Rüdiger Schleicher
Encyclopedia
Rüdiger Schleicher was a German
resistance fighter against the Nazi
régime.
Born in Stuttgart
, Schleicher was married to Ursula Bonhoeffer (1902 – 1983), Karl Bonhoeffer's daughter and Dietrich
and Klaus Bonhoeffer
's sister. His daughter Renate married Dietrich Bonhoeffer's friend and fellow theologian, Eberhard Bethge
.
Schleicher studied law
in Tübingen
and graduated with a doctorate
in 1923 with a dissertation on "International Air Travel Law." After working in the Württemberg
government service and the German-American Arbitration Committee at the Foreign Office
, he became an official in the Reich Transport Ministry in 1927. In 1933, he was posted to the newly established Reich Air Travel Ministry. There, beginning in 1935, he headed the legal department as a ministerial adviser. On 14 August 1939, less than three weeks before the war broke out, Schleicher was removed as leader of the legal department and given a job as a consultant in the General Air Office. His advocacy, in publications and presentations, of international law
, the war renunciation pact (Kellogg-Briand Pact
, 1928), and the Hague Conventions
did not sit well with the government.
In 1939, as an added responsibility, Schleicher took on the leadership of the Institute for Air Law at the University of Berlin and the publication of the magazine "Archiv für Luftrecht." The Institute was later used for conspiratorial resistance meetings.
In the event that the revolt against Adolf Hitler
on 20 July 1944 was successfully accomplished, Schleicher was to be responsible for the reorganization of air travel. After the plot to assassinate
the Führer at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia
failed, Schleicher explained during interrogation that he opposed the Nazi régime. To bring about reconciliation with Western war opponents, he said, Hitler had to step down.
On 2 February 1945, Schleicher was sentenced to death by the "People's Court" (Volksgerichtshof), whose presiding judge was Roland Freisler
. On the night of 22-23 April, along with twelve fellow prisoners, among them his own brother-in-law Klaus Bonhoeffer
and his assistant Hans John
, Rüdiger Schleicher was executed by gunshot near the Lehrter Straße Gestapo
prison
in Berlin
, by a special squad from the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA).
Schleicher's work on the commentary for an air traffic law (1. Aufl. 1933, 2. Aufl. 1937) was continued after his death (Schleicher/Reymann/Abraham, Das Recht der Luftfahrt, 3. Aufl. 1960/1966).
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...
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.
Born in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Schleicher was married to Ursula Bonhoeffer (1902 – 1983), Karl Bonhoeffer's daughter and Dietrich
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr to assassinate Adolf Hitler...
and Klaus Bonhoeffer
Klaus Bonhoeffer
Klaus Bonhoeffer was a German jurist and resistance fighter against the Nazi régime who was executed after the July 1944 plot to kill Hitler....
's sister. His daughter Renate married Dietrich Bonhoeffer's friend and fellow theologian, Eberhard Bethge
Eberhard Bethge
Eberhard Bethge was a student of famed theologian and anti-Nazi martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and later married Bonhoeffer's niece Renate. A fellow resister of the Nazis, Bethge was also the editor for and biographer of the great theologian.Bethge was born in Warchau, near Magdeburg, on August 29,...
.
Schleicher studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
and graduated with a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in 1923 with a dissertation on "International Air Travel Law." After working in the Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
government service and the German-American Arbitration Committee at the Foreign Office
Foreign Office (Germany)
The Foreign Office is the foreign ministry of Germany, a federal agency responsible for both the country's foreign politics and its relationship with the European Union. From 1871 to 1919, it was led by a Foreign Secretary, and since 1919, it has been led by the Foreign Minister of Germany...
, he became an official in the Reich Transport Ministry in 1927. In 1933, he was posted to the newly established Reich Air Travel Ministry. There, beginning in 1935, he headed the legal department as a ministerial adviser. On 14 August 1939, less than three weeks before the war broke out, Schleicher was removed as leader of the legal department and given a job as a consultant in the General Air Office. His advocacy, in publications and presentations, of international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
, the war renunciation pact (Kellogg-Briand Pact
Kellogg-Briand Pact
The Kellogg–Briand Pact was an agreement signed on August 27, 1928, by the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Weimar Germany and a number of other countries.The pact renounced war , prohibiting the use of war...
, 1928), and the Hague Conventions
Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907)
The Hague Conventions were two international treaties negotiated at international peace conferences at The Hague in the Netherlands: The First Hague Conference in 1899 and the Second Hague Conference in 1907...
did not sit well with the government.
In 1939, as an added responsibility, Schleicher took on the leadership of the Institute for Air Law at the University of Berlin and the publication of the magazine "Archiv für Luftrecht." The Institute was later used for conspiratorial resistance meetings.
In the event that the revolt against 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...
on 20 July 1944 was successfully accomplished, Schleicher was to be responsible for the reorganization of air travel. After the plot 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...
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...
failed, Schleicher explained during interrogation that he opposed the Nazi régime. To bring about reconciliation with Western war opponents, he said, Hitler had to step down.
On 2 February 1945, Schleicher was sentenced to death by the "People's Court" (Volksgerichtshof), whose presiding judge was Roland Freisler
Roland Freisler
Roland Freisler was a prominent and notorious Nazi lawyer and judge. He was State Secretary of the Reich Ministry of Justice and President of the People's Court , which was set up outside constitutional authority...
. On the night of 22-23 April, along with twelve fellow prisoners, among them his own brother-in-law Klaus Bonhoeffer
Klaus Bonhoeffer
Klaus Bonhoeffer was a German jurist and resistance fighter against the Nazi régime who was executed after the July 1944 plot to kill Hitler....
and his assistant Hans John
Hans John
Hans John was a German lawyer and World War II resistance figure.Hans John was born in Ziegenhain, Hesse, and studied law at the University of Berlin. In 1939, he was hired as a legal assistant at the Aviation Law Institute in Berlin...
, Rüdiger Schleicher was executed by gunshot near the Lehrter Straße 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...
prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in Berlin
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...
, by a special squad from the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA).
Schleicher's work on the commentary for an air traffic law (1. Aufl. 1933, 2. Aufl. 1937) was continued after his death (Schleicher/Reymann/Abraham, Das Recht der Luftfahrt, 3. Aufl. 1960/1966).
Literature
- Bracher, Karl Dietrich: Geschichte als Erfahrung. Betrachtungen zum 20. Jahrhundert; Stuttgart u.a. 2001; ISBN 3-421-0544-4 (Bracher is – like Eberhard BethgeEberhard BethgeEberhard Bethge was a student of famed theologian and anti-Nazi martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and later married Bonhoeffer's niece Renate. A fellow resister of the Nazis, Bethge was also the editor for and biographer of the great theologian.Bethge was born in Warchau, near Magdeburg, on August 29,...
– Rüdiger Schleicher's son-in-law. In this work, which brings together many of Bracher's essays, is a short biography of Schleicher.)