105-746: Hans and Sophie Scholl , often referred to in German as die Geschwister Scholl (the Scholl siblings ), were a brother and sister who were members of the White Rose , a student group in Munich that was active in the non-violent resistance movement in Nazi Germany , especially in distributing flyers against the war and the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler . In post-war Germany , Hans and Sophie Scholl are recognized as symbols of German resistance against
210-917: A core member of the White Rose. They were supported by other people, including: Otl Aicher , Willi Habermann [ de ] ("Grogo"), Theodor Haecker , Anneliese Graf , Traute Lafrenz , Katharina Schüddekopf , Lieselotte "Lilo" Ramdohr , Jürgen Wittenstein [ de ] , Falk Harnack , Marie-Luise Jahn , Wilhelm Geyer [ de ] , Manfred Eickemeyer, Josef Söhngen [ de ] , Heinrich Guter [ de ] , Heinrich Bollinger [ de ] , Wilhelm Bollinger [ de ] , Helmut Bauer, Harald Dohrn [ de ] , Hans Conrad Leipelt , Gisela Schertling , Rudi Alt, Michael Brink, Lilo Dreyfeldt, Josef Furtmeier, Günter Ammon, Fred Thieler and Wolfgang Jaeger. Most were in their early twenties. Wilhelm Geyer taught Alexander Schmorell how to make
315-409: A death sentence—on 22 February 1943. They were found guilty of treason . Roland Freisler , head judge of the court, sentenced them to death. The three were executed the same day by guillotine at Stadelheim Prison . Sophie went under the guillotine first, followed by Hans and then Christoph. While Sophie and Christoph were silent as they died, Hans yelled "es lebe die Freiheit!" (long live freedom) as
420-584: A decisive turn, inspiring resistance movements throughout the European countries then occupied by Germany. It also had a devastating effect on German morale. On 13 January 1943, a student riot broke out at Munich University after a speech by Paul Giesler , the Nazi Gauleiter of Munich and Upper Bavaria , in which he had denounced male students not serving in the army as skulkers and had also made obscene remarks to female students. These events encouraged
525-421: A fencing tournament, unofficially to ask Marianne Thoeren to marry him. While there, she told him that she was already engaged to another man. After some deliberation, he decided to still be friends with her. After this rejection, he threw himself back into the White Rose activities with vigor. During this time, two more leaflets were written, and efforts were made to expand the reaches of the White Rose group. Graf
630-688: A few months, he was then transferred to a heavy artillery unit in Belgium . In March 1940, he was transferred to the Eastern Front, having medic duties in both Serbia and Poland . While in Poland in June 1941, he saw the Warsaw Ghetto . This experience caused him to write "Terrible!" in his diary entry of 6 June 1941. He might have written more, but unfortunately during this time of upheaval, he
735-527: A group of students including Reinhold Meyer [ de ] , Albert Suhr [ de ] , Heinz Kucharski [ de ] , Margaretha Rothe [ de ] , Bruno Himpkamp [ de ] , Rudolf Degkwitz (junior) [ de ] , Ursula de Boor [ de ] , Hannelore Willbrandt [ de ] , Karl Ludwig Schneider [ de ] , Ilse Ledien, Eva von Dumreicher, Dorothea Zill, Apelles Sobeczko, and Maria Liepelt [ de ] formed
840-508: A mechanised state system presided over by criminals and drunks? Is your spirit already so crushed by abuse that you forget it is your right—or rather, your moral duty —to eliminate this system? Es lebe die Freiheit! (Let Freedom live!) On 18 February 1943, the Scholls brought a suitcase full of leaflets to the university main building. They hurriedly dropped stacks of copies in the empty corridors for students to find when they left
945-767: A mystery to us." In his army medic files it was observed that his care of the ill was "exemplary". Dr. Webel, the Chief Medical Officer, said that Graf "showed himself to be an intrepid medic who never thought about his own safety." Graf was granted the Iron Cross , 2nd class with swords, for his actions. In April 1942, Graf was temporarily relieved of duty and sent to the University of Munich to continue his studies. While there, he met Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell . Graf met Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell soon after transferring back to Munich. He
1050-620: A return to nature, confraternity and shared adventures. The Deutsche Jungenschaft vom 1 November 1929 (abbreviated as "d.j.1.11.") was part of this youth movement, founded by Eberhard Koebel in 1929. Christoph Probst was a member of the German Youth Movement, and Willi Graf was a member of Neudeutschland ("New Germany"), and the Grauer Orden ("Grey Convent"), which were illegal Catholic youth organizations. The Nazi Party's youth organizations took over some of
1155-612: A seventh pamphlet, written by Christoph Probst, was found in the possession of Hans Scholl at the time of his arrest by the Gestapo . While Sophie Scholl got rid of incriminating evidence before being taken into custody, Hans did try to destroy the draft of the last leaflet by tearing it apart and trying to swallow it. However, the Gestapo recovered enough of it and were able to match the handwriting with other writings from Probst, which they found when they searched Hans's apartment. Christoph
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#17327868946681260-407: A single trial, he therefore wanted to postpone his judgment against those four until the next day. However, the evidence against them was lost, and the trial finally took place on 13 July 1943. In that trial, Gisela Schertling—who had betrayed most of the friends, even fringe members like Gerhard Feuerle—changed her mind and recanted her testimony against all of them. Since Freisler did not preside over
1365-457: A sociologist specializing in the German Youth Movement, as well as on the Gestapo interrogation transcripts from the 1937–38 arrest, and with reference to historian George Mosse 's discussion of the homoerotic aspects of the German " Bündische Jugend " Youth Movement. As Mosse indicated, idealized romantic attachments among male youths were not uncommon in Germany, especially among members of
1470-581: A very early age, and continued by means of the Hitler Youth with the ultimate goal of complete mind control. Children were exhorted in school to denounce even their own parents for derogatory remarks about Hitler or Nazi ideology. The activities of the White Rose started in the autumn of 1942. This was a time that was particularly critical for the Nazi regime; after initial victories in World War II ,
1575-516: A young age. Although compulsory at the time, he refused to associate with the Hitler Youth , even when he was threatened with becoming ineligible to go to University unless he joined the Hitler Youth. While other future members of the White Rose initially embraced the Hitler Youth , Graf never did so. Moreover, in his address book he crossed out the names of friends who had joined the Hitler Youth, refusing to associate with them. In 1935, at
1680-771: Is a literary prize initiated by the State Association of Bavaria of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels and the city of Munich. Since 1980, they have annually awarded this prize to the book which "shows intellectual independence and supports civil freedom, moral, intellectual and aesthetic courage and that gives an important impulse to the present awareness of responsibility" (" das von geistiger Unabhängigkeit und geeignet ist, bürgerliche Freiheit, moralischen, intellektuellen und ästhetischen Mut zu fördern und dem gegenwärtigen Verantwortungsbewusstsein wichtige Impulse zu geben "). There are many memorial places for
1785-531: Is not surprising that all of us, Hans and Sophie and the others, joined the Hitler Youth? We entered into it with body and soul, and we could not understand why our father did not approve, why he was not happy and proud. On the contrary, he was quite displeased with us. Youth organizations other than those led by the Nazi party were dissolved and officially forbidden in 1936. Both Hans Scholl and Willi Graf were arrested in 1937–38 because of their membership in forbidden Youth Movement organizations. Hans Scholl had joined
1890-656: The "Bündische Jugend" associations. It was argued that the experience of being persecuted may have led both Hans and Sophie to identify with the victims of the Nazi state, providing another explanation for why Hans and Sophie Scholl made their way from ardent "Hitler Youth" leaders to passionate opponents of the Nazi regime. The White Rose group was motivated by ethical, moral, and religious considerations. They supported and took in individuals of all backgrounds, and it did not depend on race, sex, religion, or age. They came from various religious backgrounds. Willi Graf and Katharina Schüddekopf were devout Catholics. Alexander Schmorell
1995-531: The Deutsche Jungenschaft 1. 11. in 1934, when he and other Hitler Youth members in Ulm considered membership in this group and the Hitler Youth to be compatible. Hans Scholl was also accused of transgressing the German anti-homosexuality law, because of a same-sex teen relationship dating back to 1934–1935, when Hans was only 16 years old. The argument was built partially on the work of Eckard Holler ,
2100-491: The German Youth Movement , founded in 1896, had a major impact on the German youth at the beginning of the twentieth century. The movement aimed at providing free space to develop a healthy life. A common trait of the various organizations was a romantic longing for a pristine state of things, and a return to older cultural traditions, with a strong emphasis on independent, non-conformist thinking. They propagated
2205-488: The Gestapo on 18 February 1943. They, as well as other members and supporters of the group who carried on distributing the pamphlets, faced show trials by the Nazi People's Court ( Volksgerichtshof ); many of them were imprisoned and executed. Hans and Sophie Scholl, as well as Christoph Probst were executed by guillotine four days after their arrest, on 22 February 1943. During the trial, Sophie interrupted
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#17327868946682310-725: The Grauer Orden and charged by a court in Mannheim with illegal youth league activities–the Bünde having been banned–in relation with his unlawful field trips, camping excursions and other meetings with the Grauer Orden . The charges were later dismissed as part of a general amnesty declared to celebrate the Anschluss . The detention had lasted three weeks. His time in jail did not weaken his decision to participate in anti-Nazi activities or organizations. After his release, Graf
2415-749: The Kreisau Circle or the Schulze-Boysen/Harnack group of the Red Orchestra . Today, the White Rose is well known both within Germany and worldwide. Students from the University of Munich comprised the core of the White Rose: Hans Scholl , Alexander Schmorell , Willi Graf , Christoph Probst , and Kurt Huber , a professor of philosophy and musicology . Hans's younger sister, Sophie later came to be
2520-646: The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich , when they were caught by the custodian, Jakob Schmid , who informed the Gestapo . By February 22, 1943, they had been sentenced to death by the People's Court , led by Judge-President Roland Freisler and were executed by guillotine on the same day in the Stadelheim Prison . Their grave is in the adjacent Perlacher Forst cemetery (grave number 73-1-18/19). The Geschwister-Scholl-Preis
2625-532: The National Committee for a Free Germany , in honour of the White Rose's fight for freedom. The text of the sixth leaflet of the White Rose was smuggled out of Germany through Scandinavia to the United Kingdom by the German lawyer and member of the Kreisau Circle , Helmuth James Graf von Moltke . In July 1943, copies were dropped over Germany by Allied planes, retitled "The Manifesto of
2730-779: The Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic in the early 1990s, the Gestapo interrogation protocols and other documents from Nazi authorities became publicly available. The interrogation protocols were part of the Volksgerichtshof documents, and were confiscated by the Soviet Red Army, and brought to Moscow. Here, they were kept secret in a special archive. After the foundation of the German Democratic Republic,
2835-662: The White Rose Hamburg resistance group against the National Socialist regime and distributed the group's leaflets. White Rose survivor Jürgen Wittenstein described what it was like for ordinary Germans to live in Nazi Germany : The government—or rather, the party—controlled everything: the news media, arms, police, the armed forces, the judiciary system, communications, travel, all levels of education from kindergarten to universities, all cultural and religious institutions. Political indoctrination started at
2940-756: The euthanasia policies expressed in Action T4 (and extended that same year to the Nazi concentration camps by Action 14f13 ) which the Nazis maintained would protect the German gene pool. Horrified by the Nazi policies, Sophie obtained permission to reprint the sermon and distribute it at the University of Munich. In 1940, Otl Aicher had met Carl Muth , the founder of the Catholic magazine Hochland . Otl in turn introduced Hans Scholl to Muth in 1941. In his letters to Muth, Hans wrote about his growing attraction to
3045-595: The 20th century. In 2017, his cause for beatification was opened. He was given the title Servant of God , the first step toward possible sainthood. Willi Graf was born in Kuchenheim near Euskirchen . In 1922, his family moved to Saarbrücken , where his father ran a wine wholesaler and managed the Johannishof, the second largest banquet hall in the city. Graf attended school at the Ludwigs gymnasium . It
3150-592: The Catholic Christian faith. Both Hans and Sophie Scholl were influenced by Carl Muth whom they describe as deeply religious, and opposed to Nazism. He drew the Scholl siblings' attention to the persecution of the Jews, which he considered sinful and anti-Christian. Both Sophie Scholl and Willi Graf attended some of Kurt Huber's lectures at the University of Munich. Kurt Huber was known amongst his students for
3255-603: The German population became increasingly aware of the losses and damages of the war. In summer 1942, the German Army was preparing a new military campaign in the southern part of the Eastern front to regain the initiative after their earlier defeat close to Moscow. This German offensive was initially very successful, but it slowed in the autumn as Army Group South approached Stalingrad and the Caucasus region. During this time,
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3360-570: The Nazis who were killed during the failed Beer Hall Putsch . The graffiti campaigns put the Gestapo on high alert. On 18 February 1943, Sophie and Hans Scholl went to the Ludwig Maximilian University to leave flyers out for the students to read. They were seen by Jakob Schmid , a custodian at the university who was also a Gestapo informer. At around midnight on 18 February, Gestapo agents arrested Graf when he returned to his apartment after meeting with his cousins. When he
3465-500: The Nazis. Throughout his life, books were a lifeline for him: When he was serving on the Eastern Front , he would write to his friends to see if they could send him more books. In the last year of his life alone he read forty books. After his Abitur in 1937, Graf did his six-month Reichsarbeitsdienst and afterwards began his medical studies at the University of Bonn . In 1938, he was arrested along with other members of
3570-863: The Reich, Reich Attorney Weyersberg, [We]find: That the accused have in time of war by means of leaflets called for the sabotage of the war effort and armaments and for the overthrow of the National Socialist way of life of our people, have propagated defeatist ideas, and have most vulgarly defamed the Führer, thereby giving aid to the enemy of the Reich and weakening the armed security of the nation. On this account they are to be punished by death. Their honor and rights as citizens are forfeited for all time. Willi Graf had already been arrested on 18 February 1943; in his interrogations, which continued until his execution in October 1943, he successfully covered other members of
3675-469: The Scholl siblings at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. The new Geschwister-Scholl-Institut for political science , founded in the post-war era, was named after them on January 30, 1968. The area in front of the university's main building is named Geschwister-Scholl-Platz . The last flyer of the White Rose is set in the ground. Since 1997, a memorial to the Scholl siblings and other members of
3780-438: The Scholl siblings. It was, however, not until the 1998 law to abolish Nazi judgments of injustice in the administration of criminal justice that the sentences against Hans Scholl and other members of the White Rose became void in Germany. White Rose The White Rose (German: Weiße Rose , pronounced [ˈvaɪsə ˈʁoːzə] ) was a non-violent , intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany which
3885-532: The Soviet Union, Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell felt compelled to take action. From late June until mid-July 1942, they wrote the first four leaflets. Quoting extensively from the Bible, Aristotle and Novalis , as well as Goethe and Schiller , the iconic poets of German bourgeoisie, they appealed to what they considered the German intelligentsia , believing that these people would be easily convinced by
3990-462: The Soviet Union, Scholl and Schmorell felt compelled to take action. From end of June until mid of July 1942, they wrote the first four leaflets. Quoting extensively from the Bible , Aristotle and Novalis , as well as Goethe and Schiller , the iconic poets of German bourgeoisie, they appealed to what they considered the German intelligentsia , believing that these people would be easily convinced by
4095-638: The St. Johann Cemetery in Saarbrücken . Eight schools in Germany have been named after him, among them the Willi-Graf-Gymnasium in Munich and Saarbrücken-St. Johann; a student residence in Munich also honours Graf by bearing his name. Graf's diary from 1942 to 1943, as well as his letters from that time, were published in 1988 under the title: Willi Graf:Briefe und Aufzeichnungen . In 2003, Graf
4200-519: The State Military Archive of Russia, but have been fully transcribed and published in a German/Russian edition. With the fall of Nazi Germany, the White Rose came to represent opposition to tyranny in the German psyche and was lauded for acting without interest in personal power or self-aggrandizement. Their story became so well known that the composer Carl Orff claimed (falsely by some accounts) to his Allied interrogators that he
4305-529: The Students of Munich". Thus, the activities of the White Rose became widely known in World War II Germany, but, like other attempts at resistance, did not succeed in provoking widespread active opposition against the totalitarian regime within the German population. However, it continued to be an important inspiration for acts of individual or small-scale resistance throughout the final years of
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4410-962: The Summer of 1942. Graf had already been deployed to Russia, but it was Scholl and Schmorell's first time being deployed on the Eastern Front. On the train ride to Russia, the train passed through Poland. While there, Graf, Scholl, and Schmorell saw the Evacuation of the Warsaw Ghetto. In Russia, Scholl, Schmorell, and Graf would sneak away at night and go to the homes of Russian natives. Schmorell, who had been born in Russia and spoke fluent Russian, introduced Graf and Scholl to Russian culture. Graf and his friends were allowed to return to Munich in November 1942. Soon after returning to Munich in November 1942, Graf travelled to Bonn, officially to arrange
4515-674: The Wehrmacht medical corps on the Eastern Front . Their experience during this time had a major impact on their thinking, and it also motivated their resistance, because it led to their disillusionment with the Nazi regime. Alexander Schmorell , who was born in Orenburg and raised by Russian nurses, spoke perfect Russian, which allowed him to have direct contact and communication with the local Russian population and their plight. This Russian insight proved invaluable during their time there, and he could convey to his fellow White Rose members what
4620-469: The White Rose activities in order to protect others who had not yet been arrested. In his last letter to his family, he wrote: On this day I'm leaving this life and entering eternity. What hurts me most of all is that I am causing such pain to those of you who go on living. But strength and comfort you'll find with God and that is what I am praying for till the last moment. I know that it will be harder for you than for me. I ask you, Father and Mother, from
4725-424: The White Rose authored six leaflets, which were multiplied and spread, in a total of about 15,000 copies. They denounced the Nazi regime's crimes and oppression, and called for resistance. In their second leaflet, they openly denounced the persecution and mass murder of the Jews . By the time of their arrest, the members of the White Rose were just about to establish contacts with other German resistance groups like
4830-415: The White Rose can be found in the atrium of the main building, and since 2005, a bronze bust of Sophie Scholl. The Geschwister-Scholl-Preis is awarded annually in the auditorium of the university. However, a proposal by the student government to rename the university "Geschwister Scholl University" was rejected by the university's leadership. Many cities in Germany have named streets, plazas and schools after
4935-448: The White Rose group members, among many others, is considered judicial murder today. The members of the core group all shared an academic background as students at Munich University. The Scholl siblings, Christoph Probst, Willi Graf and Alexander Schmorell were all raised by independently thinking and wealthy parents. Alexander Schmorell was born in Russia, and his first language was Russian. After he and Hans Scholl had become friends at
5040-471: The White Rose were fully aware of the risks they incurred by their acts of resistance: I knew what I took upon myself and I was prepared to lose my life by so doing. Under Gestapo interrogation, Hans Scholl gave several explanations for the origin of the name "The White Rose", and suggested he may have chosen it while he was under the emotional influence of a 19th-century poem with the same name by German poet Clemens Brentano . It has also been speculated that
5145-512: The White Rose's pamphlets together with his girlfriend Marie-Luise Jahn. The pamphlets were now entitled "And their spirit lives on." The third White Rose trial was scheduled for 20 April 1943, Hitler's birthday, which was a public holiday in Nazi Germany. Judge Freisler had intended to issue death sentences against Wilhelm Geyer, Harald Dohrn, Josef Söhngen and Manfred Eickemeyer. Because he did not want to issue too many death sentences in
5250-496: The age of 17, Graf and a few friends marched in an annual May Day parade . The parade was dominated by swastikas, brown-shirted Hitler Youth troops marching in formation, and " Sieg Heils ." However, Graf and his friends marched under their tattered school flag, making great effort to stand out from their peers. They did not don any swastikas , or participate in any of the "Sieg Heil" salutes. While his parents never placed much emphasis on literature and written works (the only books
5355-413: The anti-Nazi bookseller who had supplied this banned book. Söhngen had provided the White Rose members with a safe meeting place for exchange of information, and receipt of occasional financial contributions. Söhngen kept a stash of banned books hidden in his store, and also hidden such books when being printed. After their experiences at the Eastern Front , having learned about mass murder in Poland and
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#17327868946685460-447: The authors of the pamphlets could neither be discovered, nor could the campaign be stopped by the Nazi authorities. When Hans and Sophie Scholl were discovered and arrested whilst distributing leaflets at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the regime reacted brutally. The "Volksgerichtshof" was not bound by law, but its decisions were guided by Nazi ideology. Thus, its actions were declared unlawful in post-war Germany. The execution of
5565-439: The blade fell. IN THE NAME OF THE GERMAN PEOPLE in the action against 1. Hans Fritz Scholl, Munich, born at Ingersheim, 22 September 1918, 2. Sophia Magdalena Scholl, Munich, born at Forchtenberg, 9 May 1921, 3. Christoph Hermann Probst, of Aldrans bei Innsbruck, born at Murnau, 6 November 1919, now in investigative custody regarding treasonous assistance to the enemy, preparing to commit high treason, and weakening of
5670-775: The bottom of my heart, to forgive me for the anguish and the disappointment I've brought you. I have often regretted what I've done to you, especially here in prison. Forgive me and always pray for me! Hold on to the good memories.... I could never say to you while alive how much I loved you, but now in the last hours I want to tell you, unfortunately only on this dry paper, that I love all of you deeply and that I have respected you. For everything that you gave me and everything you made possible for me with your care and love. Hold each other and stand together with love and trust.... God's blessing on us, in Him we are and we live.... I am, with love always, your Willi. In 1946, his remains were transferred to
5775-467: The campaign, Schmorell would hold up the stencils while Graf painted the slogans on with tar paint. Scholl stood guard, armed with a pistol in case anyone walked in on their graffiting. On 8 February 1943, Graf and Scholl graffitied again. This time, they used green oil-based paint. On 15 February 1943, Scholl, Schmorell, and Graf snuck out and graffitied the Feldherrnhalle , then a monument to
5880-504: The cause, and acted as go-between for Grimminger and the group in Munich. She frequently carried supplies such as envelopes, paper, and an additional duplicating machine from Stuttgart to Munich. In addition, a group of students in the city of Ulm distributed a number of the group's leaflets and were arrested and tried with the group from Munich. Among this group were Sophie Scholl's childhood friend Susanne Hirzel and her teenage brother Hans Hirzel and Franz Josef Müller . In Hamburg ,
5985-557: The conquest of Poland, 300,000 Jews have been murdered in this country in the most bestial way ... The German people slumber on in dull, stupid sleep and encourage the fascist criminals. Each wants to be exonerated of guilt, each one continues on his way with the most placid, calm conscience. But he cannot be exonerated; he is guilty, guilty, guilty! Why do you allow these men who are in power to rob you step by step, openly and in secret, of one domain of your rights after another, until one day nothing, nothing at all will be left but
6090-516: The contrary, Nazi propaganda used the defeat to call on the German people to embrace " Total War ". Coincidentally, on 18 February 1943, the same day that saw the arrests of Sophie and Hans Scholl and Willi Graf, Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels delivered his Sportpalast speech , and he was enthusiastically applauded by his audience. Shortly after the arrest of the Scholl siblings and Christoph Probst, newspapers published all-points bulletins in search of Alexander Schmorell. On 22 February 1943,
6195-406: The decision to resist National Socialism, they told Graf that they believed that he and his friends had only a 2% chance of success. On 3 February 1943, the news of the defeat of Stalingrad was broadcast to the German public. Later that day, Graf, Schmorell, and Scholl snuck out at night and graffitied public buildings with slogans such as "down with Hitler" and "Hitler, the mass murderer". During
6300-638: The elements of the Youth Movement, and engaged their members in activities similar to the adventures of the Boy Scouts , but also subjected them to ideological indoctrination. Some, but not all, of the White Rose members had enthusiastically joined the youth organizations of the Nazi party: Hans Scholl had joined the Hitler Youth , and Sophie Scholl was a member of the Bund Deutscher Mädel . Membership in both party youth organizations
6405-539: The fact that many of his friends (including his then girlfriend Marianne Thoeren) went to that University. After it closed, Graf transferred to Munich University . He had completed four semesters at the University of Bonn. In January 1940, Graf was officially drafted as a Sanitätssoldat (medic). After completing preliminary medical training, he was shipped out to France in September 1940. After serving in France for
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#17327868946686510-552: The family owned were religious books), Graf was a voracious reader. Serious and intelligently minded, he enjoyed reading Christian works, with one of his favorite Christian authors being Romano Guardini , one of the leading figures of the liturgical revival of the Catholic Church in Germany. He conducted an in-depth study of Christian authors in his teenage years, with a special focus on works by Romano Guardini. He also enjoyed reading poetry, foreign works, and works banned by
6615-587: The group. Alexander Schmorell was recognized, denounced and arrested on 24 February 1943, after his return to Munich following an unsuccessful effort to travel to Switzerland. Kurt Huber was taken into custody on 26 February, and only then did the Gestapo learn about his role within the White Rose group. The second White Rose trial took place on 19 April 1943. Among those on trial were Hans Hirzel, Susanne Hirzel, Franz Josef Müller, Heinrich Guter, Eugen Grimminger, Otto Aicher, Theodor Haecker, Willi Graf, Anneliese Graf, Heinrich Bollinger, Helmut Bauer and Falk Harnack. At
6720-562: The information about the resistance, the trials, and the execution, they were the first acknowledgement of the White Rose in the United States. On 27 June 1943, the German author and Nobel prize winner Thomas Mann , in his monthly anti-Nazi broadcasts by the BBC called "Deutsche Hörer!" ("German Listeners!") highly praised the White Rose members' courage. Soviet Army propaganda issued a leaflet, wrongly attributed by later researchers to
6825-424: The judge multiple times. No defendants were given any opportunity to speak. The group wrote, printed and initially distributed their pamphlets in the greater Munich region. Later on, secret carriers brought copies to other cities, mostly in the southern parts of Germany. In July 1943, Allied planes dropped their sixth and final leaflet over Germany with the headline The Manifesto of the Students of Munich. In total,
6930-442: The last minute, the prosecutor added Traute Lafrenz, Gisela Schertling and Katharina Schüddekopf. Willi Graf , Kurt Huber , and Alexander Schmorell were sentenced to death. Eleven others were sentenced to prison, and Falk Harnack was acquitted of the accusations, which was unexpected, given that his brother and sister had been killed by the Nazis for subversive activities. Schmorell and Huber were executed on 13 July 1943. Willi Graf
7035-482: The leaflets spread "considerable unrest " amongst the German population. The report expressed particular concern about the fact that leaflets were not handed in to the Nazi authorities by their finders as promptly as they used to be in the past. On 18 April 1943, The New York Times mentioned the student opposition in Munich. The paper also published articles on the first White Rose trials on 29 March 1943 and 25 April 1943. Though they did not correctly record all of
7140-508: The lecture rooms. Leaving before the lectures had ended, the Scholls noticed that there were some left-over copies in the suitcase and decided to distribute them. Sophie flung the last remaining leaflets from the top floor down into the atrium. This spontaneous action was observed by the university maintenance man, Jakob Schmid , who called the Gestapo. The university doors were locked, and the fate of brother and sister were sealed. Hans and Sophie Scholl were taken into Gestapo custody. A draft of
7245-519: The major part of the Nazi documents were handed over to the East German government, except the documents concerning Alexander Schmorell, who was born in Russia. The documents were distributed between the Central Archive of the communist Socialist Unity Party of Germany and the archive of the Ministry for State Security . With the German reunification , the documents were transferred to the Federal Archive of Germany in Berlin, and finally published. The documents concerning Alexander Schmorell still remain in
7350-400: The members and supporters of the group to many cities, and then mailed from there. Copies appeared in Saarbrücken , Stuttgart , Cologne , Vienna, Freiburg , Chemnitz , Hamburg, Innsbruck and Berlin . Sophie Scholl stated during her Gestapo interrogation that from summer 1942 on, the aim of the White Rose was to address a broader range of the population. Consequently, in the fifth leaflet,
7455-637: The members of the White Rose. When the defeat at Stalingrad was officially announced, they sent out their sixth—and last—leaflet. The tone of this writing, authored by Kurt Huber and revised by Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell, was more patriotic. Headed "Fellow students!" (the now-iconic Kommilitoninnen! Kommilitonen! ), it announced that the "day of reckoning" had come for "the most contemptible tyrant our people has ever endured." "The dead of Stalingrad adjure us!" On 3, 8, and 15 February 1943, Alexander Schmorell, Hans Scholl, and Willi Graf used tin stencils to write slogans like "Down with Hitler" and "Freedom" on
7560-559: The name might have been taken from either the Cuban poet, Jose Marti's verse "Cultivo una rosa blanca" or the novel Die Weiße Rose ( The White Rose ) by B. Traven , which Hans Scholl and Alex Schmorell had both read. They also wrote that the symbol of the white rose was intended to represent purity and innocence in the face of evil. If the White Rose was indeed named after Traven's novel, Hans Scholl's interrogation testimony may have been intentionally vague in order to protect Josef Söhngen,
7665-482: The name of the group was changed from White Rose to "German Resistance Movement", and also the style of writing became more polemic and less intellectual. The students had become convinced during their military service that the war was lost: " Hitler kann den Krieg nicht gewinnen, nur noch verlängern. – Hitler cannot win the war, he can only prolong it." They appealed to renounce "national socialist subhumanism", imperialism and Prussian militarism "for all time". The reader
7770-675: The nation's armed security. The People's Court first Senate, pursuant to the trial held on 22 February 1943, in which the officers were: President of the People's Court Dr. Freisler, Presiding, Director of the Regional Judiciary Stier, SS Group Leader Breithaupt, SA Group Leader Bunge, State Secretary and SA Group Leader Koglmaier, and representing the Attorney General to the Supreme Court of
7875-571: The network of friends and supporters proved to be too large, so that the rumors about the White Rose could not be suppressed any more by Nazi German officials. Further prosecutions took place until the end of World War II, and German newspapers continued to report, mostly in brief notes, that more people had been arrested and punished. On 15 March 1943, a report by the Sicherheitsdienst of the Schutzstaffel stated that rumors about
7980-554: The political innuendos which he used to include in his university lectures, by which he criticized Nazi ideology by talking about classical philosophers like Leibniz . He met Hans Scholl for the first time in June 1942, was admitted to the activities of the White Rose on 17 December 1942, and became their mentor and the main author of the sixth pamphlet. Hans Scholl , Alexander Schmorell , Christoph Probst , and Willi Graf were medical students. Their studies were regularly interrupted by terms of compulsory service as student soldiers in
8085-479: The same arguments that also motivated the authors themselves. These leaflets were left in telephone books in public phone booths, mailed to professors and students, and taken by courier to other universities for distribution. Graf was not part of the group at first. He was officially brought in to the group on 10 July 1942. A few weeks later, Scholl, Schmorell, and Graf were deployed to the Russian Front over
8190-479: The same arguments that also motivated the authors themselves. These leaflets were left in telephone books in public phone booths, mailed to professors and students, and taken by courier to other universities for distribution. From 23 July to 30 October 1942, Graf, Scholl and Schmorell served again at the Soviet front, and activities ceased until their return. In autumn 1942, Sophie Scholl discovered that her brother Hans
8295-453: The students of Munich were assembled, and officially protested against the " traitors " who came from within their ranks. Gestapo and Nazi jurisdiction documented in their files their view of the White Rose members as "traitors and defeatists ". On 23 February, the official newspaper of the Nazi party, Völkischer Beobachter and local newspapers in Munich briefly reported about the capture and execution of some " degenerate rogues". However,
8400-451: The third trial, the judge acquitted for lack of evidence all but Söhngen, who was sentenced to a six months' term in prison. After her acquittal on 19 April, Traute Lafrenz was placed under arrest again. She spent the last year of the war in prison. Trials kept being postponed and moved to different locations because of Allied air raids. Her trial was finally set for April 1945, after which she probably would have been executed. Three days before
8505-618: The tin templates used in the graffiti campaign. Eugen Grimminger of Stuttgart funded their operations. Grimminger was arrested on 2 March 1943, sentenced to ten years in a penal institution for high treason by the "People's Court" on 19 April 1943, and imprisoned in Ludwigsburg penal institution until April 1945. His wife Jenny was murdered in the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp , presumably on 2 December 1943. Grimminger's secretary Tilly Hahn contributed her own funds to
8610-470: The totalitarian Nazi regime. There were six Scholl siblings: Inge (1917–1998), Hans (1918–1943), Elisabeth (1920–2020), Sophie (1921–1943), Werner (1922–1944) and Thilde (1925–1926), whose family lived in Württemberg , in the towns of Forchtenberg (until 1930), Ludwigsburg (1930–1932) and Ulm (1932–). On February 18, 1943, two of the siblings, Hans and Sophie, were handing out flyers at
8715-484: The trial, however, the Allies liberated the town where she was held prisoner, thereby saving her life. The student members of the White Rose make up a few of the nearly 70 juveniles that were indicted for high treason by the People's Court from 1933 to 1945. The hopes of the White Rose members that the defeat at Stalingrad would incite German opposition against the Nazi regime and the war effort did not come true. On
8820-534: The university, Alexander invited Hans to his parents' home, where Hans also met Christoph Probst at the beginning of 1941. Alexander Schmorell and Christoph Probst had already been friends since their school days. As Christoph's father had been divorced and had married again to a Jewish wife, the effects of the Nazi Nuremberg Laws , and Nazi racial ideology had impacts on both Christoph's and Alexander's lives from early on. The ideas and thoughts of
8925-402: The walls of the university and other buildings in Munich. Isn't it true that every honest German is ashamed of his government these days? Who among us has any conception of the dimensions of shame that will befall us and our children when one day the veil has fallen from our eyes and the most horrible of crimes—crimes that infinitely outdistance every human measure—reach the light of day? Since
9030-454: The war on the battlefield and against civilian populations in the East. In a letter to his sister Anneliese, Willi Graf wrote: "I wish I had been spared the view of all this which I had to witness." Gradually, detachment gave way to the conviction that something had to be done. It was not enough to keep to oneself one's beliefs, and ethical standards, but the time had come to act. The members of
9135-408: The war. For many years the primary sources for research were limited to those provided by White Rose members and their supporters. These included Inge Scholl 's 1952 commemorative book "The White Rose", surviving copies of the pamphlets, the letters and diaries of Sophie and Hans Scholl and Willi Graf, and other people with direct knowledge of the group's activities. With the end of communism in
9240-404: Was a founding member of the White Rose and was released. He was personally acquainted with Huber, but there is no evidence that Orff was ever involved in the movement. Willi Graf Wilhelm "Willi" Graf (2 January 1918 – 12 October 1943) was a German member of the White Rose resistance group in Nazi Germany . The Catholic Church in Germany included Graf in their list of martyrs of
9345-455: Was a recruiter for the group: from 20 to 24 January 1943, he traveled to Cologne, Bonn, Saarbrücken, Freiburg, and Ulm, armed with copies of the fifth leaflet and a hectograph machine. With the end goal in mind to recruit some of his Graue Orden friends, he asks forty people to join. Only four of his friends agreed to help. Two of the friends who agreed to help, brothers Willi and Heinz Bollinger, forged travel papers for him. While they agreed with
9450-522: Was allowed to return to the University of Bonn to continue his medical studies. While there, Graf was required to report for military duty in August 1939. The next month, September 1939, the war officially began. At this time, the University of Bonn was closed for the course of the war. Graf had chosen the University of Bonn because his aunt and uncle lived in Bonn and offered to let him live with them, as well as
9555-763: Was an Orthodox Christian . Traute Lafrenz adhered to the concepts of anthroposophy , while Eugen Grimminger considered himself a Buddhist . Christoph Probst was baptized a Catholic only shortly before his execution. His father Hermann was nominally a Catholic, but also a private scholar of Eastern thought and wisdom. In their diaries and letters to friends, both Scholl siblings wrote about their reading of Christian scholars including Augustine of Hippo 's Confessions and Etienne Gilson , whose work on Medieval philosophy they discussed amongst other philosophical works within their network of friends. The Scholls read sermons by John Henry Newman , and Sophie gave two volumes of Newman's sermons to her boyfriend, Fritz Hartnagel, when he
9660-438: Was assigned to the Eastern Front; he wrote to her: "[W]e know by whom we are created, and that we stand in a relationship of moral obligation to our creator. Conscience gives us the capacity to distinguish between good and evil." This is a paraphrase of Newman's sermon, "The Testimony of Conscience". In 1941, Hans Scholl read a copy of a sermon by an outspoken critic of the Nazi regime, Catholic Bishop August von Galen , decrying
9765-505: Was captured on 20 February. The main Gestapo interrogator was Robert Mohr , who initially thought Sophie was innocent. However, after Hans had confessed, Sophie assumed full responsibility in an attempt to protect other members of the White Rose. The Scholls and Probst were scheduled to stand trial before the Volksgerichtshof —the Nazi "People's Court" infamous for its unfair political trials, which more often than not ended with
9870-406: Was captured, he asked to be allowed to go to his bedroom and change into his Wehrmacht uniform. The agents agreed to his request. While changing, he was able to hide his diary under his many books. The diary was later found by his sister Anneliese, who was also arrested by the Gestapo at the same time. She was released a few months later. Graf's trial was set for 19 April 1943. At his trial, Graf
9975-527: Was compulsory for young Germans, although a few—such as Willi Graf, Otl Aicher , and Heinz Brenner—refused to join. Sophie and Hans' sister Inge Scholl reported about the initial enthusiasm of the young people for the Nazi youth organization, to their parents' dismay: But there was something else that drew us with mysterious power and swept us along: the closed ranks of marching youth with banners waving, eyes fixed straight ahead, keeping time to drumbeat and song. Was not this sense of fellowship overpowering? It
10080-410: Was introduced to them by Christoph Probst , who took part in fencing with Graf. When Scholl met Graf, he remarked, "he is one of us." Around this time, Graf began to take part in discussions with Scholl, Schmorell, Probst, and their friends. The activities of the White Rose first started in the June 1942. After their experiences at the Eastern Front , having learned about mass murder in Poland and
10185-507: Was kept in solitary confinement for about seven months. During that time, he was tortured in an attempt to make him give up other names of members of The White Rose. He never gave up any names, even when the Gestapo threatened to capture his family if he continued to withhold information. He was executed on 12 October 1943. On 29 January 1945, Hans Konrad Leipelt was executed. He had been sent down from Hamburg University in 1940 because of his Jewish ancestry, and had copied and further distributed
10290-400: Was led by five students and one professor at the University of Munich : Willi Graf , Kurt Huber , Christoph Probst , Alexander Schmorell , Hans Scholl and Sophie Scholl . The group conducted an anonymous leaflet and graffiti campaign that called for active opposition to the Nazi regime. Their activities started in Munich on 27 June 1942; they ended with the arrest of the core group by
10395-546: Was not long before he joined, at the age of eleven, the Bund Neudeutschland , a Catholic youth movement for young men in schools of higher learning, which was banned after Hitler and the Nazis came to power in 1933. In 1934, Graf joined the Grauer Orden ("Grey Order"), another Catholic movement which became known for its anti-Nazi rhetoric. It, too, was banned and for this reason, it formed many splinter youth groups. Graf showed conviction in his beliefs from
10500-559: Was not understood or even heard by other Germans coming from the Eastern front. In summer 1942, Hans, Alexander, and Willi had to serve for three months on the Russian front alongside many other male medical students from the University of Munich. There, they observed the horrors of war, saw beatings and other mistreatment of Jews by the Germans, and heard about the persecution of the Jews from reliable sources. Some witnessed atrocities of
10605-415: Was one of the authors of the pamphlets, and joined the group. Shortly after, Willi Graf, and by the end of December 1942, Kurt Huber became members of the White Rose. In January 1943, the fifth leaflet, "Aufruf an alle Deutsche!" ("Appeal to all Germans!") was produced in 6,000–9,000 copies, using a hand-operated duplicating machine . It was carried to other German Cities between 27 and 29 January 1943 by
10710-492: Was posthumously awarded the status of honorary citizen of Saarbrücken. The Catholic Church in Germany included Graf in their list of martyrs of the 20th century. In 2017, the Archbishop of Munich and Freising , Cardinal Reinhard Marx , initiated the first step in the process of beatification, a preliminary investigation in which theologians and historians will analyse the life and writings of Graf. In October 2020,
10815-506: Was sentenced to death at the Volksgerichtshof for high treason , Wehrkraftzersetzung (undermining the troops' spirit), and furthering the enemy's cause. Graf was beheaded on 12 October 1943 at Stadelheim Prison in Munich, after around six months of solitary confinement. During this 6-month period the Gestapo used psychological torture to try to extract information from Graf about other White Rose members and other anti-Nazi movements. Graf never gave up any names, taking on blame for
10920-509: Was urged to "Support the resistance movement!" in the struggle for "freedom of speech, freedom of religion and protection of the individual citizen from the arbitrary action of criminal dictator-states". These were the principles that would form "the foundations of a new Europe". By the end of January 1943, the Battle of Stalingrad ended with the capitulation and near-total loss of the Wehrmacht's Sixth Army. In Stalingrad , World War II had taken
11025-574: Was worried what would happen if others read his diary. On 22 June 1941, Germany declared war on Russia. Soon after, Graf was transferred to Russia, where he would stay until he was allowed to return to Munich to continue his studies in April 1942. During these deployments, he saw terrible things that traumatized him and began to destroy his faith in humanity. As he later wrote to a friend while stationed in Russia, "A war has started that I can't compare to anything else, even here in this land that has always been
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