The White Rose

L-R Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, Cristoph Probst


From all the horror and evil that came out of the Third Reich in Germany, there is a story of heroism that many today outside of Germany may not be aware of. The principal figures were Hans and Sophie Scholl, brother and sister, who were students at the University of Munich during World War 2. They were involved in a small group of anti-Nazis at the university, which was called Die Weisse Rose (The White Rose). For their opposition, they paid with their lives.

As a student-soldier, Hans Scholl had served in the German Army in France. He returned home turned against the war by the things he had experienced. Later, he was told a first-hand account of atrocities on the Eastern Front. Together with his sister, Sophie, they became involved with a small group of like-minded youth and a university professor, Kurt Huber. Later, after the group had begun its activities, Hans and two other members of the group served a short tour of duty on the Eastern Front, an experience which only solidified their opposition.

Of course, in the Third Reich, public anti-government demonstrations were impossible. Clandestinely, the group printed anti-war flyers which they posted in the dead of night or mailed to random addresses around the country. They also rode trains to other universities in Germany, where they left their posters. Of course, the Gestapo was feverishly trying to identify the authors.

On February 18, 1943, Hans and Sophie were caught distributing leaflets at a lecture hall at the University of Munich. Follow-up investigation quickly resulted in Probst's arrest. For them, punishment was swift. At a hastily arranged trial, which was presided over by the notorious Nazi judge, Roland Freisler, who was specially brought in from Berlin, the Scholls remained defiant. Sophie made a statement in court that,"Somebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just do not dare express themselves as we did."

On February 22, just 4 days after their arrests, the Scholls and Probst were found guilty of treason and sentenced to die. From the courthouse, they were taken to Munich's Stadelheim Prison. Hans and Sophie were permitted a final visit with their parents, after which (the same afternoon) all three were beheaded by guillotine. They went to their deaths with courage and dignity. Hans' final words as the blade fell, were "Es lebe die Freiheit!" (Long live freedom). Sophie was not yet 22. Hans was 25, and Christoph was 24.

In quick order, three other members of the group, Willi Graf, Alexander Schmorell and Professor Kurt Huber, were also arrested and executed for their roles against the Nazi regime. For the latter three, their eventual executions were delayed for months due to the formal appeals process-a process denied to Sophie, Hans and Christoph. Nonetheless, the executions were eventually carried out.

Today, the names of the Scholls and the other members of the White Rose are known to all in Germany as national heroes. Several books and films have been made about them, both in German and English. The plaza in front of the lecture hall where they were arrested has been named Geschwister Schollplatz (Sibling Scholl Plaza). A small room on the ground floor of the lecture hall has been converted to a memorial exhibit of the White Rose.

In 2005, a film about the Scholls was released in Germany entitled, "Sophie Scholl-The Last Days"- Sophie Scholl-Die letzten Tage). The film is based on court transcripts and was filmed at the locations where the events actually happened. It has won numerous awards.

Hans and Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst lie buried together in the Perlacher Cemetery next to Stadelheim Prison in Munich.