22 February 1943 – Sophie Magdalena Scholl
A pacifist German who hadn’t been sucked in by Nazi propaganda was executed on this day in 1943.
While a student at Munich University Sophie Magdalena Scholl and her brother Hans were active members of the White Rose group. It was a resistance movement that upheld a non-violent stance. Hans was one of three men who’d seen Jews being murderously shot into a pit. As a result they felt compelled to speak out against the inhumanity of the Nazis’ activities.
So they took to writing pamphlets, spreading the word to fellow students. At first Sophie was ignorant of her brother’s resistance activities – he was trying to protect her. But when she eventually got wind of his actions, she wholeheartedly joined without flinching. Together they distributed anti-war leaflets. And it was during these covert operations that they were captured.
House of cards
Sophie, her brother Hans and their friend Christoph Probst were accused of treason and found guilty. They were sentenced was death and it was carried out that very same day at Stadelheim Prison in Munich. Sophie’s last words before she lost her head were ‘the sun still shines’. She was just 22 when she was sent to the guillotine.
Her 24-year-old brother was equally heroic, saying ‘long live freedom’. However, despite their best attempts to carry the can and save him, their friend, Probst, was also executed that day, leaving behind his wife and three children.
This event marked the beginning of the end for fellow White Rose members, as they were shortly rounded up and executed too.
Also on this day
22 February 1910 – Joseph Wren
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February 21 at 9:00 pm
THANK YOU BECAUSE YOU REMEMBER THOSE TRUE BELIEVERS. EXELLENT!
February 21 at 9:03 pm
THANKS FOR SOPHIE….
April 10 at 11:03 am
Thanks for our unknown heros
November 14 at 11:11 pm
God bless Sophia Scholl and the Weiße Rose martyrs.
February 19 at 10:41 pm
Une pensée très forte pour Sophie et tous les memebres de la Rose Blanche.
J’ai 57 ans, et c’est un honneur pour moi d’avoir pu découvrir cette histoire, mais seulement en septembre 2010. Je regrette amèrement de ne pas avoir connu l’histoire de Sophie SCHOLL grace au programme scolaire en histoire, quand j’étais jeune. J’aurais tellement voulu rencontrer ses parents ou sa soeur Inge qui a écrit un livre en 1953 “La Rose Blanche” traduit en français en 1955 et édité par les Editions de Minuit….
Je voudrais créer une fondation en France pour faire connaître à un maximum de jeunes français, cette fabuleurse histoire qui nous donne des leçons de courage et d’humanité tous les jours…….;
April 9 at 11:47 pm
Sophie… you did something not many people can do… you looked death right in the eyes and saw Jesus.