WWII German resistance

I, too, highly recommend books about Bonhoeffer, although I think it is good to point out to older children that he wrestled spiritually with his decision to get involved in the plot to assasinate Hitler.  After the failed July 20th attempt, Hitler was more convinced than ever of God’s protection over his life and the “rightness” of his cause.  It’s an interesting point of contention to discuss. 

My personal favorite story of German resistance is the story of The White Rose, a group of young christian students and their philosophy professor who chose to non-violently oppose the Nazi regime through an anonymous leaflet campaign.  Their story, which like Bonhoeffer’s does not have a happy ending, is awe-inspiring and emotionally moving to say the least.  The book “Hans and Sophie Scholl: German Resisters of the White Rose” by Toby Axelrod is one of the only books about the group written for a younger audience.  I highly recommend sharing their story with older children, it can lead to some amazing discussions about civil disobedience and courage in the face of certain death.  

Oscar Shindler is another one who comes to mind.  Although he began as quite an opportunist who sought to benefit financially from the Nazi invasion of Poland, his heart turned towards his workers (forced Jewish labor) and he was able to shield them from harm at great financial cost to himself.  This kind of resistance is thoroughly creative and a good one to share.

Another incredible, but not very well known story is that of the Twentieth Convoy or Transport 20.  This was a Jewish prisoner transport train that was stopped by three young members of the Belgian resistance before it reached Auschwitz   They were able to open one of the train cars and 231 prisoners were freed .  Some were recaptured and others were killed, but 115 people finally succeeded in their escape (the youngest was 11 years old).  

Of course, there are many, many stories of creative resistance both inside and outside of Germany, like Corrie Ten Boom’s incredible account in her book The Hiding Place. 

Three men who are credited with issuing an astonishing amount of visas to fleeing Jews are Chiune Sugihara, Raoul Wallenberg and Aristides de Sousa Mendes. I’m sure you could find out more about how they used their specific vocations to help people escape the terrors of the holocaust. 

The operation known as Kindertransport, organized by both Christian and Jewish agencies saved almost 10,000 children destined for Nazi death camps.  I’m pretty sure there is a book titled Kindertransport for older children which was written by one of the children saved by this operation.  I watched a wonderful documentary on the Kindertransport a few years ago narrated by Judi Dench called Into the Arms of Strangers.  An interesting note is that former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s cousin was one of the children saved by Kindertransport. 

There are so many incredible stories!  I hope these give you some good starts which will spring-board you into more accounts of bravery during dark and evil times. 

Rachel