Opposition and resistance

Despite achieving significant support through propaganda and the power of the police state, there were still many that opposed the Nazi regime, including individuals from churches. Born in Lippstadt, Germany, Martin Niemöller was a Protestant pastor known for his outspoken defiance of Hitler and Nazism. He was arrested for leading the Confessional Church, an opposition to German Christians, and spent eight years in concentration camps.

Lutheran pastor, Martin Niemöller, in Berlin, in 1936

Another opponent from the Confessional Church was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a theologian who was arrested and executed in Flossenbürg concentration camp in 1945 after conspiring to overthrow the Nazi regime. In April 1933, Bonhoeffer wrote his famous essay The Church and the Jewish Question arguing that National Socialism was not a moral form of government and went against Christianity.

In an act of defiance, Pope Pius XI attacked Hitler through a letter that was read in every Catholic Church in 1937. The letter described the Führer as "a mad prophet with repulsive arrogance". That same year, Christmas cards and plays were banned. Moreover, religious-based subjects were prohibited in schools. About 400 Catholic priests were sent to concentration camps.

By 1933, the Hitler Youth was able to control all youth movements in Germany. They were tasked with staying loyal to Hitler, overseeing youth activities outside the classroom, and training young boys as soldiers and young girls to become wives and mothers. At the same time, rival youth groups emerged which opposed the Nazi regime.

Edelweiss Pirates

In November 1944, six members of the Edelweiss Pirates were hanged in Cologne along with seven other youths. They were groups of youths who opposed the Hitler Youth movement and how it changed the lives of German youths. Unlike the members of the Hitler Youth, the pirates were free to express their thoughts. Most of them were based in western Germany and were known as nonconformists. Members usually went hiking and took camping trips to discuss topics which were forbidden in the city.

Some members of the Edelweiss Pirates

                                                **White Rose Group**

In 1942, a number of students and a philosophy professor at Munich University formed a resistance group condemning Hitler's government. They were known as the White Rose group who distributed leaflets urging people to oppose Nazi rule. Aside from leaflets, they also executed anti-Nazi graffiti campaigns, which lasted until 1943. The group produced and distributed six leaflets before their arrest and the execution of six of its members.

Before the war broke out, the Nazis saw them as plain irritants. However, they became a threat when WWII broke out and members collected British anti-Nazi propaganda leaflets dropped by bomber command. Most of its members ranged from 12 to 17 years old and were known for proliferating anti-war graffiti in pedestrian subways. In January 1942, Himmler ordered a crackdown of all disloyal youths, including the pirates.

Image of White Rose Group members (from left to right) Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst

Swing Youth

Also known as Swingjugend, the Swing Youth was one of a few nonconformist groups during the Nazi regime. It was a group of teenage jazz lovers based in Berlin, Frankfurt and Hamburg who tried to imitate British and American culture as part of their expression. In August 1941, about 300 of their members were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Some were sent back to school and closely monitored.

Swing Youth in Germany

In 1935, the Nazis forbade the broadcast of jazz records, which became prominent in Germany in the 1920s. In the succeeding years, listening to non-German radio stations was also made illegal. On the contrary, swing music was Germanised and used by Goebbels as propaganda.

Unlike the Nazi idea of a 'proper' German girl, swing girls wore cosmetics and nail polish. Its members were also non political. Their non-conformist attitude was due to their desire for self-expression.

July 1944 Bomb plot

In resistance to Nazi rule and Hitler, there were a number of attempts by different groups to assassinate the Führer. Among these were senior German military officials who wanted to save Germany from total destruction.

On 20 July 1944, in a meeting at Wolfsschanze or Wolf's Lair, a command post near Rastenburg, East Prussia (present-day Poland), a failed assassination plot against Adolf Hitler using a bomb planted in a briefcase took place.

It was orchestrated by a number of senior-level German military officials including Colonel General Ludwig Beck, Colonel General Friedrich Olbricht, Major General Henning von Tresckow and Lieutenant Colonel Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg.

Hitler's conference room at the Wolf's Lair after the failed attempt on his life on 20 July 1944

(left) Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg (right) Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler visiting the Wolf's Lair after the failed plot

Stauffenberg planted a bomb inside a briefcase, but it was moved away from Hitler by another officer. As a result, Hitler survived the plot with only 1 dead and 3 wounded officials. Believing Hitler was dead, Stauffenberg went back to Berlin and initiated Operation Valkyrie. Hitler had survived, however, and General Friedrich Fromm turned on the conspirators to cover his connection. On 21 July, Olbricht and Stauffenberg were arrested and executed. Soon after, around 200 people accused of conspiracy were also executed, while others connected to the plot committed suicide rather than stand trial.

Watch the 2008 film Valkyrie featuring Tom Cruise as Stauffenberg and witness the July 1944 bomb plot against Hitler.

Access the trailer using this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YppIQUiE9Y