Elisabeth Schumacher
Encyclopedia
Elisabeth Schumacher, née Hohenemser, (April 28, 1904 — December 22, 1942) was an artist and resistance fighter in the Third Reich. She belonged to the Red Orchestra (Rote Kapelle) resistance group.
to the engineer
Fritz Hohenemser, who came from a Jewish family of bankers from Frankfurt am Main. Her mother was from a Christian
family and came from Meiningen
. In 1914, the family moved from Strasbourg
(then part of Germany
) to Frankfurt am Main. Shortly thereafter, Fritz Hohenemser died in action in the First World War. Elisabeth then moved to Meiningen with her mother and siblings.
Living in Frankfurt again in 1921, she attended the School of Applied Arts (Kunstgewerbeschule
) in Offenbach
on and off until 1925. She worked at a crafts studio until 1928, so that she could later study art in Berlin, which she did until 1933. After completing her studies, she was active at the German Labour Museum (Deutsches Arbeitsmuseum). Owing to the Nuremberg Laws
, she was deemed to be a "half-Jew" ("Halbjüdin"), and therefore could not expect to hold a steady job, but could only freelance.
, a staunch Communist. The couple became part of the circle of friends that included Libertas
and Harro Schulze-Boysen
, and Mildred
and Arvid Harnack
, which the Gestapo
later dubbed the "Red Orchestra" (Rote Kapelle). The group was active giving out handbills and documenting the Nazi régime's crimes.
Schumacher wanted to protect Jewish relatives from deportation. Moreover, she believed there were possibilities of negotiating peace with the Soviet Union
. Early in 1941, the Schumachers were involved in the attempt to warn the Soviet Union by wireless
about the forthcoming German invasion (Operation Barbarossa
). In August 1942, they took in the Communist Albert Hößler (or Hoessler), who had lived in the Soviet Union since the 1930s. He parachute
d into Germany to support the resistance group's transmission of information to the Soviet Union.
") for "conspiracy to commit high treason
", espionage
, and other political crimes. Schumacher was beheaded on 22 December 1942 at Plötzensee Prison
, forty-five minutes after her husband was hanged
there.
Life
Elisabeth was born in DarmstadtDarmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
to the engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Fritz Hohenemser, who came from a Jewish family of bankers from Frankfurt am Main. Her mother was from a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
family and came from Meiningen
Meiningen
Meiningen is a town in Germany - located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia and is the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....
. In 1914, the family moved from Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
(then part of 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...
) to Frankfurt am Main. Shortly thereafter, Fritz Hohenemser died in action in the First World War. Elisabeth then moved to Meiningen with her mother and siblings.
Living in Frankfurt again in 1921, she attended the School of Applied Arts (Kunstgewerbeschule
Kunstgewerbeschule
A Kunstgewerbeschule was the old name for an advanced school of applied arts in German-speaking countries. The first such schools were opened in Kassel in 1867 and Berlin and Munich in 1868 with other German towns following. They are now merged into universities....
) in Offenbach
Offenbach, Hesse
Offenbach am Main is a city in Hesse, Germany, located on southside of the river Main just next to Frankfurt am Main. In 2009 it had a population of 118,770. The city is part of the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main metropolitan area as well as the Frankfurt urban area....
on and off until 1925. She worked at a crafts studio until 1928, so that she could later study art in Berlin, which she did until 1933. After completing her studies, she was active at the German Labour Museum (Deutsches Arbeitsmuseum). Owing to the Nuremberg Laws
Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 were antisemitic laws in Nazi Germany introduced at the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. After the takeover of power in 1933 by Hitler, Nazism became an official ideology incorporating scientific racism and antisemitism...
, she was deemed to be a "half-Jew" ("Halbjüdin"), and therefore could not expect to hold a steady job, but could only freelance.
Resistance activities
In 1934, Elisabeth Hohenemser married the sculptor Kurt SchumacherKurt Schumacher (sculptor)
Kurt Schumacher was a sculptor and Communist member of the German Resistance against National Socialism. He was married to the painter and graphic designer, Elisabeth Schumacher and was in the Red Orchestra.- Biography :...
, a staunch Communist. The couple became part of the circle of friends that included Libertas
Libertas Schulze-Boysen
Libertas Schulze-Boysen, born Libertas Viktoria Haas-Heye was a German opponent of the Nazis who belonged to the Red Orchestra resistance group during the Third Reich.- Early years :Schulze-Boysen spent her childhood at her grandfather's estate Philip, Prince of Eulenburg and Hertefeld...
and Harro Schulze-Boysen
Harro Schulze-Boysen
Heinz Harro Max Wilhelm Georg Schulze-Boysen was a German officer, commentator, and German Resistance fighter against German dictator Adolf Hitler's Nazi régime.- Early life :...
, and Mildred
Mildred Harnack
Mildred Fish-Harnack was an American-German literary historian, translator, and resistance fighter in Nazi Germany.- Life in the United States:...
and Arvid Harnack
Arvid Harnack
Arvid Harnack was a German jurist, economist, and resistance fighter in Nazi Germany.- Early years :...
, which the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
later dubbed the "Red Orchestra" (Rote Kapelle). The group was active giving out handbills and documenting the Nazi régime's crimes.
Schumacher wanted to protect Jewish relatives from deportation. Moreover, she believed there were possibilities of negotiating peace with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Early in 1941, the Schumachers were involved in the attempt to warn the Soviet Union by wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
about the forthcoming German invasion (Operation Barbarossa
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...
). In August 1942, they took in the Communist Albert Hößler (or Hoessler), who had lived in the Soviet Union since the 1930s. He parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
d into Germany to support the resistance group's transmission of information to the Soviet Union.
Arrest and death
In 1942, after a wireless message was decoded, many members of the Red Orchestra were arrested. On 12 September of that year, Schumacher was arrested at her flat. Like her husband, she was sentenced to death on 19 December 1942 at the Reichskriegsgericht ("Reich Military TribunalMilitary tribunal
A military tribunal is a kind of military court designed to try members of enemy forces during wartime, operating outside the scope of conventional criminal and civil proceedings. The judges are military officers and fulfill the role of jurors...
") for "conspiracy to commit high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
", espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, and other political crimes. Schumacher was beheaded on 22 December 1942 at Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison was a Prussian institution built in Berlin between 1869 and 1879 near the lake Plötzensee, but in the neighbouring borough of Charlottenburg, on Hüttigpfad off Saatwinkler Damm. During Adolf Hitler's time in power from 1933 to 1945, more than 2,500 people were executed at...
, forty-five minutes after her husband was hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
there.
Quotes from Elisabeth Schumacher
- "This war takes on ever crazier forms."
- — March 1941
- "There is a dreadful amount of hopelessness and misery here at every turn. Typhus has broken out in the Jewish barracks."
- — from a letter to her family, 1941