Christoph Probst
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Christoph Ananda Probst(6 November 1919 – 22 February 1943) was a German student ofmedicineand member of theWhite Rose(Weiße Rose)resistancegroup.[1]
Early life
[edit]Probst was born inMurnau am Staffelsee.His father, Hermann Probst, was a private scholar andSanskritresearcher, fostered contacts withartistswho were deemed by the Nazis to be "decadent". After Hermann's first marriage with Karin Katharina Kleeblatt, Christoph's mother, broke up in 1919, he married Elise Jaffée, who wasJewish.[2]Christoph's sister, Angelika, remembers that her brother was strongly critical of Nazi ideas that violated human dignity.[3]Soon after his second marriage, Hermann Probst, who suffered from depression, committed suicide.[4]How this affected Christoph is unknown, but it evidently contributed to his contempt for Nazi ideology.
Probst attendedboarding schoolatMarquartsteinandLandheim Schondorf.It was here that he metAlexander Schmorell,who soon became his best friend. The boarding school was aimed at fostering Nazi ideas. After completing his schooling at the age of 17, Probst enrolled in theLuftwaffe.Aftermilitary service,he began medical studies with great earnestness. At the age of 21, he married Herta Dohrn, with whom he had three children: Michael, Vincent and Katja.[5]
The White Rose
[edit]TheWhite Rosewas the name of a resistance group in Munich in the time of theThird Reich.The activities of the White Rose began in June 1942. From the end of that month until mid-July that same year, Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell wrote the group's first four leaflets. Quoting extensively from theBible,AristotleandNovalis,as well asGoetheandSchiller,the iconic poets of the German middle classes at the time, they appealed to what they considered the Germanintelligentsia,believing that the latter would be easily convinced by the same arguments that had appealed to themselves. The leaflets were left in telephone books in public phone booths, mailed to professors and students, and taken by courier to other universities for distribution. Christoph Probst came rather late into the White Rose since he did not belong to the same student corps asHans Scholl,Alexander SchmorellandWilli Graf,and he stayed for the most part in the background as, being married, he had to think of his family. Probst belonged — along with theScholl siblings,Graf, and Schmorell — to the innermost circle, which came to include also university professorKurt Huber.The members of White Rose put together, printed and distributed, a total of six leaflets, at the risk of their lives. In January 1943, Probst wrote a seventh leaflet, which he gave to Hans Scholl.[6]However, it was never distributed.
Capture, trial and execution
[edit]On 18 February 1943, Sophie and Hans Scholl went to the Ludwig Maximilian University to leave out flyers for the students to read. They were seen byJakob Schmid,a janitor at the University who was also a Gestapo informer. Schmid alerted the Gestapo, who closed down the University until the Scholls could be apprehended. The draft of a seventh pamphlet that had been written by Christoph Probst was found in the possession of Hans Scholl at the time of his arrest by theGestapo.While Sophie Scholl managed to get rid of incriminating evidence before being taken into custody, Hans attempted to destroy the draft leaflet by tearing it apart and swallowing it. However, the Gestapo recovered enough of it to read the contents of the leaflet. When pressed, Hans Scholl gave up the name of Christoph. As he said in his second interrogation:
The piece of paper that I tore up following my arrest this morning originated with Christoph Probst. He resides in Innsbruck, [and is with] an air force Student Company. I have been friends with Probst for several years. One day, I suggested to him that he should put his thoughts about current events in writing for me. This was after New Year 1942/43 when Probst visited me in Munich. We talked about this possibility at that time, namely in my apartment. Schmorel [sic], I, and Probst have comprised a circle of friends for years now. Schmorel [sic] was not present at this last meeting. He knows nothing of this entire matter. With regards to political matters, I exercised influence on Probst. Without my influence, he undoubtedly would never have reached these conclusions. I have withheld this acknowledgment for so long because Probst's wife is currently confined to bed with puerperal fever following the birth of their third child. He told me this himself, namely the last time that we met. I must say that I commissioned Probst to put his thoughts in writing a while ago. The last time we met – at the beginning of January 1943 – he gave me the piece of paper that I tore up today. I must expressly note that I said nothing to Probst about using his written notes for producing leaflets. I similarly assume that Probst was absolutely in the dark about the actions I had undertaken...All other persons with the exception of Probst are in my opinion not guilty.[7]
On 20 February 1943, Probst went to pick up his salary before travelling to see his wife Herta and his newly born daughter, Katja.[8]While in the office to collect his salary, he was apprehended by the Gestapo, who asked him to change into street clothes before taking him to prison.[9]He had asked for clemency during interrogation. He also requested a trial for the sake of his wife and his three children, aged three and two years and four weeks old.
On 22 February 1943, Probst, Sophie Scholl, and Hans Scholl were put to a trial before JudgeRoland Freisler.The latter was known as the "Hanging judge" as about 90% of his trials ended in death sentences.[10]At the conclusion of a trial lasting two hours, the accused were sentenced to death. They were originally scheduled to be executed by hanging in public, but the prison officials were worried that they would be made into political martyrs if their execution was public.[11]Because of this, it was decided they would be guillotined. Shortly before his death, Christoph asked to be baptized into the Catholic faith. He was baptized a few minutes before his death. They were all beheaded by guillotine by executionerJohann Reichhartin Munich'sStadelheim Prison.Sophie was executed at 5 pm, while Hans was executed at 5:02 pm and Christoph was executed at 5:05 pm. The execution was supervised byWalter Roemer ,the enforcement chief of the Munich district court. Prison officials were impressed by the condemned prisoners' bravery, and let them smoke cigarettes together before they were executed.[6]
Probst's wife Herta was ill withchildbed feverat the time. She was not informed of his capture, as the hospital nurses did not wish to alarm her. Herta helped write a petition for clemency the same day he was executed.[11]
Legacy
[edit]His grave is in thegraveyard"Am Perlacher Forst", which is adjacent to the place of his execution.
On 3 November 1999, Christoph Probst was included in a semi-official commemorative book published by the German Catholic bishops.[12] For his 100th birthday in 2019, the barracks of theJoint Medical Serviceof theBundeswehr,north of Munich were named after him.[13]In Germany, there are currently 8 schools and residences named after him.
In film
[edit]Christoph Probst was portrayed byFlorian Stetterin the filmSophie Scholl: The Final Days(2005).
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Michael Probst (2001),"Probst, Christoph Ananda",Neue Deutsche Biographie(in German), vol. 20, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 733–734;(full text online)
- ^"Christoph Probst"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on November 29, 2006.Retrieved2010-01-21.p 3 (in German)
- ^Im Schatten der Geschwister Scholl.In: Die Welt, 18 June 2011 (in German)
- ^Peterson, Larry (2018-12-09)."Christoph Probst: He was a Husband and father, killed by the Nazis for his convictions and at the age of 23".Cradling Catholic.Retrieved2022-03-03.
- ^Christoph Probst,Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand, gdw-berlin.de
- ^abBale, Veronica.A noble treason.ISBN978-1-944262-08-2.OCLC964523713.
- ^Staff, CWRS (1943-02-19)."Second interrogation of Hans Scholl".White Rose History: January 1933 – October 1943.Retrieved2022-03-03.
- ^Perekrestov, Elena (2017).Alexander Schmorell: saint of the German resistance.Holy Trinity Publications.ISBN978-0-88465-421-6.OCLC992465666.
- ^Bush, Elizabeth (2016)."We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman".Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.69(8): 414–415.doi:10.1353/bcc.2016.0312.ISSN1558-6766.S2CID201771219.
- ^Ortner, Helmut (2018).Hitler's Executioner: Roland Freisler, President of the Nazi People's Court.Pen & Sword Books Limited.ISBN978-1-4738-8942-2.OCLC1076235217.
- ^abNORMANN., WAAGE, PETER (2018).LONG LIVE FREEDOM!: traute lafrenz and the white rose.CUIDONO PR.ISBN978-1-944453-06-0.OCLC1007750099.
{{cite book}}
:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^Moll, Helmut (Hrsg. im Auftrag der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz), (2015).Zeugen für Christus. Das deutsche Martyrologium des 20. Jahrhunderts,6., erweiterte und neu strukturierte Auflage Paderborn u.a.,ISBN978-3-506-78080-5,volume I, pp. 507–509. Despite the use of the term "martyrologium" in its title, this book is unrelated to the officialmartyrologyof the Catholic Church.
- ^Andreas Sachse (8 October 2018)."Einzigartiger Name für Garchinger Kaserne"(in German).Münchner Merkur.Retrieved18 November2021.
Bibliography
[edit]- Karin Amann, Thomas Ernst et al.:Die Weiße Rose – Gesichter einer Freundschaft.Arti Grafiche fiorin SpA, Mailand. (in German)
- Lilo Fürst-Ramdohr:Freundschaften in der Weißen Rose.VerlagGeschichtswerkstatt Neuhausen,München 1995,ISBN3-931231-00-3.(in German)
- Jakob Knab:Die innere Vollendung der Person. Christoph Probst.In:Detlef Bald,Jakob Knab(Hrsg.):Die Stärkeren im Geiste. Zum christlichen Widerstand der Weißen Rose.Essen 2012. (in German)
- Christiane Moll (Hrsg.):Alexander Schmorell, Christoph Probst. Gesammelte Briefe.Lukas Verlag, Berlin 2011,ISBN978-3-86732-065-8.(in German)
- Peter Normann Waage:Es lebe die Freiheit! – Traute Lafrenz und die Weiße Rose.Urachhaus, Stuttgart 2012,ISBN978-3-8251-7809-3.(in German)
- Inge Scholl:Die Weiße Rose.Fischer Verlag,ISBN3-596-11802-6.(in German)
- Robert Volkmann, Gernot Eschrich und Peter Schubert:…damit Deutschland weiterlebt. Christoph Probst 1919–1943.(Christoph-Probst-Gymnasium) Gilching 2000,ISBN3-00-007034-6.(in German)
External links
[edit]- 1919 births
- 1943 deaths
- People from Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district)
- Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism
- German pacifists
- Executed students
- German Roman Catholics
- Executed German Resistance members
- Executed activists
- People executed by Nazi Germany by guillotine
- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
- Roman Catholics in the German Resistance
- White Rose members
- People from Bavaria executed by Nazi Germany
- People executed by Nazi courts
- 20th-century Roman Catholic martyrs