White Rose Histories

May 29 - May 30, 1942. Sophie Scholl: Still at Dr. Muth’s house. Tea with Muth and Sigismund von Radecki. Tiring conversation with Josef Furtmeier. Sophie’s frustration at inactivity, at failure to do something. Hans Scholl and Sophie Scholl: Trip to Passau and Bohemian Forest to visit Father Schwarz and procure food for Dr. Muth. Sophie’s “unrequited love” and crush on Alexander Schmorell. Gift g...

May 16 - May 28, 1942. Hans Scholl’s new room at Mandl Strasse 1. Willi Graf: Relationship with Fritz Leist and Emil Martin. Abscessed tooth. Gisela Schertling’s homecoming visit to her high school in Spetzgart and physical issues. Scholls’ Pentecost together: Inge’s visit to Hans and Sophie Scholl in Munich. Hans and Inge to Vorderriβ. Scholl siblings’ hike to Geislingen. Willi Graf: Thoughts of...

Mid-May 1942. Traute Lafrenz and Katharina Schüddekopf. Their friendship, common interests, especially Professor Kurt Huber’s classes. Parallels between their upbringing. The importance of Katharina Schüddekopf’s friendship to Traute Lafrenz, as her relationship with Hans Scholl publicly disintegrated. Ulla Claudius. Dr. Carl Muth’s “St. Thomas More” comment. White Rose History, Volume II , pages...

Mid-May 1942. Alfred von Martin introduces Hans Scholl to Josef Furtmeier, who would become profound influence on White Rose friends. Nicknamed “The Philosopher,” Furtmeier quit his job instead of joining the NSDAP, an action that taught the students the cost of living according to one’s convictions. Josef Furtmeier introduces Manfred Eickemeyer to Hans Scholl. Background on Eickemeyer’s life and...

First weeks of May 1942. This chapter - all of it - paints portrairs of people who remained largely behind the scenes as White Rose friends began their resistance efforts. And yet, these individuals contributed significantly to the “thinking” of the students. Alfred von Martin played an outsized role in Hans Scholl’s thinking, as well as that of Otl Aicher. Josef Furtmeier impacted Traute Lafrenz....

May 1 - May 10, 1942. “Point of order” about handling of 2007 updates in this audio book. Sophie Scholl and Fritz Hartnagel. White Rose History, Volume II , pages 11-13. Notes and references: * Thomas Hartnagel, ed. Sophie Scholl, Fritz Hartnagel: Damit wir uns nicht verlieren: Briefwechsel 1937 – 1943 (Frankfurt a. M.: S. Fischer Verlag, 2005). * Compare with our April 1995 interview with Fritz a...

May 9 - May 12, 1942. Sophie Scholl’s 21st birthday. Willi Graf and friends at the Siegfriedstrasse, especially Fritz Leist, Emil Martin, and Hermann Krings. Willi Graf: Fencing! White Rose History, Volume II , pages 10-11. Notes and references for Sophie Scholl’s 21st birthday: * Traute Lafrenz, Bericht . Letter to Inge Scholl, dated February 21, 1946. * Inge Scholl, Students Against Tyranny: The...

May 4 - May 8, 1942. Sophie Scholl’s choice of majors (Philosophy and Natural Sciences), with a look at the Natural Sciences department in Munich at that time. It was known for its tolerance if not encouragement of anti-Nazi thought. Susanne Hirzel and her brother Hans Hirzel. Family life, with parents always fighting. Susanne’s recognition for her musical abilities. Hans Hirzel moving away from h...

Today, we see the students as they finally, but finally, all come together in Munich. Willi Graf’s expectations are high. He believes his old “Gray Order” friends will hear his testimony about the war crimes their fellow German soldiers were committing and would join him to DO SOMETHING about it. His disappointment is palpable. Sophie Scholl also arrived in Munich, joining her brother and his frie...

We should not think that just because their “cause” was greater that they were more perfect. On the contrary. They were no worse than my “strange” bunch of friends, but they were certainly not better. They were human through and through. This is the story that needs to be burned into our consciousness, the story of fragile, frail creatures taking on the insurmountable hierarchy of a criminal regim...

Thirty years ago, when I was first introduced to White Rose friends and their utter courage during a dark era, I knew I wanted to tell their story. I had ample experience writing stuffy scholarly theses and essays. You know the ones. Liberal use of passive voice, plenty of quotes from professors on the dissertation committee, dense. Not fun to read. Voice completely lost. And if that thesis or dis...