The White Rose

Young Germans Against Nazism

          It was a group of passive resistance founded in June 1942 by students Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell at the University of Munich. Its objective: to denounce the crimes of Nazism and appeal to the moral conscience of Germans. To achieve this, they wrote, printed, and clandestinely distributed anti-Nazi leaflets throughout Bavaria and later in other cities in southern Germany.

          From mid-1942, the group published six leaflets denouncing genocide, totalitarianism, the suppression of freedoms, and the need to oppose the regime. After the German defeat at Stalingrad, they also began painting slogans such as “Down with Hitler” and “Freedom” on Munich’s walls during nighttime actions.

          On February 18, 1943, Hans and Sophie Scholl were caught throwing leaflets inside the university. They were arrested after being denounced by a Nazi janitor and handed over to the Gestapo. Four days later, on February 22, they were tried and executed by guillotine along with Christoph Probst in Stadelheim Prison.

 Main members

• Hans Scholl – medical student, cofounder of the group.
• Sophie Scholl – biology and philosophy student, Hans’s sister.
• Alexander Schmorell – Russian-German student, coauthor of the leaflets.
• Willi Graf – medical student, joined after fighting on the front.
• Christoph Probst – student, father of three children.
• Kurt Huber – professor of philosophy and musicology, author of the sixth leaflet.

Reprisals and legacy

          After the first arrests, a second wave of detentions followed. Kurt Huber, Alexander Schmorell, and Willi Graf were executed in July and October 1943. Other members and collaborators were imprisoned or deported. Hans Leipelt and Marie-Luise Jahn were arrested for helping Huber’s widow; Leipelt was guillotined in 1945.

          After the executions and arrests of 1943, the core of the White Rose seemed to have been completely dismantled. However, some scattered cells continued to operate in secret. Among those who kept the flame of resistance alive was Hans Frobë, an opponent who served as a link with sympathizers in Berlin and recruited Dr. Henke in the Nikolaikirche.

Brief biographies of the members

Hans Scholl
Born September 22, 1918, in Ingersheim. Medical student, cofounder of the White Rose. Along with his sister Sophie and Christoph Probst, he was executed by guillotine on February 22, 1943. He was 24 years old.

Sophie Scholl
Born May 9, 1921. Student of biology and philosophy. Arrested after throwing leaflets at the university. She died the same day as her brother. Her last words were: “The sun still shines.”

Alexander Schmorell
Born in Russia on September 16, 1917. Bilingual, Catholic, soldier on the Eastern Front. Coauthor of the first leaflets. Arrested after attempting to flee, he was executed on July 13, 1943.

Christoph Probst
Born November 6, 1919. Medical student and father of three children. Executed along with the Scholls on February 22, 1943. He was only 23 years old.

Willi Graf
Born January 2, 1918. Catholic, arrested with his sister. He endured months of interrogations and torture without betraying anyone. Executed on October 12, 1943.

Kurt Huber
Born October 25, 1893. University professor, author of the last leaflets. He refused to cooperate with the Nazi regime. Guillotined on July 13, 1943.

Memory

The graves of several members are located in the Perlacher Forst Cemetery in Munich. Today, streets and schools across Germany bear their names:

• Geschwister-Scholl-Straße (Scholl Siblings Street)
• Alexander-Schmorell-Straße, Willi-Graf-Gymnasium, etc.

The silence of Carl Orff

When Kurt Huber’s wife asked composer Carl Orff to intercede to save him, he refused, fearing the ruin of his career. Years later, he sent a letter of apology to the widow.