Otto Harder is a former forward and convicted war criminal who spent his entire footballing career in Germany. In a career that spanned for more than 2 decades, he played for the likes of Eintracht Braunschweig, Hamburger FC, Stettiner SC, and Victoria Hamburg.
The German attacker made over 400 plus appearances during his playing career, and scored more than 200 goals. Let us now rewind his years as a football, and the aftermath of his controversial post-playing career.
The birth of Tull
It was at the age of 16 that a young Otto Harder began his football journey at FC Hohenzollern Braunschweig. The German made such a huge impression that his stay at the club lasted less than a year, as the city's main club Eintracht Braunschweig signed him.
He eventually became an important part of Braunschweig, and it was also at this club that he got the nickname "Tull" with which he would be known throughout the rest of his career. The reason for this name was his similar style of play to Tottenham Hotspur's center forward at the time, Walter Tull, who was the first black professional English player who died in action during World War I.
Harders's initial months at Eintracht Braunschweig saw him only appear for friendly matches with the reserve team, which made the then 17 year old quite nervous. However, his outstanding abilities as a player saw him ultimately become a success at the club.
This was followed by Harder joining German club Hamburg for a few months. However, Eintracht Braunschweig fans did not want their young star to depart at all costs. What followed was a bizarre incident of Braunschweig fans not letting him take the train to Hamburg, which he had to do almost secretly 25 kilometers from there, at the station in the neighboring town of Peine.
However, Harder would ultimately end up joining Hamburger SV in 1913 after playing one more season with his hometown team.
Birth of a German football hero
After the Great War concluded, Harder eventually became Hamburg's star player. He led the German side to a golden period in the 1920's. It began with Hamburg reaching the 1922 German football championship against 1.FC Nürnberg, which controversially did not have an official champion in the end.
However, Hamburg lifted their first ever German Championship a year later in 1923. The historic triumph came after Hamburg beat Union Oberschöneweide 3-0. This success would be repeated again in 1928, with Harder being 36 years old by that time. He created an arguably unbreakable record that season, by scoring an astonishing 12 goals in a match on 15th January 1928. This legendary goalscoring feat came against Wandsbeker FC, with the match ending in a shocking 18-5 scoreline.
A controversial post-football life
Following his legendary stint at Hamburg, Harder spent the final 3 years of his football career at Victoria Hamburg. After his football career, Harder ran an insurance agency. However, in October 1932, he became a member of the Nazi Party.
The next phase of his life was a dark one, that saw him take major administrative roles in several concentration camps across Germany. In May 1945, he was captured by the British military and was taken to Iserbrook. Due to health issues, he was initially released, but was arrested again.
As World War II concluded, Harder was tried for war crimes by the British military court at the Curio house in Rotherbaum. On 6th May 1947, he was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment. This sentence was later reduced to ten years in prison, of which he ended up serving only four years. He was released from Werl Prison before Christmas 1951.
Harder later moved to Bendestorf, where he worked as an insurance agent until his death on 4th March 1956 in Hamburg. It was the end of a golden yet dark chapter.
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