Friedrich "Fritz" Hartnagel (February 4, 1917 – April 29, 2001) was a lawyer and soldier of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In the 1950s, Hartnagel, then a judge in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, campaigned against the rearmament of the Federal Republic. He was

Sophie Scholl Sophia Magdalena Scholl (9 May 1921 – 22 February 1943) was a German student and anti-Nazi political activist, active in the White Rose non-violent German resistance to Nazism, resistance group in Nazi Germany. Raised in a politically engag ...

's fiancé.

Life

Fritz Hartnagel was born to Friedrich Hartnagel (1879–1957) and Barbara Hartnagel née Strobl (1878–1945) on February 4, 1917. When Hitler first came to power, Hartnagel was entranced by him and his vision for Germany. He volunteered for an officer career in the spring of 1936 after an early

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

and was a professional officer of the Wehrmacht until the end of World War II.

Relationship with Sophie Scholl

In 1937, Hartnagel met Sophie Scholl at a dance event. Under Scholl's influence and after experiences on the front (including in the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...

), Hartnagel changed from an enthusiastic soldier to an opponent of war and

Nazi dictatorship Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. He supported the resistance activities with news about the course of the war and

war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...

and with amounts of money (including ) although he never officially joined any resistance movements. Hartnagel was not made aware that Sophie Scholl had been arrested until he received a letter from Sophie's mother. When he learned of the arrest, he immediately checked himself out of the hospital in occupied Poland he was in (he suffered frostbite in Russia, which had led to a partial amputation of his hand) and raced to Munich. While at a stop in Berlin, he telephoned the Scholls' house to find out if there were any more details available about her arrest. The phone was answered by Werner Scholl, who had to break the news that Sophie had been executed the day before. After the execution of Hans and Sophie on February 22, 1943, Hartnagel assisted the Scholl family. After the remaining members of the Scholl family were put into

Sippenhaft ''Sippenhaft'' or ''Sippenhaftung'' (, ''kin liability'') is a German term for the idea that a family or clan shares the responsibility for a crime or act committed by one of its members, justifying collective punishment. As a legal principle, it ...

(kinship arrest), Hartnagel appealed for clemency for them. After they were released, he supported them financially.

After the War

On April 14, 1945, Hartnagel was captured by US troops and kept as a prisoner of war until September 1945. In October 1945, he married Sophie's sister Elisabeth Scholl, with whom he had grown close after Sophie's execution. Together, they had four boys. In 1946, Hartnagel began law studies at the

Ludwig Maximilian University The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke Ludwig IX of Bav ...

in Munich (the same college Sophie Scholl had gone to). He completed his studies and became a judge. He died on April 29, 2001, at the age of 84.

Legacy

After his death, the letters between him and Sophie were compiled and published. His and Sophie's story was also the basis for the novel “With you there is light”, published in 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartnagel, Fritz 1917 births 2001 deaths German Army officers of World War II Reich Labour Service members Military personnel from Ulm Hans and Sophie Scholl