Wolfgang Abendroth

Wolfgang Abendroth was born in Elberfeld in 1906. His father was a teacher. Wolfgang spoke bravely against the Nazis. In 1933, he lost his job as a junior lawyer for political reasons, and went on to provide legal advice for many opponents of the regime. Following his first arrest, Abendroth emigrated to Switzerland, where he gained his PhD. After acting as a courier for some time, he decided to return to Berlin in 1935. There, he was an active member of the resistance until he was imprisoned for several years in 1937. He was forcibly drafted into one of the 999th Division’s "probation units" in February 1943; this was military service demanded of those who opposed Hitler. His unit was sent to occupy Greece; he soon deserted to a Greek partisan resistance organization. He was taken prisoner by the British, and carried out political education for opponents of the regime in prisoner of war camps in Egypt. He died in 1985. He is remembered as one of the many Germans who courageously opposed the Nazis and their brutal oppression of the German people.