Sophie Magdelena Scholl was born May 9th, 1921. Scholl had a carefree childhood until the age of twelve when she was required to join the Bund Deutscher Mädel (essentially Nazi Girl Scouts), like all other German girls at the time. Luckily for Scholl, her parents resisted the control of the Nazis, which led Scholl into a life of resistance and pacifism.
Before entering college Scholl was required to serve six months of mandatory labor service. Scholl's only outlet during her mandatory service was a book she snuck in and read under the covers during the night. Scholl was horrified by how herself and others were being treated in the name of "advancing the Fatherland". Her service only furthered her hatred of the Nazi Party and inspired her into passive resistance.
In 1942 Scholl became a student at the University of Munich. Her older brother Hans also attended the university and introduced Scholl to his friends Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, Cristoph Probst, and Professor Kurt Huber. The group came together under the name "The White Rose" to protest the Nazi Party.
The White Rose wrote and distributed pamphlets with messages of passive resistance urging Germans to recognize their own morality and condemn Nazism. They also encouraged sabotaging German armaments and calling for social justice. While the group was headquartered in Munich, members often boarded trains to other major cities and distributed leaflets there. Scholl was especially valuable for field distributions since she was the only female member of the White Rose and less likely to be randomly stopped by the Gestapo.
On February 18th, 1943 Sophie and Hans went to distribute leaflets among the university. The Gestapo had been tipped off and went to arrest them. In a last act of defiance, Scholl climbed the stairs to the roof of the atrium and released a suitcase full of leaflets onto the public below her. Sophie and Hans were arrested, a search also implicated Christoph Probst and he was arrested shortly after.
Four days later the three of them were put on trial for treason and sentenced by People's Court judge Roland Freisler, to death by beheading. The remaining members of the White Rose were later discovered and also sentenced to death.
Today the White Rose is remembered as the first and at one point the largest anti-Nazi resistance group within Germany. The White Rose and their heroism is famously known throughout Germany, having become a national symbol of humanity and resistance.
Lisciotto, Carmelo. “Sophie Scholl.” Sophie Scholl Revolt & Resistance Www.HolocaustResearchProject.org, www.holocaustresearchproject.org/revolt/scholl.html.
Hornberger, Jacob G. “Holocaust Resistance.” The White Rose - A Lesson in Dissent, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-white-rose-a-lesson-in-dissent.
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