Wolf Wajsbrot
Encyclopedia
Wolf Wajsbrot was a member of the French Resistance
under the Nazi occupation. Born in the Polish town of Kraśnik
, his parents moved to France, eventually settling in Paris
, shortly after his birth due to increasing anti-semitism
and a worsening economic climate
.
In 1939, the year Germany
invaded Poland and war was declared, Wajsbrot gained his school leaving certificate and began training to be a mechanic. Following the Nazi occupation of Paris, Wajsbrot's parents were arrested in the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup (Rafle du Vel' d'Hiv) on 16 July 1942 and deported. Wajsbrot joined the Communist resistance group Francs-tireurs et partisans - Main-d'œuvre immigrée shortly afterwards and proved to be a key member in the violent actions they brought against the occupiers. Six days after his eighteenth birthday, Wajsbrot threw a grenade into a train carriage reserved for German soldiers, causing "undescribable damage" according to an eye-witness.
Wajsbrot's photograph was one of ten featuring on the Affiche Rouge
, the iconic Nazi propaganda
poster describing the FTP as an "army of crime".
By mid-1943, however, the Germans had begun to close in on the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans. Following the capture of one of the group's leaders and the subsequent information gained from his torture, the remaining of the members of his cell (Wajsbrot among them) were captured in November 1943. Between his capture and subsequent trial in February of the following year, Wajsbrot was interrogated
and torture
d. After a one-day trial
, he was condemned to death
. On the afternoon of 21 February 1944, at the age of eighteen, Wajsbrot was executed at Mont Valérien, in a suburb of Paris.
He is buried in the Parisian cemetery of Ivry under the words Mort pour la France (died for France).
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
under the Nazi occupation. Born in the Polish town of Kraśnik
Krasnik
Kraśnik is a town in eastern Poland with 37,989 inhabitants , situated in the Lublin Voivodeship. It is the seat of Kraśnik County.-History:First settled in the 13th century, it received its city charter in 1377....
, his parents moved to France, eventually settling in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, shortly after his birth due to increasing anti-semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
and a worsening economic climate
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
.
In 1939, the year 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...
invaded Poland and war was declared, Wajsbrot gained his school leaving certificate and began training to be a mechanic. Following the Nazi occupation of Paris, Wajsbrot's parents were arrested in the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup (Rafle du Vel' d'Hiv) on 16 July 1942 and deported. Wajsbrot joined the Communist resistance group Francs-tireurs et partisans - Main-d'œuvre immigrée shortly afterwards and proved to be a key member in the violent actions they brought against the occupiers. Six days after his eighteenth birthday, Wajsbrot threw a grenade into a train carriage reserved for German soldiers, causing "undescribable damage" according to an eye-witness.
Wajsbrot's photograph was one of ten featuring on the Affiche Rouge
Affiche Rouge
The Affiche Rouge is a famous propaganda poster, distributed by Vichy French and German authorities in the spring of 1944 in occupied Paris, to discredit 23 French Resistance fighters, members of the Manouchian Group...
, the iconic Nazi propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
poster describing the FTP as an "army of crime".
By mid-1943, however, the Germans had begun to close in on the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans. Following the capture of one of the group's leaders and the subsequent information gained from his torture, the remaining of the members of his cell (Wajsbrot among them) were captured in November 1943. Between his capture and subsequent trial in February of the following year, Wajsbrot was interrogated
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d. After a one-day trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
, he was condemned to death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
. On the afternoon of 21 February 1944, at the age of eighteen, Wajsbrot was executed at Mont Valérien, in a suburb of Paris.
He is buried in the Parisian cemetery of Ivry under the words Mort pour la France (died for France).