History Aug Landmesser — the person in the picture, not raised his hand in a Nazi salute

Many of you probably saw on the Internet a famous photograph in 1936, which shows the arms crossed on the chest the hands of the workers, who refused to raise his hand in a Nazi salute. This work was August Landmesser. We'll tell you why he did it and what happened next.

In the summer of 1936 in Hamburg was officially launched last sailing ship in the shipyard "Blohm + Voss". 295-metre naval training ship "Horst Wessel" was named after a Nazi activist, who was killed in 1930 during a private dispute, a member of the Communist party of Germany.

The death of Horst Wessel was actively politicized and was used in Nazi propaganda, declaring him a true Martyr. He was wounded in the head at his apartment by Albrecht Helera, an activist of the Communist party of Germany. Wessel refused first aid, as the doctor was a Jew, and died a month later from blood poisoning.

At the ceremony of launching the ship was attended by Adolf Hitler. Wessel's mother, according to tradition, broke on the ship a bottle of champagne, and the audience at the ceremony workers and passers-by enthusiastically saluted. Only one man joined to all, defiantly crossing my arms over my chest.

Then August Landmesser was 26 years old. He joined the Nazi party in 1931, hoping to find a job, but four years later was expelled from the Nazi party when they got engaged with the Jewess Irma Eclair.

In 1935 they had a daughter Ingrid. While attempting to move to Denmark in 1937 they were detained, and August were accused of desecration of the race. He was acquitted after he managed to convince the court that allegedly was not aware that his wife was Jewish. The man was released with the condition that in the case of continuing relations with his own wife he will be sentenced to hard labor. After a few months, August was again arrested and sent to camp "Bergermeer".

Three days later, Irma Eclair was arrested. The mother of two children was taken to jail "Fuhlsbuttel", and from there she was transferred to the concentration camp Oranienburg, and then in the women's camp "Lichtenburg" and, in the end, the women's concentration camp "Ravensbruck". In early 1942, she and another 14,000 prisoners died in the gas chamber.

19th January 1941, August Landmesser was released. He began to work in Warnemunde branch transport enterprise "Post". In February 1944 he was drafted into a penal battalion and went missing during the fighting in Croatia. Perhaps he was killed on 17 October 1944 near Groan. In 1949, the district court of Rostock declared him dead on the date of death August 1, 1949.

Kids — Ingrid (pictured) and Irene — hit the city orphanage. The older girl was able to pick up the maternal grandmother, who died in 1953, and the younger remained in the orphanage until she took the foster family.

In 1991, Irena Eclair saw the picture in the newspaper and recognized in this man his father — Aug Landmesser. Most likely, such actions, he expressed disagreement with the racial policies of the Third Reich, which couldn't marry her mother.

In the summer of 1951 marriage Aug Landmesser and Irma Eclair was recognized by the Senate of Hamburg. In the autumn of the same year, Ingrid and Irene got the name of his father. However, Irene and then used his mother's surname.