Skulljam

Skulljam (born as Gerhard Fritz Bauschinger on January 31, 1922 in Leipzig, Germany) grew up in the days of the Weimar Republic and the Great Depression, times of great economic distress in Germany. When the Nazi Party began to rise to power, he believed in their propaganda. When he became old enough, he joined the Waffen-SS. He would be sent to the 3rd SS Panzer Division to fight in the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union in 1941. When the Soviets captured Berlin in 1945, Bauschinger returned to Leipzig, his hometown.

Bauschinger lived quietly in Leipzig, keeping his past a close secret. After a few years, however, he couldn't stand to live under the communist regime of East Germany, and fled to West Germany through Berlin in 1950. From there, Bauschinger would live in Hamburg until moving to the United States in 1953. There, he would live in Boston up until World War III.

After the war, Bauschinger took on the nickname of Skulljam. In 1967, he met Gnash and his friends, and helped start his gang. Skulljam continued to keep his past hidden, even from his closest friends, as he worried they may resent his service in the German military.

## Early Life

Gerhard Bauschinger was born in Leipzig, Germany on January 31, 1922. This was in the time of the Weimar Republic, a period of inflation, unemployment, and general economic distress in Germany following the defeat in World War I. Members and supporters of the Nazi Party blamed outside forces of conspiracy against Germany rather than their own performance in the war, particularly Jews and Communists. Bauschinger's parents fell into this conspiracy theory, and taught their son the same. In Bauschinger brewed a hatred for the people he believed caused Germany's defeat, the Treaty of Versailles, and therefore the problems which plagued the German people.

In 1935, Bauschinger joined the Hitler Youth. In this time of his life, Nazi doctrine was pounded into his head, including racism and extreme devotion to Germany. This indoctrination would be pushed into his head even more once joining the Waffen-SS.

## Military Service

Early in 1941, Bauschinger joined the Waffen-SS. He was assigned to the 3rd SS Panzer Division (Totenkopf), and sent to the Eastern Front to partake in Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. His unit advanced through the Baltics and took part in heavy fighting at Leningrad. When the winter hit, and the Soviets launched a counter-offensive, the unit lost many of its men. The unit moved to France to be re-fitted in October of 1942, and took part in the military occupation of Vichy France.

In February, 1943, the unit moved back to the Eastern Front to continue the fight. Eventually, following the Battle of Stalingrad (which his division was not involved in), the tables turned and Germany was on the defensive. The division retreated into Poland and was tasked with defending Warsaw. The Soviets pushed through Poland and Germany, capturing Berlin by May 2, 1945. In late April, Bauschinger's division retreated into Czechoslovakia, and would surrender to American forces on May 9, 1945.

## Post-WWII Life

### **Return to Leipzig**

After the surrender of his division, and Germany as a whole, Bauschinger would eventually return to his home city of Leipzig. The city was mostly destroyed in the war, and fell under the Soviet occupation zone, and would later become part of East Germany. He was unable to find any of his family, and assumed they had all been killed.

### **Escape to the West**

By 1950, Bauschinger determined that it would be better to live in the west than under the oppression of the East German communist regime. He left Leipzig and went to Berlin, where he could take a trip to West Germany relatively easily. He lived in an apartment in Hamburg before moving to the United States in 1953. He bought a small house in a Boston neighborhood when he arrived. In 1960, shortly after the U-2 Incident, he built a bomb shelter in his basement. His hatred and disgust for communism grew and grew as time went on.

### **Mental Problems**

Nazi doctrine stuck with Bauschinger, though he took less care of his body a few years after moving to the U.S. Over time, he would become increasingly schizophrenic, and showed clear post-traumatic stress. He hid his past from his neighbors, and even lied about his life, often telling them that he moved to the U.S. soon after Hitler took power in Germany. He lived alone in his home until the Great War of 1962.

## Gnash's Gang

Bauschinger survived the Great War of 1962 in his bomb shelter. He cautiously emerged in 1968 to search for food when he met Gnash and his gang, which he joined. They killed innocent people for food and money. Bauschinger took on the nickname Skulljam, and closely befriended Mack. Skulljam and Mack formed a drug-running business in 1970 as a new means of making money. Skulljam became a loyal follower of Gnash, and member of the gang. However, he usually refused to talk about his past, and his schizophrenia progressively got even worse.

In late 1971, Jonah Brown joined Gnash's Gang, but would desire to leave and return to his home in Providence before it had even been a year. Gnash opposed, but Wilson and another new member, Dane, wanted to help Jonah. As a loyal member of the gang, Skulljam helped chase the three across Massachusetts. On September 1 of 1972, Skulljam got into a fight with Jonah in Pawtucket, but Jonah killed him.