Judith Auer
Encyclopedia
Judith Auer (19 September 1905 – 27 October 1944) was a resistance fighter against the Nazi
régime in Germany
.
. Her father was the communist writer, Erich Vallentin. After her parents' untimely death in 1917, Judith was brought up by a well-to-do Jewish family. She completed her Abitur
and began studies in music
in the hopes of becoming a pianist
.
In 1924, as a student, she joined the Young Communist League of Germany
, and the next year, moved to Berlin. There, she met and married Erich Auer, a functionary in the Communist Party of Germany
(KPD), in 1926. In 1927, she joined the KPD. In 1928, Auer went to Moscow
with her husband and worked at the Comintern
's offices.
In 1929, her daughter Ruth was born. To earn money, Auer learned typing
and shorthand
and took a job at a KPD establishment.
in Germany in 1933 and the KPD was banned by the new régime, Auer eventually found herself working for AEG
at the Kabelwerk Oberspree ("cable works"),first as a shorthand typist, and later as a buying agent. It was here that Auer first came into contact with the resistance group around Fritz Plön, a welder
, who himself had contacts with the resistance group around Anton Saefkow
, Franz Jacob
, Bernhard Bästlein
and Karl Klodt, the Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization
. Auer also had had a long friendship with Änne Weiß, who became Saefkow's wife.
Auer managed her resistance group's finances and used business trips to do courier work, especially with a view to establishing links with resistance fighters in Thuringia
, such as Theodor Neubauer. She also hid Franz Jacob in her flat for several months after he fled from Hamburg
.
in Berlin on October 27, 1944.
and Jena
. In the former East Germany, there are several public institutions named after her, as well.
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
régime in 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...
.
Early life
Auer was born in ZurichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. Her father was the communist writer, Erich Vallentin. After her parents' untimely death in 1917, Judith was brought up by a well-to-do Jewish family. She completed her Abitur
Abitur
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...
and began studies in music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
in the hopes of becoming a pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
.
In 1924, as a student, she joined the Young Communist League of Germany
Young 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...
, and the next year, moved to Berlin. There, she met and married Erich Auer, a functionary in the Communist Party of Germany
Communist 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 1926. In 1927, she joined the KPD. In 1928, Auer went to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
with her husband and worked at the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
's offices.
In 1929, her daughter Ruth was born. To earn money, Auer learned typing
Typing
Typing is the process of inputting text into a device, such as a typewriter, cell phone, computer, or a calculator, by pressing keys on a keyboard. It can be distinguished from other means of input, such as the use of pointing devices like the computer mouse, and text input via speech...
and shorthand
Shorthand
Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed or brevity of writing as compared to a normal method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek stenos and graphē or graphie...
and took a job at a KPD establishment.
Resistance activities
After Hitler seized powerMachtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
in Germany in 1933 and the KPD was banned by the new régime, Auer eventually found herself working for AEG
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau....
at the Kabelwerk Oberspree ("cable works"),first as a shorthand typist, and later as a buying agent. It was here that Auer first came into contact with the resistance group around Fritz Plön, a welder
Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
, who himself had contacts with the resistance group around Anton Saefkow
Anton Saefkow
Anton Emil Hermann Saefkow was a German Communist and a resistance fighter against the Nazi régime.-Early life:...
, Franz Jacob
Franz Jacob
Franz Jacob is an Austrian bobsledder who competed in the mid 1970s. He won the bronze medal in the four-man event at the 1975 FIBT World Championships in Cervinia.-References:*...
, 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 Karl Klodt, 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 ....
. Auer also had had a long friendship with Änne Weiß, who became Saefkow's wife.
Auer managed her resistance group's finances and used business trips to do courier work, especially with a view to establishing links with resistance fighters in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, such as Theodor Neubauer. She also hid Franz Jacob in her flat for several months after he fled from 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...
.
Arrest and Execution
Auer was arrested at her workplace on July 7, 1944 and was later tortured. Along with Bruno Hämmerling and Franz Schmidt, she was sentenced to death at the Volksgerichtshof. Auer was hanged at Plötzensee PrisonPlötzensee 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...
in Berlin on October 27, 1944.
Legacy
There are streets named for Auer in Berlin, LeipzigLeipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
. In the former East Germany, there are several public institutions named after her, as well.
Further reading
- "Judith Auer (1905 - 1944). Möge alles schmerzliche nicht umsonst gewesen sein", Ruth und Günther Hortzschansky, Trafo-Verlag Berlin, 2004
External links
- Judith Auer geb. Vallenthin at bda-koepenick.de
- Plötzensee Prison