Alexander Schmorell
Encyclopedia
Alexander Schmorell was one of five Munich University students who formed a resistance group known as White Rose
(Weiße Rose) which was active against Germany
's Nazi
regime from June 1942 to February 1943.
. His mother died of typhus
during the Russian Civil War
when he was two years old. In 1920 his widowed father married a German woman who, like him, grew up in Russia. Fleeing from the Bolsheviks they left Russia and moved to Munich, Germany, in 1921, when Schmorell was four years old. His Russian nanny
came along with them and she took his late mother's place in his upbringing. Alexander Schmorell grew up bilingual, speaking both German and Russian
. He was an Eastern Orthodox Christian who considered himself both German and Russian.
(equivalent to high level High School diploma), he was called into the Reich Labour Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst
) and then into the Wehrmacht
(German Army during the Nazi era). In 1938, he took part in the annexation of Austria
and eventually in the Wehrmacht invasion of Czechoslovakia
.
After his military service
, the artistically gifted Alexander Schmorell began studies in medicine
in 1939 in Hamburg
. In the autumn of 1940, he went back with his student corps to Munich where he got to know Hans Scholl
, and later Willi Graf
. Together with Hans Scholl, Schmorell put together the White Rose's first four anti-Nazi leaflets. In the second leaflet Schmorell wrote a passage containing an outcry against the Holocaust.
in the Russian campaign
on the Eastern Front
, together with Hans Scholl, Willi Graf and Jürgen Wittenstein, and came to strongly oppose the Nazis' treatment of enemy soldiers and civilians during campaigns there. Once back from Russia, he continued his studies in Munich in the 1942-1943 semester.
. Together in 1943 they wrote the fifth leaflet "Aufruf an alle Deutschen!" (Appeal to all Germans!), which Schmorell then distributed in Austria
n cities. Along with Hans Scholl and Willi Graf, he also painted words such as "Nieder mit Hitler" (Down with Hitler) and "Freiheit" (Freedom) on house walls in Munich.
After the arrests of Christoph Probst
and Hans and Sophie Scholl
, Schmorell attempted to escape to Switzerland
but was eventually arrested on 24 February 1943, the day of his friends' funeral, after being recognized in an air raid shelter.
along with Kurt Huber
at the Munich-Stadelheim Prison
.
White Rose
The White Rose was a non-violent/intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany, consisting of students from the University of Munich and their philosophy professor...
(Weiße Rose) which was active against Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
regime from June 1942 to February 1943.
Early life
Schmorell's father, a medical doctor, was a German born and raised in Russia. Schmorell's mother was Russian, the daughter of a Russian Orthodox priest. Schmorell was baptised in the Russian Orthodox ChurchRussian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
. His mother died of typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
when he was two years old. In 1920 his widowed father married a German woman who, like him, grew up in Russia. Fleeing from the Bolsheviks they left Russia and moved to Munich, Germany, in 1921, when Schmorell was four years old. His Russian nanny
Nanny
A nanny, childminder or child care provider, is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service...
came along with them and she took his late mother's place in his upbringing. Alexander Schmorell grew up bilingual, speaking both German and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. He was an Eastern Orthodox Christian who considered himself both German and Russian.
Military service
After his AbiturAbitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
(equivalent to high level High School diploma), he was called into the Reich Labour Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst
Reichsarbeitsdienst
The Reichsarbeitsdienst was an institution established by Nazi Germany as an agency to reduce unemployment, similar to the relief programs in other countries. During the Second World War it was an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht.The RAD was formed during July 1934 as...
) and then into the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
(German Army during the Nazi era). In 1938, he took part in the annexation of Austria
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
and eventually in the Wehrmacht invasion of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
.
After his military service
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
, the artistically gifted Alexander Schmorell began studies in medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
in 1939 in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. In the autumn of 1940, he went back with his student corps to Munich where he got to know Hans Scholl
Hans Scholl
Hans Fritz Scholl was a founding member of the White Rose resistance movement in Nazi Germany.-Biography:...
, and later Willi Graf
Willi Graf
Willi Graf was a member of the White Rose resistance group in Nazi Germany....
. Together with Hans Scholl, Schmorell put together the White Rose's first four anti-Nazi leaflets. In the second leaflet Schmorell wrote a passage containing an outcry against the Holocaust.
The Russian front
In June 1942, Schmorell took part as a combat medicCombat medic
Combat medics are trained military personnel who are responsible for providing first aid and frontline trauma care on the battlefield. They are also responsible for providing continuing medical care in the absence of a readily available physician, including care for disease and battle injury...
in the Russian campaign
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
, together with Hans Scholl, Willi Graf and Jürgen Wittenstein, and came to strongly oppose the Nazis' treatment of enemy soldiers and civilians during campaigns there. Once back from Russia, he continued his studies in Munich in the 1942-1943 semester.
Dissident
In December 1942, Schmorell, along with Hans Scholl, sought contact with Professor Kurt HuberKurt Huber
Kurt Huber was a member of the White Rose group, which carried out resistance against Nazi Germany.-Early life:...
. Together in 1943 they wrote the fifth leaflet "Aufruf an alle Deutschen!" (Appeal to all Germans!), which Schmorell then distributed in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n cities. Along with Hans Scholl and Willi Graf, he also painted words such as "Nieder mit Hitler" (Down with Hitler) and "Freiheit" (Freedom) on house walls in Munich.
After the arrests of Christoph Probst
Christoph Probst
Christoph Hermann Probst was a German student of medicine and a member of the White Rose resistance group.-White Rose:...
and Hans and Sophie Scholl
Sophie Scholl
Sophia Magdalena Scholl was a German student, active within the White Rose non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany. She was convicted of high treason after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich with her brother Hans...
, Schmorell attempted to escape to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
but was eventually arrested on 24 February 1943, the day of his friends' funeral, after being recognized in an air raid shelter.
Trial and execution
Alexander Schmorell was sentenced to death on 19 April 1943 at the Volksgerichtshof (People's Court) in the second trial against the White Rose. In the letters he wrote from prison he tried to console his family and assured them that he was at peace with his fate and not fearful of death. On July 13, 1943, at the age of 25, Schmorell was put to death by guillotineGuillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
along with Kurt Huber
Kurt Huber
Kurt Huber was a member of the White Rose group, which carried out resistance against Nazi Germany.-Early life:...
at the Munich-Stadelheim Prison
Stadelheim Prison
Stadelheim Prison, in Munich's Giesing district, is one of the largest prisons in Germany.Founded in 1894 it was the site of many executions, particularly by guillotine during the Nazi period.-Notable inmates:...
.