German Resistance
Street politics in Hamburg, 1932-3
Anthony McElligott examines the street fighting and battle for control of territory between fascists and the working class in the run-up to the Nazi seizure of power.
Doster, Gustav aka Gustl 1904-1977
Gustav Doster was a leading light in the anarchist movement in the Rhineland. He organised underground anarchist networks under Nazism and experienced the Spanish Revolution.
Gustav Doster’s father was a boiler maker, and a union militant and member of the Social Democratic Party. From 1919 until 1923 he worked as a lathe operator and then worked as an instructor of metal workers until 1933.
Friedetzky, Heinrich, 1910-1998
Heinrich Friedetzky was a German anarchist who preserved his beliefs despite the experiences of Nazism, prison and concentration camps.
The last of eight children of a railway worker, Heinrich Friedetzky was born on 8th October 1910 at Bebra in the state of Hesse, Germany. His mother died in 1913, his father in 1920. From 1912 the family lived at Ratibor in Upper Silesia, now part of Poland, where Heinrich lived with his brothers, sisters and a stepmother.
Benner, Fritz (1906-1966)
A short biography of Fritz Benner, courageous German anarchist.
Fritz Benner was born on 6th April 1906 in Solingen, Germany. By profession he was a belt operator. In 1927/28 he and his brother Willi joined the anarchosyndicalist Free Workers' Union of Germany (FAUD) in Wuppertal. His brother Eugen (usually known as August) also became involved. At this time the FAUD was past its height and only counted a few dozen members in Wuppertal.
Berner, Rudolf, 1907-1977
A short biography of Swedish anarchist Rudolf Berner, active in Spain and in underground work in Nazi Germany.
Berner, Rudolf (Rube) AKA Frank Tireur
Born on 14 July 1907 in Skövde (West Sweden), Rudolf Berner grew up in a small farmer and working-class family of many children. He attended school and learned painting and crafts.
Elser, Georg, 1903-1945
The story of a quiet man who tried single-handedly to kill Hitler.
Georg Elser
Born Hermaringen, Germany, 1903, died Dachau, Germany 9 April 1945
Schmitz, Hans, 1914-2007
A short biography of German anarcho-syndicalist, militant anti-fascist and conscript to the Wehrmacht, Hans Schmitz.
Hans Schmitz was born in Wuppertal, Germany in 1914.
His father,* a leading activist in the anarcho-syndicalist union the FAUD, was a devout Catholic and a convinced pacifist from both a religious and ideological standpoint (!). Despite this, as Hans Schmitz reports, he carried a weapon as a member of the “Red Ruhr Army” during the right-wing Kapp putsch.
Glaser, Georg Katharina, 1910-1995
A short biography of worker, autodidact, writer, anarchist and anti-Nazi German Georg Katharina Glaser.
Georg Katharina Glaser
Born Georg Kreuz Glaser, 30 June 1910 – Germany, died 18 January 1995 - Paris
Georg was born on 30th June 1910, Guntersblum, Rheinhesse, Germany. Georg later changed his middle name which means Cross to that of Katharina in honour of his beloved mother.
Anarchist activity in Nazi Germany
Some notes on the activity of anarchists in Germany immediately preceding and soon after the Nazis' gained power, including accounts of attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
While containing several inaccuracies, we reproduce the article here in full. A discussion about factual errors herein is below the article.
1939-1945: The Edelweiss Pirates
An account of the German anti-Nazi movement of working class youth who fought against the regime.
Hitler’s power may lay us low,
And keep us locked in chains,
But we will smash the chains one day,
We’ll be free again
We’ve got fists and we can fight,
We’ve got knives and we’ll get them out
We want freedom, don’t we boys?
We’re the fighting Navajos!
