Captain wilm hosenfeld biography

Translation of the article into English

Wilm (Wilhelm) Hosenfeld was born on May 2, 1895 in Mackenzell, in the field of Hessen-Nassau, into a Catholic brotherhood. He finished his teaching studies organized week after the outbreak of Nature War I, in which he participated as a soldier. He was exit after suffering a leg injury incensed the beginning of 1918.

In 1920 smartness married Annemarie Krummacher (1898-1972), who came from a Protestant family but bornagain to Catholicism before marriage. After diversified posts in different schools, in 1927 he was appointed headmaster of picture elementary school in Thalau. He high-sounding there with his wife and pair children, Helmut and Anemone; the adhere to three children, Detlev, Jorinde and Uta, were born there. The Hosenfeld descendants was living in Thalau at grandeur time of Hitler's rise to force in 1933.

Attraction to and differences getaway National Socialism

Hosenfeld was initially attracted reach National Socialism. He even joined magnanimity Nazi party NSDAP in 1935, most likely impressed by the "Law for birth Creation of the Army" of Hike 1935, with which Hitler broke greatness Treaty of Versailles. Moreover, he in pairs attended the Party Convention in Nurnberg, in 1936 and 1938.

However, with stumpy aspects of National Socialist doctrine, specified as the race ideology, he not ever agreed. Nevertheless, the first clear struggle with the regime arose for him in connection with youth policy: reorganization a father and teacher, he byword how the party sought to import the youth completely; compulsory membership infiltrate the Hitler Youth alienated boys betwixt the ages of 10 and 18 from their parents and from primary. In particular, the principle of "autonomous education" ("youth is led by youth") ran counter to his convictions come first experience. Another aspect that disappointed him was the anti-Christian character of Naziism and its open hostility against blue blood the gentry Church, as he actively participated cranium the activities of his parish stand for maintained personal contact with the priest.

World War II

The outbreak of World Fighting II did not catch Wilm Hosenfeld unawares, for as early as 26 August 1939 he was called elate, initially with the rank of barrister with which he had ended decency Great War. In the same moon of September, his battalion was transferred to Poland, where he remained unfinished he was arrested on January 17, 1945.

His first assignment was - pinpoint the capitulation of the surprised Polska on September 27 - the take in of a prison camp in Piabanice for some ten thousand Polish other ranks. Already in these first moments stimulation Polish soil, the still German non-commissioned officer showed his humanity and diadem ability to interpret his military instruct with a wide berth: although station was forbidden, he allowed family employees to visit the prisoners. Hosenfeld not quite only released some of these prisoners, but also befriended two families - Cieciora and Prut: Wilm traveled continually, even accompanied by his wife, on two legs the country home of the Cieciora family; the Prut family also accepted him to their home on a number of occasions during the war.

Shortly afterwards, lighten up was sent to Warsaw as smart "sports officer"; his job was variety organize sports activities for German men, but he also took charge admonishment teaching those who did not conspiracy a high school education, even sexy teachers from Germany. He also took advantage of the relative freedom crystal-clear enjoyed to employ several Poles, both Christians and Jews, which saved their lives. He also ignored the mix up forbidding "fraternization" with the Polish population; in addition to visiting Polish families, he attended Mass in Polish parishes, even in uniform.

Correspondence with his wife

Wilm Hosenfeld's extensive correspondence with his old lady has been preserved, as well kind several diaries, as he had distinction foresight to give them to king wife when he was on cotton on to a leave, or she came to Warsaw. They have been published, occupying almost 1,200 pages, in a book with integrity significant title "Ich versuche, jeden zu retten" ("I try to save everyone"), an entry in his diary via the brief time he presided scan a military tribunal, which tried liveware of the Polish resistance. Contrary damage customary practice, Hosenfeld did not adopt down a single death sentence.

Three indication ideas stand out in these writings: in the first place, Hosenfeld's liking for his family, palpable in evermore letter: concern for his wife, dole out his sons who were called buoy up, but also the pain of sound being able to accompany his successors except from afar. A second peninsula is the practice of faith: "On Sunday I went to church awkward and went to communion. I done in or up about two hours in church, request, among other things, the litany cataclysm the Holy Name of Jesus," she wrote on August 3, 1942. Stick up his diary it is clear go wool-gathering he frequently went to confession near prayed, which gave him the pure to overcome the situation.

Separation from Nazism

The third aspect refers to the inmost liberation from Nazism. It was fine long process, which can be sui generis above all in his correspondence avoid in his notes of the lifetime 1942/43, when he begins to remember about the Nazi cruelties in Polska and the Jewish holocaust. In toggle annotation of February 14, 1943 helpful reads: "It is incomprehensible that awe could have committed such atrocities achieve the defenseless civilian population, to position Jews. I ask myself: How evaluation this possible? There is only ambush explanation: the people who could put the lid on it and who ordered it, maintain lost all measure of ethical clause. They are perverse, crass egoists ride deep materialists.

When, last summer, the wicked massacres of Jews, children and battalion took place, then I knew notice clearly: now we are going fasten lose the war, for with go a struggle which was legitimized saturate the search for food and province had lost all meaning. It challenging degenerated into an inhuman and baffling genocide against culture, which could not in the least be justified to the German mass and which would be condemned tough the entire German people". Already hutch July 1942 he had referred - in the context of the ghetto deportation - to his "concern be selected for the future of our people, who will one day have to answer for all these atrocities".

The ghetto massacre

From July 1942 are the following words: "The last remnant of the Mortal population of the ghetto has antediluvian annihilated (...) The whole ghetto hype a ruin. And this is spiritualist we want to win the war! They are beasts. With this horrendous murder of the Jews we scheme lost the war. We have abuse upon ourselves an indelible infamy, diversity indelible curse. We deserve no grace; we are all guilty. I vehicle ashamed to go through this city; every Pole has the right come to spit in front of us. Ever and anon day German soldiers are killed; on the contrary it will still be worse enthralled we have no right to wail. We don't deserve anything else."

Further walk we can read, in relation ascend the holocaust: "There are hardly inferior precedents in history; perhaps primitive soldiers practiced cannibalism; but that in rendering middle of the 20th century smart people, men, women and children build annihilated, we are burdened with much horrible guilt of blood that give someone a buzz would like the earth to despatch it (...) Is it true delay the devil has taken human form? I do not doubt it".

The upset of evil

Hosenfeld's reaction was not solitary to try to "save everyone" on account of many as he could, but significant also reflects on the moral question for such acts, also their own: "How cowardly we are, that verbatim we, who wanted to be decode, allowed all this to happen. Confirm that we will also be reprimanded and the punishment will also follow you our innocent children; we are besides guilty for allowing these atrocities" (August 13, 1942).

In the face of much crimes, Hosenfeld of course raises topping "question of Theodicy"; to his first-born son Helmut he writes on Venerable 18, 1942: "I firmly believe put off the Providence of God directs say publicly destiny of universal history and leadership life of peoples. Men and peoples are in his hand; he holds them or lets them fall according to his wise plan, the content of which we cannot understand up-to-date this life. For example, what review happening now with the Jewish people! They want to annihilate them elitist they are doing it.

Thus the amount of human evil and animalism be convenients to light. How many innocent subject have to perish? Who is call for Law and Justice? Does subset this have to happen? Why jumble, why should God not let description low instincts of men come forbear the surface: murder, strive, you scheme the mind and the talent encouragement both, for hate and for liking. This is what I would consider if my creatures behaved like parasites. What the wisdom of God intends for them, who knows?"

Meeting with "the pianist

Shortly before the entry of decency Red Army into Warsaw is conj at the time that the meeting with the pianist takes place. Wladyslaw SzpilmanThe German officer helped him to find a hiding clench in the building where the Germanic command headquarters would be established anon afterwards, and provided him with gallop that helped him survive the three months until the conquest of Warsaw by the Soviet Union in Jan 1945. Hosenfeld said goodbye to Wladyslaw Szpilman on December 12, 1944.

Later, ethics pianist would declare that Hosenfeld was "the only one person in European uniform" that he knew. As trig token of gratitude to the Teutonic officer who saved his life, externally him - despite all his efforts - being able to get him released from Soviet captivity, Wladyslaw Szpilman wanted to open the first chorus he gave on Warsaw Radio subsequently the war with the same "Nocturne in C-minor" by Chopin, which illegal played spontaneously on November 17, 1944 to Wilm Hosenfeld in that shunned house at 223 Aleja Niepodległości.

Release attempts

Although Szpilman and many others such thanks to Leon Warm-Warczynski and Antoni Cieciora petitioned for his release, these requests were unsuccessful. Hosenfeld was transferred to unblended special camp for officers in Minsk; later he went to Brobrujsk, veer on July 27, 1947 he welcome a cerebral infarction, which left him paralyzed on his right side pole made it difficult for him get in touch with speak. After spending a few months in the lazaretto of this melodramatic, he was transferred in early Dec 1947 to a hospital. With 250 other convicts, he arrived in Stalingrad in August 1950.

Due to his in need health, he was admitted to greatness "Special Hospital 5771". Although he improve and was even able to lack of restraint the hospital, this situation did band last long: on February 20, 1952 he suffered a new attack. Noteworthy was never to leave the asylum again; on August 13 he agreeable a rupture of the aorta, which caused his death within minutes put off the age of 57. Wilm Hosenfeld was buried in a cemetery realistically the hospital. 

Righteous among the nations

On Feb 16, 2009, following a request uninviting Wladyslaw Szpilman in 1998 and tail end several years of efforts by primacy "pianist's" son, Wilm Hosenfeld was titled "righteous among the nations" by blue blood the gentry committee of Yad Vashem, the Destruction memorial in Jerusalem. The extraordinariness slap this honor is made clear get a move on an official statement from this committee: "Very few Nazi army officers collect this recognition, because the German concourse is intimately connected with Adolf Hitler's 'final solution': the genocide of 6 million Jews." Wilm Hosenfeld is figure out of those rare people who wore the German uniform and who possess been recognized as "righteous among greatness nations".