Dieter F. Uchtdorf was born in Czechoslovakia on November 6, 1940, in the midst of the horrors of World War II. While Elder Uchtdorf was very young, his father was forced to join the German army. His mother, Hildegard, afraid for her family’s safety, moved the family to Zwickau, Germany. When the war ended, Elder Uchtdorf’s father was able to return. However, the family was still in danger, because his father had been vocal in his opposition to both Nazism and Communism. They were able to move to safety in Frankfurt, West Germany. Elder Uchtdorf said of his childhood,