Traute Lafrenz, the last survivor of the White Rose, a non-violent resistance movement against the Nazi regime in Germany during World War II, died on the 6th (local time) at the age of 103. According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 11th, Lafrenz died at his home in South Carolina, USA, his bereaved family said. The exact cause of death is unknown.
The White Roses was formed in 1942 by young students, including Hans Scholl and Sophie Scholl, to resist the Nazis by distributing flyers exposing the crimes of the Nazi regime and leaving graffiti (drawings or graffiti on walls in public places). did. The leaflets distributed by the White Rose at the time contained content such as “The massacre of the Jews is a crime incomparable to anything in human history” and “Down with Hitler.” Lafrenz, a medical student at the time, secured small items such as ink, paper, and envelopes, and took on the role of secretly copying flyers at a bookstore in Munich.
However, in February 1943, the Scholl siblings were caught by school security while distributing flyers in the university district and were arrested by the secret police, the Gestapo. The Nazis severely suppressed the leaders of the White Roses, to the point of beheading them four days after their arrest. At that time, more than 5,000 people in Germany were beheaded without trial when Hitler ordered the resumption of guillotine executions.
Lafrenz was also arrested by the secret police twice and served time in prison. He immigrated to the United States in 1947 after the war to complete his medical studies. He married Vernon Page, an ophthalmologist, and they had four children. He has been principal of special schools in the United States for over 20 years and has been active in anthroposophy for a long time.
When Lafrenz celebrated his 100th birthday in May 2019, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier awarded him the Order of Merit. President Steinmeier said, “Lafrenz is one of the few people who has the courage to resist dictatorship and the massacre of Jews,” and “he is a hero of freedom and humanity.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.