in wait for him behind the vicarage and beat him to death with a blunt object, probably a rubber truncheon. His wallet was taken from his breast pocket. In order to feign drowning after drinking alcohol, they put his glasses on the bank of the Erlenbach [Oleska], which flowed past not far from the vicarage. They loaded his body onto a barrow and threw it into the stream about a kilometer further on between Dittersbach and Christiansau. However, they ignored the fact that there was a weir along the way so that the body could not possibly have floated to the place where it was found. At that time, however, the stream is said to have carried so little water that even a child could not have drowned in it, let alone an adult. Because the priest had not turned up for early mass, the sacristan Franz Neumann went looking for him and found the body.