Protests against the Nazi regime

 

The church opposed the regime as early as 1937 when the Pope's message 'With Burning Concern' attacked Hitler as 'a mad prophet with repulsive arrogance' and was read in every Catholic Church.

The Catholic Archbishop of Munster, von Galen, led a successful campaign to end euthanasia of mentally-disabled people

A protestant pastor Dietrich Bonhöffer, was linked to the bomb plot.

The main youth opposition group was the Edelweiss Pirates, based in the Rhineland. They reacted to the discipline of the Hitler Youth by daubing anti-Nazi slogans and singing pre-1933 folk songs. The White Rose group was formed by students at Munich University in 1943. They published anti-Nazi leaflets and marched through the city in protest at Nazi policies.

During the war, ‘Swing Youth’ and ‘Jazz Youth’ groups were formed. These were young people who rejected Nazi values, drank alcohol and danced to jazz. Jazz of course was labelled ‘degenerate’ by the Nazis.  

Perhaps the most widespread and persistent opposition to the Nazi regime came from ordinary German workers, often helped by communists, who posted anti-Nazi posters and graffiti, or organised strikes. In Dortmund the vast majority of men imprisoned in the city’s jail were industrial workers. Workers went on strike over high food prices in 1935 and during the Berlin Olympics in 1936.

The most well-known demonstration is probably the Rosenstrasse protest in Berlin between 27 February and 6 March 1943. It was initiated by wives and non-Jewish relations of Jews and Mischlinge. Many of their Jewish husbands were incarcerated in Rosenstrasse and were threatened with deportation. .     

For days the women shouted ”Give us our husbands back.”                                                                                 

Overtly disobeying the Nazis

 

Not easy?

The price of civil disobedience would have been very high.

Was Hans Elder’s “Heil Edler!” enough?

There are stories of ordinary German citizens taking white handkerchiefs out of their pockets as allied aircraft flew overhead. How brave would you have to be to show resistance?

Something defiantly went on in Stuttgart. How that little special class for the disabled, special needs children and children with learning difficulties, survive?  

The Rosenstrasse protest

The Rosenstrasse protest of February 1943 was the only open, collective protest for Jews during the Third Reich. It was sparked by the arrest and threatened deportation to death camps of 1,800 Jewish men married to non-Jewish women. They were "full" Jews in the sense of the 1935 Nuremberg Laws and the Gestapo aimed to deport as many as it could without drawing attention to the Holocaust or alienating the "racial" public. Before these men could be deported, their wives and other relatives rallied outside the building in Rosenstrasse where the men were held. About 6,000 people, mostly women, rallied in shifts in the winter cold for over a week. Eventually Himmler, worried about the effect on civilian morale, gave in and allowed the arrested men to be released. Some who had already been deported and were on their way to Auschwitz were brought back. There was no retaliation against the protesters, and most of the Jewish men survived.

 

Waitstill and Martha Sharp  

In 2016 Artemis Joukowsky an author, filmmaker, and socially conscious venture capitalist, the grandson of Waitstill and Martha Sharp has spent decades researching his grandparents’ heroic rescue missions in Europe. In 1939, the Reverend Waitstill Sharp, a young Unitarian minister, and his wife, Martha, a social worker, accepted a mission from the American Unitarian Association: they were to leave their home and young children in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and travel to Prague, Czechoslovakia, to help address the mounting refugee crisis. Seventeen ministers had been asked to undertake this mission and had declined; Rev. Sharp was the first to accept the call for volunteers in Europe.

Armed with only $40,000, Waitstill and Martha quickly learned the art of spy craft and undertook dangerous rescue and relief missions across war-torn Europe, saving refugees, political dissidents, and Jews on the eve of World War II. After narrowly avoiding the Gestapo themselves, the Sharps returned to Europe in 1940 as representatives of the newly formed Unitarian Service Committee and continued their relief efforts in Vichy France. They were a little on the perimeter and couldn’t have quite the same experience as those living an ordinary daily life under the Nazi regime.  

 

Everyday people

Yet there were also all those small acts by ordinary people, living normal lives who:

• Refused to make the Nazi salute
• Missed their Jewish doctors, lawyers and shopkeepers
• Wished their own sons and daughters didn’t need to be part of the Hitler Youth or the BDM
• Were brave enough to grumble about what the Nazis were doing
• would offer a place in an air raid shelter to a young Jewish boy

Even here there was the opportunity for humanity to offer tis finest.  

 

Christian Resistance to the Holocaust and the Nazi Regime

 

We have examples of this in the cycle:

Renate’s teachers generally

They resisted in two ways:

• They didn’t make her join in some Nazi activities, including joining the BDM (the girls’ equivalent of the Hitler Youth.  This latter may sound a little strange. But Renate did look quite Jewish and the resemblance between her an Anne Frank is startling.
• They tried to make her as invisible as possible

Sister Kuna

As an adult Renate did mention a Sister Kuna. We never did know the full story but we know she was punished for protecting Renate. This is where I’ve used this writerly tool of exploration though imagination, what you know and ‘what if’ to try to work out what might have happened to her.

Father Maxfeld

Again we know he was punished for expressing anti-Nazi views.  We don’t know the extent of what happened. However, it is probably similar to what happened in a late chapter in The Class Letter (not yet published).

Frau Braun

She definitely really existed and quietly sat back and observed what was going on.  She steered the girls who wrote the class letters towards taking care. In the first book I have her telling the story of exactly what happened to Sister Kuna, Father Maxfeld and their two class mates Renate Edler and Elfriede Kaiser. In The Class Letter we get more detail.

The relationship churches and the Nazi regime

The Nazis had a strange relationship with the church.  Women were expect to concern themselves with Kinder, Küche, Kirche, (children, kitchen, church) yet church schools were closed. Indeed the closing of one school is crucial to the whole of the Schellberg cycle. But don’t Christian values find much that is wrong in the Nazi regime and certain in the Holocaust?

The church’s attitude

Indeed before 1933 some bishops prohibited Catholics in their dioceses from joining the Nazi Party. However, that had to change as Hitler came to power. And yet as late as the 1939 census most Germans were claiming to be Christian. Perhaps we also need to remember that people always think they are right – Trump, Putin, Hitler for example,  and therefore that God will be on their side.

   

                                                                                          

Dragging feet on new initiatives

 

What must it have been like for Hans Edler? He was designing weapons that were to be used to destroy the United Kingdom. His wife and child were living in England.

As I wrote his story it occurred to me that he may have taken his time. He may have delayed tests or deliberately held up progress on perfecting this horrid killing machine.

A few weeks after I’d written this episode I read that indeed engineers working on the V2  thought it was such a horrible weapon that they deliberately went slowly with is manufacture.

Had those German engineers a greater conscience that those who worked on the nuclear bombs or is it just true that the latter didn’t realise how powerful those weapons were?

Werner von Braun and Walter Dornberger were two well-known engineers who worked  in this area.    

There are stories too of officials processing paperwork slowly.

Renate was protected to some extent by her teachers.  They didn’t force her to join the BDM or to make the Nazi salute. They weren’t exactly hiding her but they just took their time making everything official

When the Waldorf School was inspected, the official delayed sending in his report. It didn’t stop the closure of the school but it did take attention away from them and so the special class was almost forgotten about and continued in the basement of the house that Clara Lehrs built.

Oskar Schindler is of course well-known for employing people in his factory and designating  them as  essential workers.

Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz, a German diplomat stationed in Denmark, informed the Danish authorities of the deportation of Danish Jews. This allowed for a large rescue operation and 7,200 Jews were ferried safely across to Sweden.       

Turning a blind eye to others not obeying the rules

 

During the Nazi era, many individuals and groups turned a blind eye to others who were not obeying Nazi rules. This passive complicity was driven by a mix of fear, sympathy, moral agreement, and pragmatic survival strategies. Understanding these dynamics sheds light on the complexities of human behavior under oppressive regimes.

Ordinary Citizens

Among ordinary Germans, there was a significant number who, while not actively resisting the Nazis themselves, chose to overlook the actions of those who did. This could include neighbors who knew that a Jewish family was being hidden in the attic next door but chose not to report it. For many, this silence was a form of passive resistance; they did not agree with Nazi policies but were too fearful of the potential repercussions to actively oppose them.

For example, in some instances, when Gestapo agents came searching for Jews, neighbors might have pretended not to notice the suspicious activity or provided vague and unhelpful information. This passive non-compliance created a small but significant buffer against the total enforcement of Nazi policies.

Civil Servants and Police

Some civil servants and members of the police force also turned a blind eye to acts of disobedience. While some were ideologically aligned with the Nazis, others privately disagreed with the regime but were unable to openly resist due to the risk of severe punishment. These individuals sometimes engaged in "work-to-rule" tactics, where they would strictly follow procedures to the letter, thereby slowing down processes and allowing time for resistors to escape or hide.

For instance, a police officer might deliberately delay the filing of a report or a bureaucrat might "lose" paperwork that would have resulted in the arrest or deportation of a Jewish family. These small acts of bureaucratic sabotage could make a significant difference in individual cases.

Business Owners and Employers

Certain business owners and employers played a role in quietly aiding those who defied Nazi regulations. They might hire Jewish workers under false identities or provide forged documentation to protect them. These employers recognized the risks but chose to prioritize human decency over strict adherence to the law.

A well-known example is Oskar Schindler, who, while actively saving Jews, also relied on the complicity of his workers and associates who chose not to report his actions. Many other less famous employers did similar things, providing crucial aid without drawing attention to themselves.

Religious Institutions

Religious institutions often found themselves in a difficult position under Nazi rule. While official church positions varied, individual clergy members sometimes turned a blind eye to resistance activities. Churches, monasteries, and convents provided shelter to Jews and political dissidents, relying on the silence of their congregations and communities to protect those they were hiding.

In the Netherlands, for example, the clergy played a significant role in the resistance. Many Catholic and Protestant leaders did not actively preach against the Nazis from the pulpit but instead used their positions to quietly support and protect those resisting the regime.

International Diplomats

Some diplomats from neutral or Allied countries, stationed in Nazi-occupied territories, chose to turn a blind eye to their own nations' restrictions and helped Jews escape. For instance, Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat in Hungary, issued protective passports and sheltered Jews in buildings designated as Swedish territory.

Conclusion

Turning a blind eye to the disobedience of Nazi laws was a nuanced and often dangerous form of passive resistance. This silent complicity by ordinary citizens, civil servants, business owners, religious figures, and diplomats played a crucial role in undermining the Nazi regime's total control. Their actions, or inactions, highlight the moral complexities and varied forms of resistance that emerged in response to one of history's most oppressive regimes.

Paying lip service

Giving lip-service to Nazi engagement.   

Hans Edler had this down to a fine art. He would always say “Heil Edler” rather than Heil Hitler.” He probably mumbled in order to get away with it.

Many of the examples of this in the Schellberg books come from anecdotes that Renate James, née Edler recited to us.

It spooked his wife; she thought someone would hear and they would get into a lot of trouble about it. He didn’t worry though. His salute remained firm and “Edler” probably sounded enough like “Hitler” for it to be convincing.

And then there is some story-telling. Notably there is the incident of him doing this when the telegram boy arrives. His wife remonstrates with him. This begins a little light relief in the text. There is some foreshadowing here; a later telegram will say that Hani has chicken pox and Renate cannot come to visit. Renate knows that this cannot be true; she and Hani have both already had chicken pox. Something sinister is going on.  

Käthe Edler finds  herself accidentally at one of the Nuremberg rallies she is astounded that she actually also says Edler just as her  husband always did.  Again when she comes face to face with the Führer she uses Edler.

Hans Edler was cautious; he at least raised his arm like a good Nazi should. His daughter was an entirely different matter; she refused to do the Hitler salute at all. This may have been partly to do with her teachers. They hid her in plain sight. Yet they felt they couldn’t force her to join the BDM or salute the Führer. It wouldn’t be right for a young Jewish girl.

One can imagine as well, some households where rather than saluting the dictator they cursed him – in private, behind closed doors and under four eyes.           

Grumbling Behind Closed Doors: a daughter and mother are at loggerheads

 

Can you imagine some of the scenarios that might have happened?  For instance:

Mutti:

Lotte, can you help me with Friedrich and Hans?

Lotte:

Mutti, I can’t. I’ve got to get to my BDM meeting.

Mutti:

Can’t you miss it just for once?

Lotte:

You know I can’t. We have our first aid test today.

Mutti.

I could do with some first aid. Shouldn’t your priority be to help the family? They want us to have more children. Don’t they know how difficult this can be? Surely if you’re helping at home, helping to bring up decent German citizens, you’re doing your bit.

Lotte:

I’ve got to go now or I’ll be late.

Mutti

They haven’t really thought this through. Go on then.

 

BDM leader:

Heil Hitler. Lotte Kaiser, you’re late.

Lotte:

Heil Hitler. I’m sorry. I had to help Mutti with the twins.

BDM leader:

That’s a sloppy apology for saluting the Führer. You’ll help your two brothers better by being fully here.

Lotte:

Mutti’s finding it hard. It’s all very well having more children but with Vati away fighting and me not available to help ….

BDM leader:

Is your Mutti criticising Herr Hitler?

Lotte (bows her head and shrugs)

She wouldn’t do that.

BDM leader:

I should hope not. She should be honoured.  

Attempts on Hitler’s Life

1921 Beer Hall Putsch

We could argue that the very first attempt on Hitler’s life was at the Beer Hall Putsch. This happened in November 1921 and he was arrested and imprisoned. He was relatively unknown then.  But when he made a speech, several opponents drew pistols and fired.

1932 Ludwig Assner

Assner sent Hitler a poisoned letter but an acquaintance of Assner’s tipped Hitler off. Earlier in the year there seems to have been an attempt to poison  Hitler and his crew. However, Hitler didn’t even become ill as he stayed with his vegetarian diet.

1934 Beppo Römer

Römer vowed to assassinate Hitler but never got round to it.

1934 Helmut Mylius

Mylius was a right wing radical who conspired against Hitler but the plans of the conspiracy were exposed.     

1935 Marwitz group

Officials of the German Foreign Office thought Hitler should be stopped and distributed letters saying that now was the time to act.  

1936 Helmut Hersch

Hercsh planted two suitcases full of explosive in the Nazi headquarter but they were discovered before they went off.

1937 unknown SS man

This man tried to kill Hitler at a rally.

1938 Hans Oster and Helmut Groscurth

Hoster and Groscurth with the help of a few others planned to overthrow Hitler but gave up when the Munich Agreement was signed, avoiding the immediate threat of war.  

1938 Maurice Bavaud

Bavaud bought a gun and started stalking Hitler. He was actually protected by people surrounding Hitler making the Nazi salute. Bavaud was finally executes in 1941.

1938 Käthe Edler

Edler could have killed Hitler but it never occurred to her.

1939 Georg Elser

Elser created a bomb that indeed went off as planned. Eight people were killed and several injured but Hitler escaped.

1939 Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski

He attempted to detonate explosives during Hitler’s victory parade in Warsaw.

1939 Erich Kordt

Kordt hatched an assassination plot but had to abandon it.

1939-1943 Noel Mason-Macfarlane

Mason-Macfarlane thought of killing Hitler with a sniper but never got round to it.

1943 Henning von Tresckow

This was another attempt at a bomb. Henning was a disillusioned military officer. He handed a member of Hitler’s staff a parcel containing two bottles of Cointreau. The bomb did not go off on as planned. Tresckow manage to retrieve the parcel and found that the bomb had had a defective fuse.

1943 Rudolff von Gertsdorf    

Gertsdorf was willing to become the bomb himself this time. Security was however too tight and he manged to extract himself form the bomb before it went off.

1943 Hubert Lanz, Hans Speidel, Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz

The planned to arrest Hitler during a visit to the Ukraine.

1944 – Stauffenberg

Several German officers, disgruntled after the D-Day  landings, decided to attempt another bomb and then get the Reserve Army to dismantle the line of command.

However, someone moved the bomb and although it went off and killed four men, it only left Hitler with non-life-threatening injuries.  

1944 Eberhard von Breitenbuch

Breitenbuch planned to shoot Hitler in the head at a conference. However, he was no allowed into the conference.

 

One source mentions forty-four attempts.

Why didn’t they succeed?

Were they badly planned?

Was Hitler’s security too efficient?

Were they plotter found out too soon?

And was Käthe Edler really the only woman who was even in any position to do anything?   

Resisting Hitler

 

I’m exploring this quite a bit now as I prepare to write my final Schellberg Cycle novel.

There is a sort of hierarchy in the resistance:

Grumbling behind closed doors

Giving lip service only to the “rules” – Hans Edler’s ‘Heil Edler’ is an example of this.  

Turning a blind eye to others not obeying the rules

Dragging feet on new initiatives  – as  Hans Edler  did with the fabrication of the V2.  

Some Christian resistance – we have examples of this in the Cycle.

Overtly disobeying

Protest marches

Taking huge risks secretly: e.g. hiding Jews  

Satire – this will figure hugely in my final book.

Some left-wing organisation existed – The Social Democratic Party and the Communist Party  

Some youth organisations – such as the White Rose.

Resistance even within the armed forces.

Resistance outside of Germany  

Attempts on his life  

Be Grateful for Your Freedom

 

We may grumble about our current politicians and I’m certainly getting fed up of this routine where one party raises themselves up only by pushing other people down. We all know that there is a limited amount anyone can do because of the circumstances they face so that sort of behaviour becomes tedious.

Compared with some many we really have it quite good.

We can move freely in our world and even though we might think freedom of speech has taken a bit of a knock we’re tending to debate what it actually means rather than curb it. We are rarely yet punished for what we think. Yes there have been a few warnings recently but compared with many we do have it easy.

Let’s get back to what it must have bene like for the people in this cycle.   

Clara Lehrs didn’t believe that it was actually happening. Humans could never be so cruel, could they? Oh yes they could and it didn’t stop. Look how the Jews in that regime gradually had their freedom taken away.

Thy were distrusted.

Then they were despised.

They couldn’t work

They couldn’t shop

They couldn’t be educated

Then they were imprisoned.

Then came the final solution and they were all killed.    

Freedom is fragile and could disappear at any moment. So let’s take head of those warnings and cherish our freedom.  We may not have it forever.     

Types of Leadership

I’m actually writing two sets of novels at the moment. The one that is talked about here and one for older young adults that is set far in the future.

And they’re crossing over at the moment.

Science fiction anyway often deals with the problems that we face currently and objectifies our own world.

There are several patterns of leadership in our current world:

Democratically elected presidents

Dictatorship (including benign dictators)

Monarchy

Alongside the head of state there is often a prime minister.

Many people today just don’t know how to vote in a democracy.  Not one party seems to offer a completely acceptable solution. Politics often descends into personal brawls with one  party scoring points against the other nd sometime it almost becomes personal. A benign dictator might be the most we could hope for.

What of monarchy in the UK? There have been times recently when I’ve thought that Elizabeth II or Charles III might make a better fist of looking after us than all our democratically elected leaders have in the past few years.

In my futuristic novel the head of state of one people dies.  She is called the President and the title is hereditary. She has just one child, a young girl, seven years old.  There is a protocol for when this happens. The dying president appoints the protagonist as the one who should represent the new young president. Fortunately Petri has enhanced diplomatic skills and is able to bring harmony between the people she now represents and her own people.

If only real life would follow fiction.