Sophie Scholl: A brave woman against Hitler

Weiße Rose (White Rose)

Hans und Sophie Scholl mit Christoph Probst (v.l.n.r.). Abschied vor der Abfahrt zur Ostfront, München, Juli 1942, © Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand

It is historically false to claim that everybody, living in Nazi Germany, knew everything and in detail about what was happening there. It is, nevertheless, also wrong to argue that the Germans did not know anything about what was occurring [davon haben wir nichts gewusst]. Further, it is historically correct to allege that it was only a small minority that offered resistance. Among them women like Margaretha Rothe, Magarete Mrosek, Hannelore Wilbrandt, Traute Lafrenz, Maria and Katharina Leipelt, Ilse Ledien, etc. All of them were for a long time written out of history. The reason: Most of them were Socialists and/or Communists, something that did not fit the imagination of Western Germany during the Cold War period. Admitted: The name that all of us know is, however, one: Sophie Scholl. She was executed 78 years ago, on 22.02.1943, together with her brother Hans Scholl, Christoph Probst, and Alexander Schmorell. The latter was in 2012 canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Text: #JohannaPanagiotou Project: #WomenWroteHistory