We learn from the story of Władysław Szpilman, who was later told in the movie The Pianist, that even though they caused the death of millions of people in the Second World War, not all Nazis were bad. One of the not-so-bad Nazis, Captain Wilm Hosenfeld, ended his life in a prison camp. Let’s see who Wilm Hosenfeld is and what his life was like in all its details.
During the Second World War between 1939 and 1945, dozens of countries were involved in a relentless war and more than 61 million people lost their lives. What the Nazis did during this period, who systematically killed people outside of the actual war, is a black mark in our history. Among these people, some of whom are real demons Not soiled by the uniform he wore like Captain Wilm Hosenfeld Knowing that there are people is a bit of a relief.
According to the book by Władysław Szpilman, which was adapted to the cinema with the 2002 movie The Pianist, in which he told about his experiences during this period. Wilm Hosenfeld, an SS Captain stationed in Poland, He did not remain silent about all this massacre that took place around him and saved as many Jews as he could, but unfortunately he ended up in a Soviet prison camp. Bride Who is Wilm HosenfeldLet’s see in all details what kind of life he had.
Who is Wilm Hosenfeld? A World War I veteran teacher:
Wilhelm Adalbert Hosenfeld, with his full name, was born on May 2, 1895, in a small town in the city of Hünfeld, in what is today Hessen, Germany. His family is a conservative Catholic. He was the fourth of six children. Wilm, who was raised as a Catholic in accordance with his family and environment, graduated from high school in 1913.
When the First World War broke out in 1914, he volunteered like every patriot. He joined the German Imperial Army. He fought countless battles and received many wounds. He was sent to his country as a veteran when he was seriously injured in 1917. He was awarded the Order of the Iron Cross II Class for his services.
By 1918, the First World War was over and life was starting to return to normal. Starting her dream job of teaching in Wilm He had been a secondary school teacher. However, the Nazi Party, which was founded as one of the results of the war in Germany, was getting stronger and was starting to attract young veterans like Wilm.
Germany needs you Wilm:
The National Socialist German Workers Party, the Nazi Party as we know it, is getting stronger and stronger in the country. large and small organizations formed. Wilm Hosenfeld was first called up to the quasi-military structure called the Brown Shirts in 1933, and then to the party itself in 1935.
Wilm disliked the Nazi Party and its ideologies, but As a conservative Catholic, he cared about his state. Wilm, who joined the country’s army in August 1939 when the Second World War began, was sent to work in Poland, where he would serve for many years after the invasion of Poland.
Wilm Hosenfeld’s first assignment was in the city of Pabianice. Here he carried out the task of building and managing a dungeon. He was commissioned in a battalion in the city of Węgrów in December 1939. and with this team, Jadow advanced into them. By July 1940 he was sent to Warsaw and served as Captain in the highest ranks of the Warsaw Guard Regiment until the end of the war.
Wilm Hosenfeld cannot turn a blind eye to the massacres of the Nazis and meets the Jews:
Even if it is used as a cover in every massacre throughout history, no religious structure actually allows civilians to be killed. Wilm Hosenfeld, a conscious Catholic, He began to shudder day by day in the face of the Nazis’ hatred of Jews, which he could not understand from the first day.
As a high-ranking officer, he blamed himself for these massacres of the Nazis and felt guilty. Books read during this period He learned Jewish history. He had begun to develop the Polish language. Together with a few of his fellow officers, albeit a small number of those who think like him, he worked to save the Jews without being noticed by anyone.
According to Władysław Szpilman, Wilm Hosenfeld:
2002 film The Pianist, named Władysław Szpilman A Jewish musician tells his experiences during the occupation of Poland. It was adapted from a novel into a movie. We see clearly both in the film and in the novel that it is Wilm Hosenfeld, whom Szpilman calls the German Who Saved My Life, who kept him alive.
Hearing the voices in Władysław Szpilman’s hiding place, Hosenfeld did not report him and asked where he was staying. For months, he secretly fed Szpilman and kept him alive. He was in danger of being arrested by the Gestapo for disobeying orders in this and similar ways countless times.
Wilm Hosenfeld, who was arrested at the end of the war, dies in a Soviet prison camp:
On January 17, 1945, soldiers of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics The Red Army liberated Warsaw and arrested all the Nazi soldiers. Along with Wilm Hosenfeld, many high-ranking Nazi officers were sentenced to 25 years of forced labor for war crimes.
Wilm Hosenfeld was sent to a prison camp in Stalingrad, where he went through endless torture. Although he tried to reach Władysław Szpilman and the other Jews he had saved, unfortunately no results. It is even said that in 1950 Szpilman reached out to Polish Secret Police Chief Jakub Berman, but Berman did nothing on purpose.
In the countless torture-filled interrogations he was subjected to, he testified against the Nazis and Although he openly stated that he was on the side of the Jews Wilm Hosenfeld, who could not convince the Soviets of this, died on 13 August 1952 from loss of blood, unable to stand the ill-treatment he experienced any longer.
Wilm Hosenfeld, albeit late, was rehabilitated:
Based on the memoirs written by Władysław Szpilman Along with the 2002 film The Pianist, many Nazi officers such as Wilm Hosenfeld In fact, when it was revealed that he treated the prisoners well, unlike the general procedure, it was discovered that the Second World War actually had a more humane aspect that was not known.
In October 2007, then Polish President Lech Kaczyński, He honored Wilm Hosenfeld in his absence by conferring the Polish Order of Merit. In Jerusalem, Israel, there is a monument called Yad Vashem, commemorating the victims of the Holocaust. Szpilman’s son, Andrzej Szpilman, fought hard to have the Hosenfeld name in the Righteous Among the Nations, and eventually succeeded in 2008. Wilm Hosenfeld’s name is also featured on a monument erected in Warsaw in 2011.
We know as the Nazi officer who saved Władysław Szpilman in the movie The Pianist. Answering the question who is Wilm Hosenfeld We talked about the details you need to know about the life of this kind-hearted man, who reminds us that there are still crumbs of hope in this world. You can share your thoughts on the subject in the comments.