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Sophia Magdalena Scholl (May 9, 1921 - February 22, 1943) was a prominent member of the White Rose non-violent resistance movement in Nazi Germany. She was convicted of treason after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich with her brother Hans. As a result, they were both executed by guillotine.

Since the 1970s, Scholl has been celebrated as one of the great German heroes who actively opposed the Third Reich during the Second World War.

Main article: White Rose

In the early summer of 1942, a group of young men — including Willi Graf, Christoph Probst and Hans Scholl — co-authored six anti-Nazi Third Reich political resistance leaflets. Calling themselves the White Rose, they instructed Germans to passively resist the Nazis. They had been horrified by the behaviour of the Germans on the Eastern Front where they had witnessed a group of naked Jews being shot in a pit.

Contrary to popular belief, Sophie Scholl was not a co-author of the articles. Her brother had been initially keen to keep her ignorant of their activities, but once she discovered his activities, she joined him and proved invaluable to the group: as a female, her chances of being randomly stopped by the SS were much smaller. She and rest of the White Rose were arrested for distributing the sixth leaflet at the University of Munich on February 18, 1943.

In the People's Court before the notorious Judge Roland Freisler on February 21, 1943, Scholl was recorded as saying "Somebody, after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just do not dare express themselves as we did." Scholl and her brother's defiance, in the face of terrifying consequences, gained them enormous admiration.

On February 22, 1943, Sophie Scholl, her brother Hans and their friend Christoph Probst were found guilty of treason and condemned to death. They were all beheaded by executioner Johann Reichhart in Munich's Stadelheim Prison only a few hours later at 17:00. The execution was supervised by Dr. Walter Roemer who was the enforcement chief of the Munich district court. Prison officials emphasized the courage with which she walked to her execution. Her last words were partially: "Die Sonne scheint noch"—"The sun still shines." while her full comments were: "How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause. Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go. But what does my death matter, if through us thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?"

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White Rose
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This article is about the German resistance movement. For other uses, see White Rose (disambiguation).
Address : <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rose>

The White Rose (German: die Weiße Rose) was a non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany, consisting of a number of students from the University of Munich and their philosophy professor. The group became known for an anonymous leaflet campaign, lasting from June 1942 until February 1943, that called for active opposition to German dictator Adolf Hitler's regime. ^[1]

The six core members of the group were arrested by the Gestapo, convicted and executed by beheading in 1943. The text of their sixth leaflet was smuggled out of Germany through Scandinavia to England, and in July 1943 copies of it were dropped over Germany by Allied planes, retitled "The Manifesto of the Students of Munich." ^[2]

Today, the members of the White Rose are honored in Germany as great heroes who opposed the Third Reich in the face of deadly danger for such resistance.

Sophie Scholl and the White Rose
Address : <http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/?en/holocaust/articles/2786.htm>

The White Rose

The White Rose is a shining example of resistance to Hitler, but also of the ruthlessness which the Nazis authorities showed when faced with any opposition. In early 1943, the fortunes of war were clearly turning against the Germans. The battle of Stalingrad had been a complete disaster, resulting in the surrender of the Sixth Army on January 31, 1943. Around this time, a small group of students, mostly centered in the University of Munich, began openly to agitate against the Nazi regime.
Address : <http://www.holocaust-history.org/short-essays/white-rose.shtml>

Sophie Scholl, the daughter of Robert Scholl, the mayor of Forchtenberg, was born on 9th May, 1921. The family moved to Ulm and in 1933 Sophie joined the Hitler Youth. At first she was enthusiastic but, influenced by the views of her father, she became increasingly critical of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi government.

    Sophie's brother, Hans Scholl, was also growing disillusioned with Nazi Germany and in 1937 he was arrested and briefly jailed after being accused of subversive activities.
Address : <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERschollS.htm>

By the summer of 1942, Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell were at the center of a close-knit group of friends who shared the same ideals and interests in medicine, music, art, theology and philosophy. They soon recognized their shared disgust for Adolf Hitler, the Third Reich and the Gestapo. Hans and Alex were soon joined by Christoph Probst (a level-headed, married soldier and father of three who was loved by everyone who knew him) and Willi Graf (another medical student and a devout Catholic who never joined the Hitler Youth and refused to acknowledge those who did). And there was Sophie, Hans Scholl's younger sister who joined Hans and his friends at the University to study biology and philosophy. These friends, sometimes joined by popular philosophy professor Kurt Huber, Jürgen Wittenstein and others, formed the heart of The White Rose. 
Address : <http://www.jlrweb.com/whiterose/>

Weiße Rose, Die
Address : <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084897/>

The White Rose: Munich, 1942-1943 (Paperback)
Address : <http://www.amazon.com/White-Rose-Munich-1942-1943/dp/0819560863>
White Rose: Munich, 1942-1943
Address : <http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780819560865>