1. Wilhelm "Willi" Graf was a German member of the White Rose resistance group in Nazi Germany.
22 Facts About Willi Graf
1. 2.
Willi Graf was given the title Servant of God, the first step toward possible sainthood.
3.
In 1934, Willi Graf joined the Grauer Orden, another Catholic movement which became known for its anti-Nazi rhetoric.
4.
Willi Graf showed conviction in his beliefs from a young age.
5.
Willi Graf conducted an in-depth study of Christian authors in his teenage years, with a special focus on works by Romano Guardini.
6.
Willi Graf enjoyed reading poetry, foreign works, and works banned by the Nazis.
7.
Willi Graf had chosen the University of Bonn because his aunt and uncle lived in Bonn and offered to let him live with them, as well as the fact that many of his friends went to that University.
8.
Willi Graf had completed four semesters at the University of Bonn.
9.
In January 1940, Willi Graf was officially drafted as a Sanitatssoldat.
10.
Willi Graf might have written more, but unfortunately during this time of upheaval, he was worried what would happen if others read his diary.
11.
Willi Graf met Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell soon after transferring back to Munich.
12.
Willi Graf was introduced to them by Christoph Probst, who took part in fencing with Graf.
13.
Willi Graf was officially brought in to the group on 10 July 1942.
14.
Willi Graf had already been deployed to Russia, but it was Scholl and Schmorell's first time being deployed on the Eastern Front.
15.
In Russia, Scholl, Schmorell, and Willi Graf would sneak away at night and go to the homes of Russian natives.
16.
Willi Graf was a recruiter for the group: from 20 to 24 January 1943, he traveled to Cologne, Bonn, Saarbrucken, Freiburg, and Ulm, armed with copies of the fifth leaflet and a hectograph machine.
17.
On 15 February 1943, Scholl, Schmorell, and Willi Graf snuck out and graffitied the Feldherrnhalle, then a monument to the Nazis who were killed during the failed Beer Hall Putsch.
18.
At his trial, Willi Graf was sentenced to death at the Volksgerichtshof for high treason, Wehrkraftzersetzung, and furthering the enemy's cause.
19.
Willi Graf was beheaded on 12 October 1943 at Stadelheim Prison in Munich, after around six months of solitary confinement.
20.
Willi Graf never gave up any names, taking on blame for the White Rose activities in order to protect others who had not yet been arrested.
21.
Eight schools in Germany have been named after him, among them the Willi-Graf-Gymnasium in Munich and Saarbrucken-St Johann; a student residence in Munich honours Graf by bearing his name.
22.
In 2003, Willi Graf was posthumously awarded the status of honorary citizen of Saarbrucken.