10 WWII Heroes: Sophie Scholl 6/10

Historical photos are not mine. They are used for educational purposes. I own all other photographs. You may use all of my photographs, as long as proper credit is given.

This is the sixth in a ten part series about the heroes of World War II. You can view the introduction and table of contents to this series here.

At the beginning of each story I will give a maturity rating from 1-5. 1 means the story is appropriate for younger ages, and 5 means it is appropriate for teens and up. This story is rated 3.

Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, Christopher Probst
Munich, 1942

Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal said, "For evil to flourish, the only thing required is for good men to do nothing." In an episode of Little House on the Prairie, Albert's father says, "If you don't speak up to people, bigots, then you're no better than they are. Worse, in fact. Because you know that its wrong and you allow them to think you feel the same things they do."

Sophie Scholl was born in 1921, the fourth of six children. Her family was Lutheran, and her father was vocally anti-Nazi. Despite her fathers protests, in the early 30s, Sophie willingly joined the Hitler Youth. She loved the games and excitement it brought, along with being with her friends. However, Sophie hated injustice. When the Nuremberg Laws came in 1935 and stripped the rights of all the Jews, Sophie was infuriated. She entered the University of Munich in 1942 where she studied biology and philosophy. That year, Sophie's father was imprisoned for making anti-Hitler comments.

In 1942, an anonymous essay entitled "The White Rose" floated around the University of Munich. Hans Scholl, medical student and brother of Sophie, read this anonymous anti-Nazi essay. Inspired by the audacity the author of the letter had, he began spreading the essay wherever they went - and thus, The White Rose was born. (It was known in German as Die Weiße Rose.) The original members were Hans Scholl, Willi Graf, and Christoph Probst. Originally, Hans tried to hide his involvement from Sophie but when Sophie found it, she joined. 

There were six leaflets published in total. Four leaflets were under the title "The White Rose" and two were under the title "Leaflets of the Resistance." The leaflets were made and distributed from 1942 to 1943. The anonymous leaflets urged the population to speak up. Leaflet 4 bluntly stated, "We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience. The White Rose will not leave you in peace." You can see more excerpts from The White Rose leaflets here.

On February 18, 1943, Hans and Sophie spread the sixth leaflet around the University of Munich as usual. Right before the class break, Sophie noticed a huge stack of pamphlets still in their suitcase. At the top floor, she grabbed a handful of leaflets and flung them over the balcony, just as students were about to fill the atrium. A university janitor had seen them, and immediately turned them in.

Hans, Sophie, and Christoph Probst were arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. Christoph's wife was in the hospital with their third child.

During the middle of the trial, both of Sophie's parents came. Her mother was upset. Her father was proud of his children and wanted to defend them, but neither was allowed to come in. Before being executed, Hans and Sophie were allowed to have one last visit with their parents.

The court could not understand how three Germans, raised in German families, German schools and Hitler Youth, could rebel. Sophie boldly replied, "Somebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just don't dare to express themselves as we did.”

memorial at University of Munich
Wikipedia, public domain

While in prison, the Scholl's were most notable for their courage; they refused to show fear. Sophie walked to her death unflinching. Hans' last words were "Long live freedom!" The execution date was February 22, 1943. Soon after the Scholl's death, The White Rose's sixth leaflet was smuggled to the Allies. The Allies copied millions and air-dropped the leaflets all over Germany.

The White Rose's legacy still stands - today nearly all of German knows who these heroes are. Streets and places are named after the Scholl's and The White Rose. Pamphlets surround the University of Munich in commemoration. (You can see pictures here.) In 2005, a German movie entitled Sophie Scholl: The Final Days depicts The White Rose. You can view this movie on YouTube here. (It is in German with English subtitles. It is not graphic.)

The White Rose has been featured in other documentaries, movies, and books.

Although this quote comes from an unknown source, it is quoted in a 2008 book as Sophie and has a very fruitful message. "The real damage is done by those millions who want to survive. The honest men who just want to be left in peace. Those who don’t want their little lives disturbed by anything bigger than themselves. Those with no sides and no causes. Those who won’t take measure of their own strength, for fear of antagonizing their own weakness. Those who don’t like to make waves—or enemies. Those for whom freedom, honour, truth, and principles are only literature."

Members of The White Rose

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In memory of Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and the other members of the White Rose.

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10 WWII Heroes: Helmuth Hübener 4/10

1 Timothy 4:12 NIV

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, and in purity.

Historical photos are not mine. They are used for educational purposes. I own all other photographs. You may use all of my photographs, as long as proper credit is given.

This is the fourth in a ten part series about the heroes of World War II. You can view the introduction and table of contents to this series here.

At the beginning of each story I will give a maturity rating from 1-5. 1 means the story is appropriate for younger ages, and 5 means it is appropriate for teens and up. This story is rated 3 and it's message is best for middle schoolers and up.

Helmuth Hübener

Speaking the truth is not an easy thing, especially since most people don't want to hear it. Our young heroes recognizing the truth amidst the lies and propaganda is praiseworthy in itself. The fact they did the right thing and spoke out when so many wanted to ignore it is both inspiring and incredible.

I greatly hope this article is an encouragement to you.

Helmuth Hübener was born in Hamburg, Germany on January 8 1925. Like his mother and grandparents, Helmuth was a proud LDS (Mormon). Although his step-father was a Nazi and Helmuth willingly joined Hitler Youth after Boy Scouts was banned, Helmuth soon began questioning Nazism after Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. On those two days in November 1938, he was horrified as members of Hitler Youth, along with others, smashed Jewish houses and stores, and synagogues. Soon after, when the Mormon church stated they would not allow Jews to come and worship anymore, Helmuth was livid. He had a Jewish friend who enjoyed worshiping there, and this was something so unlike the Mormon church.

Rudi, Helmuth, Karl

In the spring of 1941, Helmuth's brother Gerhard, a soldier, came home with a broken French radio. Unlike German radios, this radio could pick up the BBC. Since Gerhard was about to be inducted into the army again, he locked the radio in a cabinet in his grandma's house. The night Gerhard left, for the first time, Helmuth began listening to the BBC. At the time, listening to the BBC radio was a crime punishable by execution. The Germans only allowed citizens to listen to three stations - and they were all Nazi propaganda. He soon encouraged his two best friends, Rudolf "Rudi" Wobbe and Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, to begin listening to the radio. The oldest and most outspoken, Karl was expelled from Hitler Youth for "insubordination" after speaking out against a Jewish family's brutal arrest. Rudi regularly skipped Hitler Youth meetings. Helmuth began comparing the Nazi propaganda radio to the BBC and was amazed at the difference. Then an idea came to him - why not share the news with others?

With the help of Rudi and Karl, Helmuth struck the idea of writing leaflets proclaiming the truth about Nazi Germany. Helmuth had access to a church typewriter and began writing notes in short hand. He then used carbon paper to make multiple copies. Complete with an official Nazi stamp to make his post-card sized notes look "Nazi official", the leaflets were left in and on everything from phone booths, bulletin boards, mailboxes, and even hanging coat pockets. After about eight months and overwhelming success, Helmuth wanted to expand his operation.
After telling several young Mormon friends, one reluctantly gave away Helmuth's name to the Gestapo. Helmuth's house was searched, and the hidden radio, typewriter, and pamphlets were found.

February 1942, Gestapo photos of Helmuth 

Helmuth was tortured mercilessly, and he gave away Rudi and Karl's name - but he took full responsibility. In the beginning, they all agreed if one was caught, the captured one would take 100% blame, leaving the other two out of it. Because of the writing in the pamphlets, his general and political knowledge, and his behavior in court, Helmuth was tried as an adult. This was extremely rare. The trial was in August 1942. Karl was given a sentence of five years and Rudi of ten - although both sentences were cut short.

Seventeen year-old Helmuth was sentenced to death and permanent loss of civil rights, which meant he could (and would) be mistreated before his execution. Although he was not told his execution date, Helmuth was allowed to write three letters in prison. He wrote one to his mother, one to his grandparents, and one to a family from church - the latter letter survived. The most notable portion of the letter was Helmuth's bold words: "I know that God lives and He will be the just judge on this matter. I look forward to seeing you in a better world!"
On October 27, 1942 at 8:13 PM, Helmuth Hübener was beheaded. At seventeen years old, he was the youngest person executed by the Volksgerichtshof (People's Court).

Rudi died in 1992 from cancer and Karl died in 2010. Both men wrote memoirs about their resistance work. Helmuth has been featured on numerous documentaries, Internet articles, and books. The most notable is a fictional biography of his life, The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. You can read Focus on the Family's review on it here. The Newbery Honor book Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti also features Helmuth.
Helmuth is my political hero and inspiration and I have learned a lot from him. Although a mere child, he took a political stand that most adults were too scared to take. He did it through words, not guns, and he proved you can make a difference no matter what your age is.

Karl (left) and Rudi (right) - a memorial service for Helmuth
Hamburg, Germany 1985

"German boys! Do you know the country without freedom, the country of terror and tyranny? Yes, you know it well, but are afraid to talk about it. They have intimidated you to such an extent that you don't dare talk for fear of reprisals. Yes you are right; it is Germany - Hitler's Germany!" 

from one of Helmuth's pamphlets

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In memory of Helmuth Hübener, Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, Rudolf Wobbe; who changed the world using words, and gave their life fighting for truth and justice. Helmuth Hübener is my political hero and inspiration.  

If you enjoyed this post, please comment and share this post! It means a lot. 

Thank you so much!