 Part 1 – Trivia Question: What was the name of the group of University of Munich students who used pamphlets to resist Hitler and the Third Reich? White Rose People X Black Charcoal Black Sky Answer: The White Rose (German: Weiße Rose) Source: More Info: en.wikipedia.org What was the name of a non-violent... | Trivia Answers | QuizzClub Part 2 – Who Were the Faces Behind the White Rose?
These 4 young men were medical students at the University of Munich. Their studies were interrupted repeatedly by the German War Department. They were forced to serve as student soldiers in the medical corps on the Eastern Front. The things they saw in Russia changed them forever. They became part of the resistance to Adolf Hitler and his Nazi government.
Part 3 – How Did the White Rose Operate? This is the Monument to the White Rose in front of the University of Munich. It is a perfect tribute – do you see the leaflets? Hans Scholl and Alexander Morell had to do something after serving on the Russian front. They wrote the first four leaflets, starting at the end of June, then stopping mid-July of 1942. They left them in telephone booths or mailed them to professors and students. They sent some by courier to other students at other universities for distribution there too.  Here are the 1st three leaflets: 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? — 1st leaflet of the White Rose Since 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! — 2nd leaflet of the White Rose. 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 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? — 3rd leaflet of the White Rose  Willi, Hans, and Alex were sent back to the Russian front from July 23 to October 30th of 1942. The leaflets stopped, until they returned. Sophie discovered during the fall of 1942 what her brother Hans was up to, and she joined in. They continued to spread their leaflets until February 18, 1943. That’s when the Stolls got caught. They brought a suitcase full of letters to the University’s main building. They dropped stacks in the empty hallways for students to find when they came out of class.  The Stolls should have stopped when they were ahead. They didn’t. They spotted some leftover letters so they went to the top floor and threw the extras down to the atrium. The maintenance man spotted them and called the Gestapo, the German police. You may think American police are bad, but they are nothing, NOTHING like the Gestapo. They were PURE evil. This is the Atrium, where the Stolls were arrested. Sophie got rid of her evidence. Hans had one last leaflet, their seventh. He tried to swallow it, but the Gestapo stopped him. They identified the handwriting in the letter, Christoph’s. He was arrested, along with Hans. Sophie could have gotten away. The police thought she was innocent at first, until she confessed . . . Sophie was trying to protect the other members of the White Rose. Part 4 – The Trials and their Results Hans, Sophie, and Christoph were tried 4 days later, on February 22, 1943, in the Volksgerichtshof. The court was known for being unfair, and for its frequent death sentences.  The three members of the White Rose were convicted of treason and sentenced to death. I thought they were executed by firing squad. They weren’t. The Nazi’s used the guillotine – that means they used a huge blade to cut off their heads. I thought the guillotine was only used during the French Revolution. Wrong. The 2nd trial was on April 19, 1943. Sixteen students stood trial. Eleven were sent to prison, one was acquitted, and three were sentenced to death – Willi Graf, Kurt Huber, and Alexander Schmorell. The 3rd trial with four more students was supposed to be held the next day, April 20, 1943, but it was Hitler’s birthday, and a holiday. The trial was moved back to July 13, 1943. The judge originally planned death sentences, but somehow, the evidence was lost. In 1945 there was one more execution. Another was stopped – just in time – the Allies rescued her.  This is where this post should end, with the final resting place of Hans, Sophie, and Christoph. It’s next door to the prison where they died. My hope – that they rest in peace, knowing they stood up for what was right, and they did it peacefully.   Photo Sources -Hans Scholl – By stadtarchiv-crailsheim.de, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58900954 -Alex Schmorell – By Angelika Knoop-Probst, Nicoasc (talk · contribs) - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18328905 -Christoph Probst – By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58916181 -Willi Graf – By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58900161 -The Atrium – By No machine-readable author provided. Cfaerber assumed (based on copyright claims). -The Courtroom - By Richard Huber - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5526257 -The Grave Site - By Rufus46 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2870213 
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AuthorWhen I write, I can only have one voice in my head, mine. A little noise is fine. But too much, or worse yet, WORDS, and I must change rooms or pull out headphones. Then I can write on! Categories
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