The story of a brave girl Sophie Scholl, executed by the Nazis on the guillotine

On February 20, 1943, at the main headquarters, Hitler listened to a report by Reichsfuhrer SS Heinrich Himmler. Among other points, there was one that particularly interested the Fuhrer. It was about the activities of the anti-fascist group "White Rose" in Munich. Shortly before that, the Gestapo arrested two members of this group — students Sophie and Hans Scholl, who were distributing anti-fascist leaflets at the university. Hitler instructed Himmler to deal with the enemies of the Reich as soon as possible, which was done.

A couple of days after the meeting at the headquarters, the infamous judge Roland Freisler, who was not called "bloody" for nothing, arrived in Munich from Berlin. This man was much more likely than other Nazi judges to pass death sentences even in cases where it seemed impossible.

The fate of Sophie and Hans Scholl was sealed. During a short, absolutely formal meeting, Freisler sentenced the young men to death. They were accused of "treacherous support of the opponents of the Reich, preparation of high treason and propaganda of defeatist sentiments in the armed forces."

The sentence was carried out on the same day on the guillotine. The executioner who executed the brother and sister later emphasized the courageous behavior of the girl. According to him, he had never seen a man who accepted death more worthily.

Sophie Scholl was born on May 9, 1921 in Forchtenberg, Baden-Württemberg. She had two brothers and two sisters. Sophie's parents adhered to liberal Christian values and condemned the Nazi regime. Sophie and her older brother Hans initially succumbed to propaganda and even began to feel sympathy for the ideas of National Socialism.

They even joined the ranks of the youth organizations of the Hitler Youth and Union of German Girls. But the epiphany came very quickly. Sophie and Hans felt disgusted by the misanthropic ideology and stopped attending marches and meetings. Very soon they had to feel for themselves what it means to be on the other side of the barricades.

In 1937, Hans, Sophie and several of their friends were captured by the Gestapo. They were interrogated in the case of the Youth Union (Bundische Jugend), in which they secretly belonged. At that time, everything went well and, without receiving confessions, the Nazi executioners released the guys. In 1939, the war broke out and Hans Scholl was sent to the front.

He returned two years later, even more aggressively disposed towards the Nazi regime. Hans continued his studies at the University, at the Faculty of Medicine. Sophie also entered the same educational institution, only at the Faculty of Philosophy, in 1942.

The brother and sister joined the anti-fascist group "White Rose", the backbone of which consisted of students. During 1942, members of the underground composed four leaflets, replicated them and distributed them among students, employees and workers in Munich.

In 1943, the fifth and sixth leaflets were published. They were even more ardent and called for open resistance to Nazism. On February 18, 1943, Sophie and Hans brought a suitcase with leaflets to the university and began to scatter them around the classrooms before classes began. The girl went up to the third floor of the building and threw a pack of leaflets into the courtyard of the university, where there were many students.

The girl was noticed by janitor Jakob Schmid, a fanatical supporter of Hitler. He immediately went to the Gestapo and wrote a denunciation. On the same day, Sophie, Hans and their associate Christoph Probst were arrested. During interrogations, the Gestapo tried to find an approach to Sophie, considering her a weak link in the organization. They assured her that she could get away with it if she testified against members of the White Rose and repented. But the young anti—fascist could not be bribed or broken by torture - she did not betray her friends.

Sophie, Hans and Christophe was sentenced to death by the "bloody judge" Freisler on February 22, 1943. They were beheaded on the guillotine the same day. Sophie Scholl's last words, uttered shortly before her execution, were as follows:

In the first post-war years, the tragic death of the guys from the "White Rose" was hushed up. This underground group was considered "bourgeois" because it did not defend the interests of socialism. But then everything changed, the feat of Sophie Scholl and her colleagues was rethought and openly talked about. In Germany, even now, many streets, squares and schools bear the names of Sophie and Hans Scholl.