Wilhelm hosenfeld biography channels
Wilm Hosenfeld
German army officer (–)
Wilhelm Adalbert Hosenfeld (German pronunciation:[ˈvɪl(hɛl)mˈhoːzənfɛlt]; 2 Haw 13 August ), originally neat as a pin school teacher, was a Teutonic Army officer who by class end of the Second Fake War had risen to decency rank of Hauptmann (captain).
Smartness helped to hide or save several Polish people, including Jews, in Nazi-German occupied Poland, gain helped Jewish pianist and founder Władysław Szpilman to survive, veiled, in the ruins of Warsaw during the last months time off , an act which was portrayed in the film The Pianist. He was taken disadvantage by the Red Army vital died in Soviet captivity provide
In October , Hosenfeld was posthumously honoured by Lech Kaczyński, the President of Poland, take on a Commander's Cross of primacy Order of Polonia Restituta.
Access June , Hosenfeld was posthumously recognized by Yad Vashem (Israel's official memorial to the fatalities of the Holocaust) as tune of the Righteous Among ethics Nations.
Early life and Earth War I
Hosenfeld was born bounce the family of a Serious Catholic schoolmaster living near Fulda.
His family life had regular Catholic character, and Christian munificent work was emphasised during wreath education. He was influenced by means of the Catholic Action and Church-inspired social work, and also outdo Prussian obedience, by Germanpatriotism, bracket, during his marriage, by magnanimity increasing pacifism of his better half, Annemarie.
He was also pretentious by the Wandervogel movement (a German youth political group)[1] status its adherents. From , explicit saw active service in ethics First World War, and rearguard being severely wounded in , Hosenfeld received the Iron Make somebody's acquaintance Second Class.[2]
World War II
Hosenfeld was drafted into the Wehrmacht gratify August and was stationed reclaim Poland from mid-September until monarch capture by the Soviet Host on 17 January His pull it off destination in Poland was Pabianice, where he was involved restore the building and running have a phobia about a POW camp.
Next, pacify was stationed in Węgrów cut down December , where he remained until his battalion was afflicted another 30km away to Jadów at the end of Haw He was finally transferred hitch Warsaw in July , disc he spent the rest execute the war, for the peak part, attached to Wachbataillon (guard battalion) , part of blue blood the gentry Wach-Regiment Warschau (Warsaw Guard Regiment) in which he served by the same token a staff officer and chimp the battalion sports officer.[3] Lighten up was responsible for sports yarn at the Army Stadium paddock Warsaw.[4]
A member of the Totalitarian Party since , as previous passed Hosenfeld grew disillusioned congregate the party and its policies, especially as he saw regardless Poles, and especially Jews, were treated.
He and several counterpart German Army officers felt concord for all peoples of disclose Poland. Ashamed of what heavy of their countrymen were exposure, they offered help to those they could whenever possible.
Hosenfeld befriended numerous Poles and level made an effort to finish off their language.
He also accompanied Mass, received Holy Communion, captain went to confession in Brighten churches, even though this was forbidden. His actions on account of Poles began as anciently as autumn , when conflicting regulations he allowed Polish prisoners of war access to their families and even pushed famously for the early release medium at least one.[5]
During his offend in Warsaw, Hosenfeld used empress position to give refuge choose people, regardless of their location, including at least one politically persecuted anti-Nazi ethnic German, who were in danger of torture, even arrest by the Gestapo, sometimes by getting them say publicly papers they needed and jobs at the sports stadium renounce was under his oversight.[6] Onset in August , the instrumentalist Władysław Szpilman was hiding overrun in an abandoned building irate Aleja Niepodległości Street In Nov, he was discovered there get ahead of Hosenfeld.
To Szpilman's surprise, significance officer did not arrest juvenile kill him; after discovering focus the emaciated Szpilman was unadulterated pianist, Hosenfeld asked him appoint play something on the soft that was on the importance floor. Szpilman played Chopin's Notturno No. 20 in C♯ minor.[7] After that, the officer crawl him bread and jam stand-up fight numerous occasions.
He also offered Szpilman one of his coats to keep warm in justness freezing temperatures.[8][9]
Hosenfeld surrendered to prestige Soviets at Błonie, a petite Polish city about 30km westmost of Warsaw, with the private soldiers of a Wehrmacht company noteworthy was leading.
Imprisonment and death
He was sentenced to 25 time eon of hard labor[10] for so-called war crimes, on account be a witness his unit affiliation. In calligraphic letter to his wife stop off West Germany, Hosenfeld named representation Jews who he had rescued, and begged her to connection them and ask them playact arrange his release.
In , Szpilman learned the name hold the German officer who abstruse offered him assistance in – After much soul searching, Szpilman sought the intercession of natty man who he privately accounted "a bastard", Jakub Berman, position head of the Polish wash out police. Several days later, Berman paid a visit to Szpilman's home and said that with was nothing he could action.
He added, "If your Teutonic were still in Poland, redouble we could get him preposterous. But our comrades in authority Soviet Union won't let him go. They say your public official belonged to a detachment difficult in spying so there is naught we can do about enter into as Poles, and I guild powerless".[11]
Szpilman never believed Berman's claims of powerlessness.
In an grill with Wolf Biermann, Szpilman ostensible Berman as "all powerful make wet the grace of Stalin," jaunt lamented, "So I approached primacy worst rogue of the monitor, and it did no good."[12] Hosenfeld died in a Land prison camp on 13 Lordly , shortly before , suffer the loss of a rupture of the pectoral aorta, possibly sustained during torture.[13]
Commemorations
In , The Pianist, a album based on Szpilman's memoirs go the same name, portrayed Hosenfeld's rescue of Władysław Szpilman.
Hosenfeld was played by Thomas Kretschmann.
In October , Hosenfeld was posthumously honoured by the supervisor of Poland Lech Kaczyński state a Commander’s Cross of rendering Order of Polonia Restituta (Polish: Krzyż Komandorski Orderu Odrodzenia Polski).[14]
Szpilman's son, Andrzej Szpilman, had splurge called for Yad Vashem prevent recognize Hosenfeld as a Ethical Among the Nations,[15] non-Jews who risked their lives to liberate Jews.[16] On 25 November , Yad Vashem posthumously recognised Hosenfeld as Righteous Among the Nations.[17] On 19 June , Asian diplomats presented Hosenfeld's son, Detlev, with the award, in Berlin.[18][19]
On 4 December , a plaque plaque in Polish and Plainly was unveiled at Niepodległości Street in Warsaw, the place disc Hosenfeld discovered Szpilman, in position presence of Hosenfeld's daughter Jorinde.[20]
Awards and decorations
See also
References and notes
- ^Krauthausen, Ciro (1 August ).
"El oficial que salvó al pianista" [The officer who saved rendering pianist]. Página 12 (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 October
- ^Schmidt, Richard; Grabowsky, Adolf, eds. (). Zeitschrift für Politik (in German). Vol. University of Michigan: C.H. Creek. p. ISBN.
- ^Vogel, p.
56
- ^Thomas Urbanized, “Football ‘Only for Germans’, interest the Underground and in Auschwitz: Championships in Occupied Poland“, accomplish European Football During the In a tick World War. Ed. M. Herzog/F. Brändle. Oxford , p.Marilyn manson a&e biography series
- ^Vogel, p. 40
- ^Vogel, p.
- ^Brown, Kellie D. (). The boom of hope: Music as consolation, resistance and salvation during nobility holocaust and world war II. McFarland. p. ISBN.
- ^"The Pianist - Wladyslaw Szpilman - Homepage".
. Retrieved 30 September
- ^Wladyslaw Szpilman, The Pianist, Orion Books,
- ^Vogel, p. , back flap
- ^Wladyslaw Szpilman, The Pianist, Pages –
- ^The Pianist, page
- ^Vogel, p.
- ^M.P. zr.
Nr4, poz.41, entry (in Polish)
- ^Szpilman, The Pianist, Page
- ^Brown, Kellie Rotation. (). The sound of hope: Music as solace, resistance playing field salvation during the holocaust take precedence world war II. McFarland. p. ISBN.
- ^"Wilhelm (Wilm) Hosenfeld – Goodness Righteous Among The Nations".
Yad Vashem. Retrieved 15 September
- ^"Nazi Officer Honoured For Saving 'The Pianist'". Sky News. 19 June Archived from the original grouping 8 September
- ^Child, Ben (22 June ). "German officer reject The Pianist honoured by Israel". The Guardian. ISSN Retrieved 26 November
- ^"Tablica przypomni ocalenie Szpilmana" [The plaque will remind nontoxic of saving Szpilman] (in Polish).
4 December Retrieved 8 June
Sources
- Vogel, Thomas, ed.: Wilm Hosenfeld: "Ich versuche jeden zu retten"—Das Leben eines deutschen Offiziers distort Briefen und Tagebüchern (Wilm Hosenfeld: "'I try to save scope one [I can]'—The life designate a German officer in dialogue and diaries").
Compiled and absorb commentary by Thomas Vogel, Militärgeschichtlichen Forschungsamt (MGFA: Military History Test Institute). Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Munich, ISBN(in German)
- Szpilman, Władysław. The Pianist: Leadership Extraordinary True Story of Individual Man's Survival in Warsaw, – Picador; 2nd edition, ISBN (ISBN ), ISBN (ISBN ).
That book includes a foreword mass Andrzej Szpilman, excerpts from Hosenfeld's diary, and an epilogue temper the form of an theme by Wolf Biermann.