Anton Saefkow
Encyclopedia
Anton Emil Hermann Saefkow (22 July 1903 in Berlin
– 18 September 1944 in Brandenburg an der Havel, executed) was a German
Communist and a resistance fighter against the Nazi
régime.
to whose Berlin leadership he rose in 1922.
(KPD) in Berlin, then in Dresden
. In 1929-1932, he led the Revolutionary Trade Union Opposition (Revolutionäre Gewerkschafts-Opposition; RGO) in the KPD's Ruhr
district and became in 1932 political leader of the KPD's Wasserkante district in Hamburg
. In 1932, Saefkow got married to Theodora Brey, who was also active in the Resistance.
and was then sentenced to another two years' imprisonment.
in 1941, he built up the biggest KPD resistance group, called the "Operative Leadership of the KPD". In 1944, he, Bernhard Bästlein
and Franz Jacob (Resistance fighter)
led the Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization
, which agitated against the war in Berlin munitions plants, and called on people to commit sabotage
.
In April 1944, the Social Democrat
Adolf Reichwein
established contact with Saefkow to include the KPD group in the July 20 Plot
, which sought to assassinate
or otherwise overthrow Adolf Hitler
. It eventually took the form of a briefcase bomb attack on the Führer at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia
, but it failed, the consequences were dire for the plotters.
.
Saefkow left behind a wife and two daughters. Shortly before his death, he wrote to his wife Änne: "Through this letter I want to thank you, my comrade, for the greatness and beauty that you have given me in our life together... Not till today, writing these lines, thinking about you all, have my eyes moistened since the sentencing. For the pain, which might tear me apart, restrains reason. You know, I am militant and shall die bravely. I only ever wanted good..."
, a greenspace called Anton-Saefkow-Park is not only named for Saefkow, but also features a bust
of him. In Brandenburg an der Havel, the street running before the very prison
where Saefkow and many other members of the antifascist resistance were put to death by the Nazis has been named Anton-Saefkow-Allee.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
– 18 September 1944 in Brandenburg an der Havel, executed) was a German
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...
Communist and a resistance fighter against the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
régime.
Early life
Anton Saefkow came from a socialist working-class family and in 1920, as a metalworker's apprentice, joined the Young Communist League of GermanyYoung Communist League of Germany
The Young Communist League of Germany was a political youth organization in Germany. It was formed in 1920 from the Free Socialist Youth of the Communist Party of Germany, which itself was formed in October 1918, with support from the Spartacus League . The KJVD was created in 1925...
to whose Berlin leadership he rose in 1922.
Activism
In 1927 he became secretary of the Communist Party of GermanyCommunist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
(KPD) in Berlin, then in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. In 1929-1932, he led the Revolutionary Trade Union Opposition (Revolutionäre Gewerkschafts-Opposition; RGO) in the KPD's Ruhr
Ruhr Area
The Ruhr, by German-speaking geographers and historians more accurately called Ruhr district or Ruhr region , is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million , it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany...
district and became in 1932 political leader of the KPD's Wasserkante district 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 1932, Saefkow got married to Theodora Brey, who was also active in the Resistance.
Imprisonment
From April 1933 until April 1934, the Nazis imprisoned Saefkow in a concentration camp, followed by two and a half years in a Zuchthaus at hard labour, and then at Dachau concentration camp. There, he organized an illegal remembrance service for Edgar AndréEdgar André
Edgar Josef André, or Etkar Josef André was a politician in the Communist Party of Germany and an antifascist.-Early years:...
and was then sentenced to another two years' imprisonment.
Resistance
Released from detention in July 1939, Saefkow went back to the illegal political work. In Berlin, after the attack on the Soviet UnionOperation 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...
in 1941, he built up the biggest KPD resistance group, called the "Operative Leadership of the KPD". In 1944, he, Bernhard Bästlein
Bernhard Bästlein
Bernhard Bästlein was a German Communist and resistance fighter against the Nazi régime. He was imprisoned very shortly after the Nazis seized power in 1933 and was imprisoned almost without interruption until his execution in 1944, by the Nazis...
and Franz Jacob (Resistance fighter)
Franz Jacob (Resistance fighter)
Franz Jacob was a German Resistance fighter against the National Socialists and a Communist politician.- Early years :...
led the Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization
Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization
The Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization was an underground German resistance movement acting during the Second World War, that published the illegal magazine, Die Innere Front ....
, which agitated against the war in Berlin munitions plants, and called on people to commit sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
.
In April 1944, the Social Democrat
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
Adolf Reichwein
Adolf Reichwein
Adolf Reichwein was a German educator, economist, and cultural policymaker for the SPD. He was also a resistance fighter in Nazi Germany.-Biography:...
established contact with Saefkow to include the KPD group in the July 20 Plot
July 20 Plot
On 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
, which sought to assassinate
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
or otherwise overthrow Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. It eventually took the form of a briefcase bomb attack on the Führer at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
, but it failed, the consequences were dire for the plotters.
Arrest and Execution
In July 1944, Saefkow was arrested, and on 5 September, he was sentenced to death at the Volksgerichtshof. On 18 September, he was put to death at Brandenburg-Görden PrisonBrandenburg-Görden Prison
Brandenburg-Görden Prison is located on Anton-Saefkow-Allee in the Görden section of Brandenburg an der Havel. Erected between 1927 and 1935, it was built to be the most secure and modern prison in Europe. It was a Zuchthaus for inmates with lengthy or life sentences at hard labor, as well as...
.
Saefkow left behind a wife and two daughters. Shortly before his death, he wrote to his wife Änne: "Through this letter I want to thank you, my comrade, for the greatness and beauty that you have given me in our life together... Not till today, writing these lines, thinking about you all, have my eyes moistened since the sentencing. For the pain, which might tear me apart, restrains reason. You know, I am militant and shall die bravely. I only ever wanted good..."
Memorials
On 2 February 1975, a square in Berlin was given Anton Saefkow's name. Franz Jacob and Bernhard Bästlein were also honoured with streets in the same neighbourhood named after them. In Prenzlauer BergPrenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg is a locality of Berlin, in the borough of Pankow.Until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a borough of Berlin; in that year it was included in the borough of Pankow....
, a greenspace called Anton-Saefkow-Park is not only named for Saefkow, but also features a bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of him. In Brandenburg an der Havel, the street running before the very prison
Brandenburg-Görden Prison
Brandenburg-Görden Prison is located on Anton-Saefkow-Allee in the Görden section of Brandenburg an der Havel. Erected between 1927 and 1935, it was built to be the most secure and modern prison in Europe. It was a Zuchthaus for inmates with lengthy or life sentences at hard labor, as well as...
where Saefkow and many other members of the antifascist resistance were put to death by the Nazis has been named Anton-Saefkow-Allee.
External links
- Page about Anton-Saefkow-Platz in Berlin-Fennpfuhl
- Page about Anton-Saefkow-Straße in Prenzlauer Berg
Further reading
- Hermann Weber, Die Wandlung des deutschen Kommunismus; Vol. 2, Frankfurt am Main (1969) 267f
- E.R. Greulich, Keiner wird als Held geboren; Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin (1961)