Mt Hutt pioneer and former Nazi Waffen-SS soldier Willi Huber has died, aged 98.
Hailing from Austria, Huber arrived in New Zealand in 1953 on a two-year work visa. A mountain guide by trade, he was curious about the mountains and thought he would visit for just the two years to work and explore.
Just as he was set to return to Austria, he met his future wife, Edna. He stayed and the couple married and had four children. They remained together up until his death on August 9, spanning 65 years.
At 17, Huber volunteered for the Waffen-SS, the military branch of the Nazi Party’s feared SS, where he served as a machine-gunner and then as a gunner in Panzer tanks.
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