Willi Graf
Kuchenheim, Euskirchen, Germany | |
---|---|
Died | 12 October 1943 Stadelheim Prison, Giesing, Munich, Germany | (aged 25)
Wilhelm "Willi" Graf (2 January 1918 – 12 October 1943) was a German member of the White Rose resistance group in Nazi Germany.[1] The Catholic Church in Germany included Graf in their list of martyrs of the 20th century. In 2017, his cause for beatification was opened.[2][1] He was given the title Servant of God, the first step toward possible sainthood.
Early life
Willi Graf was born in
Graf showed conviction in his beliefs from a young age. Although compulsory at the time, he refused to associate with the Hitler Youth, even when he was threatened with becoming ineligible to go to University unless he joined the Hitler Youth.[6][7][5] While other future members of the White Rose initially embraced the Hitler Youth, Graf never did so. Moreover, in his address book he crossed out the names of friends who had joined the Hitler Youth, refusing to associate with them.[1] In 1935, at the age of 17, Graf and a few friends marched in an annual May Day parade.[6] The parade was dominated by swastikas, brown-shirted Hitler Youth troops marching in formation, and "Sieg Heils." However, Graf and his friends marched under their tattered school flag, making great effort to stand out from their peers. They did not don any swastikas, or participate in any of the "Sieg Heil" salutes.[6]
While his parents never placed much emphasis on literature and written works (the only books the family owned were religious books), Graf was a voracious reader. Serious and intelligently minded, he enjoyed reading Christian works, with one of his favorite Christian authors being Romano Guardini, one of the leading figures of the liturgical revival of the Catholic Church in Germany.[8] He conducted an in-depth study of Christian authors in his teenage years, with a special focus on works by Romano Guardini.[9] He also enjoyed reading poetry, foreign works, and works banned by the Nazis. Throughout his life, books were a lifeline for him: When he was serving on the Eastern Front, he would write to his friends to see if they could send him more books. In the last year of his life alone he read forty books.[10]
Arrest
After his
Studies at the University of Bonn
After his release, Graf was allowed to return to the University of Bonn to continue his medical studies. While there, Graf was required to report for military duty in August 1939. The next month, September 1939, the war officially began. At this time, the University of Bonn was closed for the course of the war. Graf had chosen the University of Bonn because his aunt and uncle lived in Bonn and offered to let him live with them, as well as the fact that many of his friends (including his then girlfriend Marianne Thoeren) went to that University. After it closed, Graf transferred to Munich University. He had completed four semesters at the University of Bonn.
German army
In January 1940, Graf was officially drafted as a
Work in the White Rose Summer 1942
Graf met Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell soon after transferring back to Munich. He was introduced to them by Christoph Probst, who took part in fencing with Graf. When Scholl met Graf, he remarked, "he is one of us."[16] Around this time, Graf began to take part in discussions with Scholl, Schmorell, Probst, and their friends.
The activities of the White Rose first started in the June 1942. After their experiences at the Eastern Front, having learned about mass murder in Poland and the Soviet Union, Scholl and Schmorell felt compelled to take action. From end of June until mid of July 1942, they wrote the first four leaflets. Quoting extensively from the Bible, Aristotle and Novalis, as well as Goethe and Schiller, the iconic poets of German bourgeoisie, they appealed to what they considered the German intelligentsia, believing that these people would be easily convinced by the same arguments that also motivated the authors themselves.[17] These leaflets were left in telephone books in public phone booths, mailed to professors and students, and taken by courier to other universities for distribution. Graf was not part of the group at first. He was officially brought in to the group on 10 July 1942.
Deployment to Russia July–November 1942
A few weeks later, Scholl, Schmorell, and Graf were deployed to the Russian Front over the Summer of 1942. Graf had already been deployed to Russia, but it was Scholl and Schmorell's first time being deployed on the Eastern Front.[18] On the train ride to Russia, the train passed through Poland. While there, Graf, Scholl, and Schmorell saw the Evacuation of the Warsaw Ghetto.[19]
In Russia, Scholl, Schmorell, and Graf would sneak away at night and go to the homes of Russian natives. Schmorell, who had been born in Russia and spoke fluent Russian, introduced Graf and Scholl to the Russian Culture.[15] Graf and his friends were allowed to return to Munich in November 1942.
Work in the White Rose, November 1942-January 1943
Soon after returning to Munich in November 1942, Graf travelled to Bonn, officially to arrange a fencing tournament, unofficially to ask Marianne Thoeren to marry him. While there, she told him that she was already engaged to another man. After some deliberation, he decided to still be friends with her.[14] After this rejection, he threw himself back into the White Rose activities with vigor. During this time, two more leaflets were written, and efforts were made to expand the reaches of the White Rose group. Graf was a recruiter for the group: from 20 to 24 January 1943, he traveled to Cologne, Bonn, Saarbrücken, Freiburg, and Ulm, armed with copies of the fifth leaflet and a hectograph machine. With the end goal in mind to recruit some of his Graue Orden friends, he asks forty people to join. Only four of his friends agreed to help.[20] Two of the friends who agreed to help, brothers Willi and Heinz Bollinger, forged travel papers for him. While they agreed with the decision to resist National Socialism, they told Graf that they believed that he and his friends had only a 2% chance of success.[16]
Graffiti Campaigns of February 1943
On 3 February 1943, the news of the defeat of
Capture and Execution
On 18 February 1943, Sophie and Hans Scholl went to the Ludwig Maximilian University to leave flyers out for the students to read. They were seen by Jakob Schmid, a custodian at the university who was also a Gestapo informer. At around midnight on 18 February, Gestapo agents arrested Graf when he returned to his apartment after meeting with his cousins.[15] When he was captured, he asked to be allowed to go to his bedroom and change into his Wehrmacht uniform. The agents agreed to his request. While changing, he was able to hide his diary under his many books.[15] The diary was later found by his sister Anneliese, who was also arrested by the Gestapo at the same time.[22] She was released a few months later.
Graf's trial was set for 19 April 1943. At his trial, Graf was sentenced to death at the
In his last letter to his family, he wrote:
On this day I'm leaving this life and entering eternity. What hurts me most of all is that I am causing such pain to those of you who go on living. But strength and comfort you'll find with God and that is what I am praying for till the last moment. I know that it will be harder for you than for me. I ask you, Father and Mother, from the bottom of my heart, to forgive me for the anguish and the disappointment I've brought you. I have often regretted what I've done to you, especially here in prison. Forgive me and always pray for me! Hold on to the good memories.... I could never say to you while alive how much I loved you, but now in the last hours I want to tell you, unfortunately only on this dry paper, that I love all of you deeply and that I have respected you. For everything that you gave me and everything you made possible for me with your care and love. Hold each other and stand together with love and trust.... God's blessing on us, in Him we are and we live.... I am, with love always, your Willi.[1]
Legacy
In 1946, his remains were transferred to the St. Johann Cemetery in Saarbrücken.[25] Eight schools in Germany have been named after him, among them the Willi-Graf-Gymnasium in Munich and Saarbrücken-St. Johann; a student residence in Munich also honours Graf by bearing his name. Graf's diary from 1942 to 1943, as well as his letters from that time, were published in 1988 under the title: Willi Graf:Briefe und Aufzeichnungen. In 2003, Graf was posthumously awarded the status of honorary citizen of Saarbrücken.[3]
The Catholic Church in Germany included Graf in their list of martyrs of the 20th century.[26][2] In 2017, the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, initiated the first step in the process of beatification, a preliminary investigation in which theologians and historians will analyse the life and writings of Graf.[27][28] In October 2020, the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising made it known that they are in the middle of preparing the process of beatification for Willi Graf.[29][30]
In film
There have been two films about the White Rose that portray Graf. In the 1982 film
References
- ^ OCLC 862422400.
- ^ OCLC 44435813.
- ^ a b Saarbrücker Zeitung (1. January 2018), So lebte Willi Graf im Saarland
- ^ Schäfers 2013, p.295
- ^ a b c d Willi Graf Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung
- ^ S2CID 201765330.
- ISBN 978-3-8471-0004-1.
- ^ "Romano Guardini, Beloved Theologian of Two Popes — and Potential Saint". NCR. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- OCLC 1007750099.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "Willi Graf: Heroic Catholic Resistance in Nazi Germany with Dr. Stephani Richards-Wilson". Fountains of Carrots. 12 June 2018.
- ISBN 978-3-931922-80-1.
- ^ Schäfers 2013, pp.295-296
- ^ Schäfers 2013, p.299
- ^ OCLC 407118610.
- ^ OCLC 1007750099.
- ^ OCLC 767498250.
- ^ Lewis, Jessica. "The White Rose Resistance Movement & The Analysis of Their Six Leaflets". Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- OCLC 972092286.
- OCLC 767498250.
- ^ Isinger, Christy (12 June 2018). "FoC 089: Willi Graf: Heroic Catholic Resistance in Nazi Germany with Dr. Stephani Richards-Wilson". Fountains of Carrots. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- S2CID 201771219.
- JSTOR 20040455.
- ^ Willi Graf, Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand
- ISBN 978-3-86110-458-2.
- ^ Ulrich, Bernd. "Der Widerstandskämpfer Willi Graf". Deutschlandfunk 2 January 2018.
- ^ Moll, Helmut (ed.), im Auftrag der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz (2015): Zeugen für Christus. Das deutsche Martyrologium des 20. Jahrhunderts. 6th edition, Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh. pp. 486-488
- ^ Erzbistum prüft Seligsprechung für NS-Gegner Graf. website of the Erzbistum München, 27 December 2017
- ^ Bahners, Patrick, Schweigen bis zum Tod, Frankfurter Allgemeine, 2 January 2018
- ^ Wanda Massa (15 October 2020). "Avviato il processo di beatificazione per Willi Graf, giovane martire sotto il nazismo". Il blog di Sabino Paciolla (in Italian). Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ Nachrichtenredaktion, CNA Deutsch. "Willi Graf, Mitglied der Weißen Rose: Erzbistum bereitet Seligsprechung vor". de.catholicnewsagency.com (in German). Retrieved 10 March 2022.
Further reading
- Blaha, Tatjana: Willi Graf und die weiße Rose. Eine Rezeptionsgeschichte, Saur, München 2003, ISBN 978-3-598-11654-4.
- Eltcher, Louis R. Traitors or Patriots? A story of German Anti-Nazi Resistance. ISBN 978-1-5320-4676-6
- Gebel, Hans-Joseph. Konsequent – von der Schulbank bis zum Schaffott, in: Gedenkschrift zum 50. Jahrestag der Hinrichtung des Saarbrücker Widerstandskämpfer Willi Graf, Stadtverwaltung, Saarbrücken, p. 28–37.
- Gebel, Hans-Joseph. Willi Graf, ein Lebensbild. Zum 40. Jahrestag seiner Hinrichtung am 12. Oktober 1943, in: Zeitschrift für die Geschichte der Saargegend vol. 31 (1983).
- Graf, Willi. Willi Graf. Briefe und Aufzeichnungen, Fischer, Frankfurt/M. 1994, ISBN 978-3-596-12367-4. (NOTE: only available in German)
- Heinrichs,Theo. Willi Graf, Mitglied der Widerstandsgruppe "Weiße Rose", in: Gerd G. Koenig (Hrsg.): Cuchenheim 1084–1984, Euskirchen 1984, p. 153–163.
- Moll, Helmut. Den Widerstand mit dem blutigen Tod bezahlt. Katholiken unter Hitlers Terror im Euskirchener Raum, in: Euskirchen im 20. Jahrhundert, Stadtverwaltung, Euskirchen 2002, p. 239–260.
- Richards-Wilson, Stephani. Willi Graf of the White Rose: The Role of Bildung in His Decision to Resist National Socialism. 2013.
- Royal, Robert. The Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century: A comprehensive World History. ISBN 9780824518462 (p. 159)
- Vielhaber, Klaus (editor): Gewalt und Gewissen. Willi Graf und die "Weisse Rose". Eine Dokumentation, Herder, Freiburg/B. 1964.
- Vieregg, Hildegard (editor): Willi Grafs Jugend im Nationalsozialismus im Spiegel von Briefen, Gruppe Willi Graf im Bund Neudeutschland, München 1984.
- Vielhaber, Klaus. Willi Graf. Von den Wurzeln der "Weißen Rose", in: Hirschberg vol. 10 (1983)
External links
- Willi Graf in the German National Library catalogue