Resistance &
The White Rose Society
As Werner Heisenberg was making his presentation on nuclear bomb feasibility to the Reich Research Council in Berlin, transplanted Italian physicist Enrico Fermi was planning a full-scale chain reaction pile at the University of Chicago. The pile would be built in the form of a sphere and made of graphite bricks. Graphite was the best way to slow the neutron bombardment from the uranium. Holes were drilled into the graphite to allow passage of rods of uranium oxide to be inserted. The entire apparatus would be housed in a wooden building yet to be built.
The ‘control’ of this experiment in nuclear fission would be by cadmium sheets attached to wooden handles. There were ten slots in the graphite pile where the cadmium sheets would be inserted. The neutrons released by the uranium could not penetrate the cadmium. The building would be constructed on the squash courts under the west stands of Stagg Field, the unused University of Chicago football stadium. The university had long since given up football in favor of academics.
The final piece to this potentially explosive puzzle was Arthur Compton, an experimental physicist who was co-coordinator of the nation’s war research effort. The final decision to proceed with the experiment was his. The amount of potential radioactive material could be huge. None of the scientist believed a large explosion would occur, but they were not certain. Fermi did the control calculations and Compton took the gamble. Amazingly, he decided not to tell the University President, a lawyer, as he didn’t believe a lawyer could understand nuclear physics.
By mid-November the assembly team, under the direction of Fermi, was working 24 hours a day, in 12-hour shifts, to complete CP-1 (Chicago Pile – One). The scientists presented a strange picture leaving the site covered from head to toe with graphite soot. They looked more like coal miners than physicists.
Finally, the colossal experiment was ready. December 2, 1942 dawned bitterly cold with a high of zero degrees F. Fermi decided to have one of his assistants control the cadmium plates by hand. One of Fermi’s associates, Leona Woods, had designed a neutron release baron trifluride counter to monitor the process. All were more than aware that a war was on because the day before, gasoline rationing had begun in Chicago. There was a device that transmitted the boron readings with loud clicks so the intensity of the pile would be known instantly. The last critical cadmium plate was controlled by George Weil, a young research physicist.
Mid-morning on the red-letter day, Fermi gave the order to begin. One by one, the cadmium sheets were removed. The last one controlled by Weil was the mother-lode. Fermi was calculating the rate of increase as Weil moved the last plate out of the pile. When it was half way out, the rate of the counter increased and then leveled off. It was clear that once the final cadmium plate was completely out the, pile would go critical.
One of the physicists in attendance was Leo Szilard. Years earlier, he had the idea of a chain reaction. He had believed that under the proper circumstances, neutron release would cause an atom to split, causing further neutron release each time with a release of energy. Now his idea was becoming reality. It was Szilard, a Hungarian Jew, who had most feared that Hitler would get a bomb. He was relieved to learn that Hanz Eichenwald had defected, but he also knew there were other very talented physicists left in Germany.
Fermi was instructing Weil to remove the last cadmium plate 6 inches at a time. Each time, the chatter of the counters would increase their clicking, and each time Fermi would make new calculations with his slide rule. Finally he nodded for Weil to move the plate all of the way out. He turned to Arthur Compton.
“This will do it! The trace on the recorder will climb and continue to climb. The process will become self-sustaining.”
The clicks on the counters became more and more rapid. Then they were producing a dull roar. They could not keep up with the process. Fermi raised his hand. “The pile has gone critical,” he yelled.
The neutron intensity was doubling every two minutes. Left uncontrolled, within 90 minutes the pile would have melted down, killing everyone in the room.
At four and a half minutes Fermi ordered it to be shut down. For the first time men had controlled energy release from the atomic nucleus. What Ernest Rutherford had once called ‘moonshine’ was now reality.
The last two men to leave the pile were Szilard and Fermi. They shook hands. Szilard had hoped atomic energy might lead men away from war. Now he knew this would not be the case.
“This day will be a black day in the history of mankind,” he said to Fermi.
* * *
Albert Speer was Hitler’s confidant and architect, serving as minister of Armaments and War Production. It was to Speer that Werner Heisenberg made his final appeal for funds for the fission project. Speer took the information to Hitler who seemed to have little interest and even less understanding of the potential of nuclear energy. Hitler simply did not have the intellect to grasp the revolutionary nature of nuclear technology.
The fear of Allied scientists and military planners was never realized. Germany never got off the ground in any real effort to produce a weapon of mass destruction through nuclear fission. The mass destruction of human life was far greater than all of the bombs produced by all of the nations of the world, a conflagration laid at the feet of one evil man.
* * *
The H.M.S. Aberdeen remained submerged through most of the journey across the channel to the submarine base at Portsmouth on the southern coast of England. The Eichenwalds were shown to Captain Stewart’s stateroom. They were excited but emotionally drained. Each fell into a deep sleep. Werner was exhausted as well but knew this would likely be his one and only time in a submarine. One of the officers who spoke limited German gave him a brief tour. The sub traveled at a speed of 12 knots west-northwest to the coast of England, a distance of 20 nautical miles. She followed the coastline the remaining 50 miles to the Portsmouth sound. Once in the sound she surfaced, and then went into dock.
Chaim Weizmann and his wife Vera were waiting dock-side as the Eichenwalds departed the ship. Before leaving, both Hanz and Marlene thanked Captain Stewart, Hanz with broken English and Marlene with smiles and German phrases that were appreciated if not understood. As they stepped on the dock Chaim embraced Hanz and shook hands with Marlene.
“Welcome to your new home and country,” he said with his polished German. “We are relieved you are here. There is so much to discuss, but I must take you to be debriefed by the military.”
Hanz smiled broadly. “Whatever it takes,” he said. “We are so blessed to be free!”
Soon after, Hanz, Marlene and Werner were transported the 100 kilometers to Oxted, a London suburb. The British Intelligence Service had a facility there which included what was once a small hotel now converted into a guest house for visiting officers. The interrogations took two days. Twelve hour interviews with each person. The interrogating officers were men who had lived and worked in Germany. The Eichenwalds had no meaningful military information except for the bomb project. But Werner was very helpful to the Brits, giving them a comprehensive view of the resistance and underground operations. Werner was to have close surveillance for six months. He could pose a threat if he was in fact a counter intelligence plant. They had been able to corroborate much of his information with data already in their possession. From the beginning, Werner’s plan was to return to Maria. But he also was determined to help the Allies defeat the Nazi Reich. Although they did not share this with him at the time, the British believed he would prove a valuable asset to them in forming future invasion plans. He was transported to a military installation for surveillance and six months of language school.
The Eichenwalds spent the next two weeks with Chaim and Vera Weizmann in their apartment in Laughton, a London suburb. In 1937, they had made their home in Rehovot, Israel, but because of his service to England in WWI, the British government maintained a small flat for them in England. He was an honorary advisor to the British Ministry of Supply.
Weizmann had become famous as the President of the World Zionist Organization, established in 1929. He also had been instrumental in the establishment of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1925. Hanz was astonished when he learned that Weizmann was only 11 years old when he wrote “that kings and nations of the world were set upon the destruction of the Jewish people.” Now the world was seeing that prophecy being fulfilled. Weizmann had no intention of trying to convert Hanz to Zionism, but as with Einstein, his goal was to get him to support the concept of a Jewish National Home.
But first things first. Chaim had spent considerable time in Germany before he became a British subject in 1910. He and Vera were fluent in German and Marlene was delighted to spend time with Vera, a woman of great intellect and charm. On their first evening together, the women became locked in conversation in the kitchen. The men sat in a small study, each with a glass of brandy.
“Well Hanz,” said Weizman. “I have news! When I received your initial cable, I began the process of trying to get a Rockefeller Foundation grant for you. About two weeks ago it was approved. Beginning in the fall you will be teaching quantum theory at Cambridge.”
Hanz was stunned. He sat in thought for a moment then replied, “I am amazed you could do that. And that I will be teaching in the Isaac Newton Institute. It’s an overwhelming thought. We already owe you so much.”
“You owe me nothing,” Weizmann retorted. “I have been working for 10 years to aid Jewish individuals in academics. That is why God put me here!”
Hanz knew that Weizmann believed deeply what he had just said. He had known about
Zionism to a limited degree but was fascinated to learn more. “I would like to know more of your views of Zionism and about the Balfour Declaration,” said Hanz.
“Delighted!” Chaim responded. “It is a complex subject. I’ll give you my perspective. At the turn of the century, Palestine was part of the Ottoman-Turkish Empire. It was inhabited by about half a million people, mostly Muslim and Christian Arabs. There were also a handful of Jews, about 20,000. My view of our return to Palestine is on Religious grounds….that historically, the Lord gave a portion of what is known as the ‘Fertile Crescent’ to his people to be their homeland. It is rightfully ours by Divine decree. Others see our return to the land as a secular movement, the response of rampant anti-Semitism. This initially was Einstein’s view, which he modified somewhat after visiting America.”
Hanz felt his curiosity increasing. “What did he see in America?”
“Well, in his words, it was in America that he discovered the Jewish people. He said he had seen many, many Jews in Berlin and Germany, but he recognized Jewish people first in America, people from Russia, Poland, and Eastern Europe generally. People willing for self- sacrifice. They are the people we need in Palestine. People willing to sacrifice.”
“I know of the Balfour Declaration,” said Hanz. “Does it still have some influence?”
“To a limited extent. It expressed the formal British Cabinet position, in 1919, for support of a National Jewish home in Palestine. That has not happened. But it reminds the Brits that they owe us. Or at least they owe me!”
The Eichenwalds entered language school the following week. They were furnished a small auto by the British government, and Hanz began the challenge of trying to manage a left-hand drive. Their coded cable to Anna was returned. ‘Address not found’ was stamped on the envelope. There was no phone service to the continent, and the underground could not help. Three weeks into their language school, a cablegram arrived from the Swiss Embassy. Marlene was too nervous to open it and handed it to Hanz. His eyes quickly scanned the message. He read it to Marlene, “It’s from Christian Engel. ‘Package safely transferred sub-terrestrial.’”
“What does it mean?” asked Marlene.
“Anna has gone underground. She’s safe
* * *
Sarah Engel was excited to be finally meeting Anna, whose new name was now Heidi Brendler. She had heard her brother speak often of her over the past year, but the war had severely limited travel and made it impossible for the two young women to meet. Sarah spent the morning making certain her small, one bedroom apartment was tidy. She gently placed a cushion on the daybed in the living area then gazed out the window. The apartment was located next to a park on Goldschmidtstrasse, three blocks from Mendelssohn-Haus, now a museum. The train station, the largest in Germany, was a 15-minute walk, and the University of Leipzig was only 10 minutes away.
Christian parked on a side street. Heidi had one large piece of luggage packed with all it would hold, with nothing that led to her past except her stethoscope. She could not bring herself to abandon that one possession she had prized since she was a junior medical student.
Once in the apartment the two women shook hands then embraced. Sarah was amazed at Heidi’s beauty. The short, thick black hair was covered by a maroon beret, tilted slightly to one side. Her face was long and thin. Most astonishing were her aqua blue eyes. Sarah had almost called her Anna, but caught the slip before it came out. She had made sandwiches and a pot of coffee. The three sat around the small dining table. The two young women were already becoming friends. Christian could only observe and finally left the table to let them talk. As evening came, he stood to leave.
“Anna, I’ve got to be going now.” There was no response. “Anna!”
She slowly turned to face him.
“Are you addressing me? My name is Heidi.”
It was then that Christian came to grips with this charade. It wasn’t a game. He knew it was a life and death issue.
“I’m sorry. Heidi. I won’t make that mistake again.”
The two lovers strolled to the door. After a lingering kiss and a long embrace, Christian whispered in her ear. “I love you. I will stay in touch.”
He left, praying silently that God would protect her from the Nazis. Let her survive this war, he pleaded soundlessly.
The next week was busy for Heidi and Sarah. Their search for an apartment yielded a small efficiency flat only three blocks from Sarah and a 10-minute walk from the University Hospital, Heidi’s new place of employment. She had interviewed for a position as a nurse’s aide.
When hired, she requested instruction for taking blood pressures and giving oral medications with supervision. She had withdrawn all of her savings before leaving Berlin. Then she burned her identity papers. Her goal was to simply vanish. The following week, she moved into the flat and began working. A part of her efforts were also aimed at putting her past where it belonged - in the past. She was now Heidi Brendler from Lubeck, near the Baltic Sea.
Leipzig had no military instillations and no munitions factories to speak of. For this reason it was not a bombing target of the R.A.F. Heidi stayed to herself although she had been noticed by more than one physician at the hospital. She realized that there was a small risk that she might be recognized by someone she had known in Berlin, but none of the surgeons there had trained in Berlin and she was most comfortable in the hospital. One Neurologist, 10 years her senior, asked her to dinner. Tactfully, she told him that her fiancé was at the Russian front and she had no intention of betraying his love. She told the man she would complain to the authorities if he persisted. From then on, he carefully avoided her.
Heidi spent hours thinking of Christian, but he only communicated through Sarah. She also received word that her parents had arrived safely in England. With each passing week the nadir of the war seemed farther and farther away. As the months rolled by, she blended into the fabric of Leipzig and the hospital. Her supervisor recognized her intelligence and even suggested that Heidi consider nursing school. She politely declined.
Sarah and Heidi spent one evening out each week, a highlight for them both but especially for Heidi. At first, she hung on every word about Christian and her eyes searched for coded messages in his letters to Sarah. They had decided against direct written communication. The Gestapo was notorious for intercepting and re-sealing mail.
Just before Christmas, 1942, the two friends acquired tickets to a Bach concert. They made dinner reservations at a small café near the symphony hall. Heidi had seen Christian only once in the eight months she had lived in Leipzig. She often found herself staring at Sarah, as she was a propitious reflection of her brother.
As much as the women enjoyed their one evening out each week, spending time in public places was frightening. They frequently saw Gestapo officers, notorious for staring at beautiful women. Heidi tried very hard not to make eye contact with them. She saw only death in their eyes.
The Erwachen Café was an intimate, almost remote little place with only 20 tables laid out in a very long room that resembled a corridor. The décor and food was Mediterranean and the café had an outstanding wine selection. The two young women sat at a table near the rear of the corridor, which gave them the privacy they wanted. On this night they noticed no military as they walked to their table, always a relief.
Heidi wanted to find out more about Sarah’s faith. If Heidi appeared to be Christian it would be much more difficult for the Gestapo or anyone to see that she was Jewish. They ordered a bottle of red wine from France. It was always easy to find goods from German occupied territories. The other item of information Heidi wanted was about the resistance movement. She was not going to be content to live out the war hiding from the Nazis.
As the two women shared their Bordeaux, Heidi began pressing Sarah about her involvement in the underground.
“Sarah, I want to be involved in the resistance. The Nazis have taken everything from me including your brother, the love of my life. I know I cannot get out of the country. I don’t want to die, obviously. But I won’t just sit out the war.”
Sarah leaned forward, noticing that there was no one close enough to hear.
“The resistance is very dangerous. If caught you will be executed, no questions asked. If you are determined, I will put you in touch with the area commander. He will decide if you can help. I have worked mostly in communications. We have a short-wave radio and are in contact with the British. We also pick-up the BBC so we know what is happening in the war. There is so much going on that is never reported in Germany.”
The waiter returned for orders. Both women ordered the house specialty, grilled redfish and boiled potatoes. Heidi raised her fork and took a bite of the fish, savoring the taste and a new feeling growing inside her. She was beginning to sense more purpose for her life again. “Can you share with me about the war?”
Sarah nodded, taking a sip of wine. “Just last week the Russians launched a massive counter attack at Stalingrad and have trapped the entire German Sixth Army – 22 divisions. The winter has set in now, and it’s brutal in Russia. I am certain Hitler has been defeated on the Eastern front. Oh, yes. One last thing. About two weeks ago, a British-American force, under the command of someone named Eisenhower, invaded North Africa.”
The defeat at Stalingrad was disastrous for the Third Reich. The Fourth Panzer Army was given the mission of reaching and rescuing the trapped Sixth Army. They advanced to within thirty miles of Stalingrad but their attempt failed. It failed to a great degree because Hitler would not allow the Sixth Army to break out and retreat from their position. The Commander of the Soviet forces sent an ultimatum to General Paulus, the German Commander. It read in part:
“The situation of your troops is desperate. They are suffering from hunger, sickness and cold. The cruel Russian winter has scarcely yet begun. Hard frosts, cold winds and blizzards still lie ahead. Your soldiers are unprovided with winter clothing and are living in appalling sanitary conditions….Your situation is hopeless…”
The terms of surrender were honorable. All prisoners would be cared for. The wounded and sick would be given medical attention. All prisoners would maintain their badges of rank and keep their personal belongings.
Paulus radioed the text of the ultimatum to Hitler…the reply was Surrender is forbidden! The Russians began to pound the trapped German Army with thousands of rounds of artillery
and the slaughter was on.
January 30, 1943, was the 10th anniversary of the Nazi takeover of the German government. On that day, Paulus radioed Hitler: “Final collapse cannot be delayed more than twenty-four hours.”
The Sixth Army had held their position to the last man… ‘for Fuehrer and Fatherland.’ At 7:45 p.m. an unauthorized final radio message was sent: “The Russians are at the door of our bunker. We are destroying our equipment.”
Heidi moved to her other concern, feeling full and more relaxed after her first glass of wine. “I need to know much more about your faith. I have a vague understanding, but I would like to know more.”
Sarah had not brought up the subject. She had the feeling it was something that had not been an issue between Anna and Christian. “I would be delighted. Where shall be begin?”
Heidi started the conversation. “In the Torah, the God of Israel was known as Yahweh – the Lord. Yahweh is his name in Hebrew. He is a covenant God, and made royal agreements with Noah and Abraham, then with Abraham’s descendants, the Hebrew Nation. But when you pray you do not address God as the Lord; you call him ‘Father’. I find that very strange.”
“Your question goes to the heart of the Christian Gospel,” said Sarah. “Each year, you celebrate Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. It’s a day of fasting and prayer.”
“Correct. It is symbolic of the day in ancient times when the Priest entered the Holy of Holies in the Temple to atone for the sins of the Nation. In this way each year we are restored to God.”
Sarah continued. “We agree. All men must be restored to the Lord because our sin has alienated us from him. But for Christians the one who restores us is Jesus, the promised Messiah of God. His death on the cross and resurrection is our atonement, and it occurred one time for all sin for all time. Jesus is now our High Priest who gives us access to God. He has brought us into the family of God. Father has become for us God’s covenant name. We are now children of God. It is natural for us to address him as Father.”
“So when you attend your church, Lutheran I believe, you go to worship Jesus, not God.” Sarah smiled.
“It’s not exactly like that, Heidi. “We believe Jesus is God….the second person of the Trinity…God the Father…God the Son…God the Holy Spirit.”
Most of their food was now sitting on plates growing cold. They finished and ordered coffee.
“Well, this is going to require some getting used to,” said Heidi. “But I would like to come with you to your church.”
“Good. We can walk there together on Sunday.”
* * *
Landis Koller was anxious to leave his job in the ball bearings factory just north of Leipzig. For the past two weeks he had worked overtime, 12 hour shifts for 14 straight days. It was Friday, January 12, 1943. Leipzig had been covered with a thick blanket of snow, the first major winter storm. Landis had promised to take Naomi sledding. At 10 years old, this was one of Naomi’s favorite activities. He and his wife Gretchen had become very protective of Naomi since the loss of their first born, a son named Philip.
It had been six years. Philip was born with Down’s syndrome in 1930. He was a beautiful child with the typical mongoloid facial features. Though mentally retarded, he grew into a warm affectionate little boy. He loved to cuddle and would sit for hours while Gretchen read to him or held him in her lap. Then Naomi was born when he was three. In time, he took great pleasure in holding her and rocking her. He could not say her name and instead, called her ‘Omi’ which became her family name.
In 1935, Landis decided to join the Nazi Party. He was not interested in politics, but believed
the Nazi propaganda of ‘strength through joy’. They were getting Germany out of the great depression. Jobs were being produced and wages were up. He worried when Hitler abolished most civil rights and the authority of the Reichstag but getting the country out of the depression required bold action. Landis did not agree with Nazi anti-Semitism but saw this as a minor part of the Nazi agenda.
Landis himself was handicapped. At age 13, while helping his father bail hay, his right foot was mangled in a conveyor belt. He suffered multiple broken bones in the foot and ankle and required multiple surgeries and more than two years of healing. He was left with a badly deformed foot and a fused ankle, thus, a noticeable limp. He was otherwise, a robust man of more than six feet, with sharp Aryan features and a muscular build. Before the accident he had been a star soccer player. His Nazi colleagues were sympathetic. Even Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Information and Propaganda, was left a cripple from childhood polio. Surely Hitler’s ideas of ‘survival of the fittest’ or social Darwinism would not be applied to the German Volk. It was difficult to imagine that Hitler’s dogma would in fact become official party policy.
Early in 1937, the Kollers were asked to meet with the Nazi Counsel on Eugenics. The subject was their son Philip. The counsel requested that he be placed in a home for handicapped children. The Kollers resisted. He was seven years old and had never been away from his parents. They were told he would have good schooling and would be around many other children who were handicapped. They could see him twice monthly on weekends. When he turned 12, they would have the option of taking him back home. The counsel made it clear that they did not have a choice. The facility was only 100 kilometers from Leipzig near Dresden. It was in a pastoral setting and was well kept.
When they arrived, there were about 50 children around Philip’s age. There was a playground with swings and slides. They were told Philip would sleep in a dorm of sorts with 20 other children and a dorm ‘mother’. When they left, Philip was busy playing and did not even notice their leaving. Gretchen could not hold her tears. Landis tried to comfort her saying Philip would be happy there. Silently he thought back to the Nazi rhetoric of a “pure Germany”…a super Aryan race.
The first few weekend visits Philip seemed very happy. He was happy to see them and gave them hugs as always. He was easily distracted by his playmates and they began to believe that this possibly was the best place for him. The Kollers met other parents who were having similar thoughts. But for an unknown reason, Landis got names and addresses of two of the other couples with children there. Then the call came, almost six months to the day of his enrollment at the home. They were told that Philip had taken suddenly ill and had died of pneumonia. He had been buried on the grounds. The following day they traveled to see his grave site. It was among three other graves, all unmarked, his the only ‘fresh’ grave. Even though he had been out of their home for six months, a vast emptiness began to come over Gretchen. She began to have guilt that she had abandoned him to strangers.
Over the next month, Landis reflected over and over on the word he had heard the previous year at a Nazi Party meeting. A visiting official had mentioned the problem of Untermenschen – subhumans. The referral at the time was to Slavic people who were Bolsheviks, enemies of the State. In a broader context, it might refer to Jews. Suddenly the Nazi agenda was becoming clear to him. Anyone who did not fit their view of the ‘Master Aryan Race’ was untermenchen - subhuman. This included Jews, Gypsies, and the mentally and physically handicapped.
Landis quickly sent letters to the two families they had met at the home. Both couples had been notified that their children had died after a brief illness. The Nazis were systematically murdering these children. Philip had been exterminated….one of many.
The abject evil of the Nazi Reich was now apparent to Landis. A feeling of despair overwhelmed him. How could he have missed what was happening? How could his countrymen be complicit in these crimes against humanity? At that moment he decided he would do all in his power to defeat Nazism and he would do it from within the Party. He would not tell Gretchen any details. He only told her he was now working to ‘free’ Germany. He would carry to his grave the murder of his son.
The resistance movement in the Saxony Province of Germany had been started by Dr. Karl Goerdeler, the mayor of Leipzig. He, like Landis Koller, had supported the Reich initially. But in 1936, he began to notice the brutality of the new regime, including the repression of the churches and especially the Jews. When the Nazi governor of Leipzig tore down the statue of Jewish composer Felix Mendelssohn, Goerdeler resigned. In the year following, Goerdeler organized a network of prominent anti-Nazi men who, for multiple reasons, favored the overthrow of the Reich. They worked to this end by political means, but soon realized success could only be achieved through the military.
The first and possibly most important military official in the resistance movement was Colonel Hans Oster. He was a senior officer in the Abwer (German Military Intelligence Service). During the entire war until his execution in April, 1945, he fed important information to the Allies, provided warnings to individuals being sought by the Gestapo, and helped Jews escape Germany.
Perhaps the most prominent General to oppose Hitler was Ludwig Beck, retired Chief of the General Staff. He was a friend of Dr. Goerdeler and became the leader of the entire German resistance movement. In the next two years, the multiple conspirators agreed that the overthrow of the Reich could not be accomplished unless Hitler was killed. From 1941 moving forward, the efforts of those involved was to eliminate the Fuehrer. But multiple attempts on his life failed, all for different reasons. Nevertheless, they continued.
Sarah Engel had spoken with Landis about Heidi Brendler. She explained that Heidi was a friend of her brother Christian, and strongly anti-Nazi. Koller agreed to meet with Heidi only because he trusted Sarah. It was early December and anyone committed to the anti-Nazi movement would be a welcome addition for the work the following year.
Their meeting took place at a farmhouse about 20 kilometers from Leipzig. The women were picked up and escorted to the rendezvous place on a Friday evening. Sarah had not confided to Heidi that the rules of engagement placed her at risk of being eliminated if she was thought to be a Gestapo plant. It was not an issue so Sarah thought ‘why bother’.
Upon their arrival the driver escorted them into the old house. It was clean, but musty. A fire roared in the hearth and a pot of coffee was on the old wooden stove. The room was illuminated by several coal-oil lanterns. After about 30 minutes the front door opened and Landis Koller entered with another man he called Max. The women stood. He greeted Sarah with a hug and extended a hand to Heidi, who had noticed his limp. He took a cup of coffee and said nothing for about five minutes. The silence was awkward. Then he looked at Heidi, who was looking at the floor. She felt he was playing mind games with her or trying to intimidate her. Heidi raised her eyes to meet his.
His expression did not change. Then he spoke in a low voice, “Why are you here?”
Heidi felt confident and said quickly, “I hate the Nazis.”
“I can see that. Why would you risk death to help us?”
Heidi’s eyes flashed. “I am a Jew.”
* * *
On Christmas Eve a light snow was falling. Most of Germany had a rich tradition of Christmas celebration and worship of the birth of the Christ child, but in 1938, the Reich banned singing carols and the Nativity play in schools. Christmas had been replaced with the new term ‘Yuletide’. The Nazis believed that Christianity and National Socialism were irreconcilable. They wanted a completely secular society. The Catholic Church and many Protestant Churches resisted the pressure from the government, especially during Christmas.
Handel and Bach, the great composers of spiritual music, were both born in Germany the same year, 1695. For more than 200 years the world had celebrated Christmas through their music. Heidi and Sarah attended a candle-light Christmas Eve worship service. It was always a magical time for Sarah, and Heidi exclaimed the music was the most beautiful she had ever heard.
Christmas Day was a red-letter day for both women. Christian Engel made the trip from Berlin arriving about noon. He brought gifts and a plumb pudding. Heidi ran out to meet him in the snow throwing her arms around him. After their late afternoon meal Sarah decided to visit a friend from work to give the two sometime together. They had much ‘catching-up’ to do. Heidi decided not to mention joining the underground, and Christian did not mention the increased bombing by the R.A.F. and now the Americans. They took a walk in the snow.
“Tell me about Berlin and the hospital.” Christian shrugged.
“Work is work. We are seeing more cases from the front but nothing acute. Most are young men with extremities blown off or healing chest or abdominal wounds, or those missing half their face. Fifty percent of our beds are now rehab. Berlin is somber. The Nazis will not acknowledge publicly that they have been defeated in Russia. To continue the war is insane, but Hitler is insane. The war will be fought until the country is destroyed.”
Heidi looked up at him. “Amazing so few of us saw this coming. Our people were so focused on our economic recovery that we were blind as to how it was happening. I once attended a Nazi rally when I was an undergraduate. I was stirred by Hitler and his oratory. For a period of time even I believed the propaganda, but Hitler’s goal was a ‘master race’ with the conquered Europeans made slaves for the profit of Germany. And his Europe would be ‘Jew free’. So many in the academic community got out in time. And here I am hoping to just survive.”
They both were in their own private thoughts as they returned to the apartment. Once inside Heidi took Christian’s hand and they sat side by side.
“Christian, my people are suffering unspeakable inhumanities and are dying by the hundreds of thousands. I have been in contact with people who have been to Poland. About one year ago the Nazis sequestered 400,000 Jews into a ghetto in Warsaw. The purpose was to work them to death. After a year only 100,000 had died, so the remaining 300,000 were “resettled” to Treblinka where they were gassed and their bodies burned. Regardless of the war, my life will never be the same. You know I love you, but now my life is not my own.”
As they sat on the sofa, she wrapped her arms around him and began to cry softly. Christian understood that he was losing the woman he loved, not to another man but to the idea that she must resist the evil of the Nazi Reich with all in her being.
The first weekend of the New Year, 1943, Heidi, Landis and Max traveled to Munich to meet with university students who had formed a resistance group. During their travel time Landis provided Heidi with an overview of the underground efforts in Saxony which were focused on the area between Leipzig and Dresden. Heidi shared that she wanted to use some of her savings to buy a truck that could be used in the anti-Nazi work. There were about 20 workers in Saxony, but there was no formal organization and no meetings per say. Even Landis knew the identity of only seven of the twenty. Secrecy was their talisman. Their mission was threefold: to distribute anti-Nazi material, to hide Jews from the Gestapo, and to rescue and hide downed Allied airman. The last aspect of their mission was especially critical, since a directive issued by Hitler in 1941. It stated that captured Allied airman were to be hanged. This directive was a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention which had been signed by the Germans.
On that evening, the three from Leipzig met with three students from Munich, including Sophie Scholl, her brother Hans and Christoph Probst, a married medical student with three children. Sophie was studying biology and philosophy. Hans was also in medical school with Christopher. Heidi took an instant liking to these brave young people. As they were getting better acquainted, Sophie articulated their mission goal most eloquently,
“The ‘Prince of Darkness’ has blinded the hearts and minds of people so they cannot see the truth. Our goal is to reveal truth to them.”
These three brave souls, along with a few others and philosophy Professor Kurt Huber, were preparing thousands of anti-Nazi leaflets to distribute at the University of Munich as well as universities in Nurnberg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Leipzig and Berlin. Their motivation was based on their Christian beliefs and a just cause to combat evil. Hans Scholl expanded on their plan.
“Our hope is that a true anti-Nazi movement will spring from the students. Many social movements have been student led. This could be one.”
“But you are risking your lives because you are being so open in your protest,” said Landis.
Sophie looked at Heidi then Landis and continued, “And Darkness covered the Earth! Then God brought forth Light into the world.”
“And you represent that Light,” Heidi asked.
“Exactly!” said Christopher.
The Leipzig group slept on the floor of Sophie’s flat. After a breakfast of coffee and muffins they bundled 2,000 leaflets to be distributed at the University of Leipzig. Heidi gave Sophie a long hug.
“We are kindred spirits. I admire so much what you are doing. God bless you.” On the drive back Heidi opened one of the leaflets and read it to the others……
It is certain that today every honest German is ashamed of his government. 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? If the German people are already so corrupted and spiritually crushed that they do not raise a hand, frivolously trusting in a questionable faith in lawful order in history; if they surrender man’s highest principle, that which raises him above all other of God’s creatures, his free will; if they abandon the will to take decisive action and turn the wheel of history and thus subject it to their own rational decision; if they are so devoid of individuality, have already gone so far along the road toward turning into a spiritless and cowardly mass – then, yes, they deserve their downfall…Offer passive resistance – resistance – wherever you may be, forestall the spread of this atheistic war machine before it is too late…DO NOT FORGET…that every people deserves the regime it is willing to endure.
These isolated ‘antagonists’ rode for the next hour in silence. Finally, Landis broke the silence.
“I’m fearful they will be caught. They are so bold…so out in the open.”
Sophie Scholl was the fourth of five children, born and raised in Forchenberg, southern Germany. She was a very bright student and read extensively. After finishing secondary school her love of children led her to become a kindergarten teacher. She was also developing a deep distrust of Nazi National Socialism. Working in the Reichsarbeitsdienst (National Labor Service) was a prerequisite to be admitted to University. She reluctantly joined the Nazi organization for the required six months and entered the University of Munich in May 1942 to study biology and philosophy.
Sophie was influenced by her older brother Hans and his friends. Two of these young men had been required to spend a semester break at the Eastern front. It was there they witnessed atrocities of the SS, who herded a group of Jewish families into a field and cut them down with machine gun fire. On their return they vowed to resist the Nazi Reich. Their small band was called “die Weibe Rose”. Hans and Alex Schmorell, both medical students, began composing leaflets for distribution, denouncing the Hitler Reich. Soon they were joined by two other students, Christoph Probst and Willi Graf. When Sophie learned of the group she joined as well.
Their common bond was their scathing criticism of German citizens who would not oppose the Nazis.
They were also drawn together by their shared love of music, literature and Christian worship. Hans had named the group the White Rose to reflect their purity and innocence in the face of evil.
The week after meeting with the workers from Leipzig, they turned out between 6,000 and 9,000 leaflets using a hand cranked duplicating machine. As they were placing the leaflets in bundles of five hundred, Hans said to the others, “It should be obvious that Germany has been defeated in Russia. Hitler continues to lead the German people into the abyss. We have lost freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly. The people must rise up and resist this evil.”
On February 17, 1943, Sophie and Hans packed two suitcases with leaflets. Their plan was to distribute them between eight and nine a.m. the following day in the main lecture building. Students going to their 9:00 a.m. classes would pick them up to read. The following morning on their way to the University, Sophie turned to Hans. “Last night I had a dream that we got caught.”
“Well, I suppose if we believed in omens we would not go.”
“We have never seen Gestapo or SS at the University,” Sophie said. “Anyway, it was only a dream.”
The previous week, Hans, Alex Schmorell and Willi Graf had painted several buildings in the area with graffiti that said ‘Freedom’ and ‘Down with Hitler’. They had expected an increased presence of the Gestapo but had seen none while monitoring the situation.
The Scholls entered the building at 8:35 a.m. It was a three story structure with an enormous atrium in the center with broad marble stairways on either side of the atrium. The atrium was surrounded circumferentially with broad hallways that, from the ground, had the appearance of balconies. They quickly distributed the leaflets in the hallways of the second and third floors. They descended the stairs to the first floor when Sophie realized she had one bundle of leaflets left in her suitcase.
“I’m going back up to the top and throw these into the atrium.”
“Hurry! It’s five minutes ‘til nine.”
Sophie ran up the two flights of stairs to the third floor balcony and opened her suitcase, then flung the last bundle of leaflets over the balcony. They floated down like giant snowflakes. One of the custodians noticed them and became angry since it made more work for him. He locked the large brass front doors and called the police. Sophie and Hans were anxious to see the reaction of the students and had not noticed the custodian. The Gestapo quickly sealed the exits from the building and arrested the Scholls. That same day, Joseph Goebbels gave a speech in the Sportspalast in Berlin urging the German people to embrace ‘Total War’. The speech was designed to counter the news of their defeat at Stalingrad.
Four days after their arrest the Scholls and their colleague Christoph Probst were taken to trial in the Volksgerichtshof – Peoples Court. The head of the court, Roland Freisler, was an ardent Nazi. After a two hour ‘trial’, with little fanfare, Freisler pronounced the three guilty of treason with punishment of death. Their sentences were to be carried out that day. As they were being led out of the court Hans looked at Freisler.
“You know as well as we do the war is lost. Why are you so cowardly that you won’t admit it?”
At 5:00 p.m. in Stadelheim Prison Sophie Scholl walked calmly with a matron guard from her cell on death row to the execution chamber. As she entered the chamber she looked at the executioner who was going to bind her hands.
“That will not be necessary,” she said. The matron guard looked at her.
“Do you have a final word for your mother and father?” “Ja! Die sonne scheint noch – yes, the sun still shines!”
Sophie knelt down and placed her head on the guillotine block. Then literally in a fraction of a second Sophie Scholl moved from her heroic life on earth into eternity. She was followed by her brother Hans and their colleague Christoph Probst.
Original Sketch of Sophie Scholl by Delia Hunt
Heidi Brendler received the news the following day with great sadness. It was a stark reminder that what she was doing was very dangerous business…that a mistake could cost her life. It also gave her a new determination. Her weekly dinner with Sarah was to be the following Friday. Heidi could not wait. She was more convinced than ever that the sure way for evil to triumph was for good people to do nothing.