Hiltgunt Zassenhaus
Encyclopedia
Hiltgunt Margret Zassenhaus (10 July 1916 – 20 November 2004) was a German philologist who worked as an interpreter in Hamburg
, Germany during World War II
, and later as a physician
in the United States. She was honoured for her efforts to aid prisoners in Nazi Germany
during World War II.
(known for the butterfly lemma and the Zassenhaus group
), and physicians Günther and Willfried.
Following a bicycling holiday in Denmark in 1933, she decided to study philology
, specializing in the Scandinavian languages. She graduated from the University of Hamburg
with a degree in Norwegian
and Danish language
in 1939 and continued her language studies at the University of Copenhagen
.
in Hamburg to censor letters to and from Norwegian prisoners in the Zuchthaus in Fuhlsbüttel
, Hamburg. She initially refused, but after further pressure, she accepted on the condition that she be allowed to work independently. Instead of censoring the mail, she added messages urging the recipients to send food or warm clothing.
According to the German prison rules, the prisoners were allowed to receive regular visits, and the Norwegian priests in Hamburg were authorized to visit the prisoners on behalf of their families. She was assigned to interpret for and watch the priests during their visits. Later, she also interpreted for Danish priests and prisoners. She began smuggling in food, medicine, and writing materials. She was aided by the suspicion of the authorities that, because of her position in the Department of Justice, she was a member of the Gestapo
.
Towards the end of the war, the prisoners were moved to various prisons all over Germany, and the visits, to more than 1,000 Scandinavian prisoners scattered in 52 prisons, required long journeys. Zassenhaus maintained her own records in order to keep track of where the prisoners were being held; these files became important for the later evacuation by the White Buses
in 1945.
With the war in Europe nearing its end, Zassenhaus learned of "Day X", when all political prisoners were to be killed. She passed on her information and her files of prisoner locations to either the Red Cross or Swedish Count Bernadotte. A deal was negotiated; 1200 Scandinavian prisoners were freed and transported out of Germany.
Zassenhaus wrote about her experiences during the war in her 1947 book Halt Wacht im Dunkel. An English translation, Walls, was published in 1974. In 1978, she was featured in a British television series called Women in Courage about four women who defied the Nazis. It was produced by Peter Morley
, himself a German refugee. The other women were Maria Rutkiewicz
, a Polish woman; Sigrid Helliesen Lund
, a Norwegian; and Mary Lindell
, a British woman.
She continued her medical studies at the University of Bergen
, where she finished the first part of the course, and finally graduated as a physician from the University of Copenhagen. She emigrated to Baltimore
in 1952, where she worked as a practising physician.
Hiltgunt Zassenhaus died on 20 November 2004.
. She was also awarded the Red Cross Medal, the Danish Order of the Dannebrog
, the German Bundesverdienstkreuz
, and the British Cross of the Order of Merit
. In 1974, the Norwegian government nominated her for the Nobel Peace Prize
.
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and later as a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
in the United States. She was honoured for her efforts to aid prisoners in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
during World War II.
Early life
Hiltgunt Zassenhaus was born in Hamburg to Julius H. and Margret Ziegler Zassenhaus. Her father was a historian and school principal who lost his job when the Nazi regime came to power in 1933. Her brothers were the mathematician HansHans Julius Zassenhaus
Hans Julius Zassenhaus was a German mathematician, known for work in many parts of abstract algebra, and as a pioneer of computer algebra....
(known for the butterfly lemma and the Zassenhaus group
Zassenhaus group
In mathematics, a Zassenhaus group, named after Hans Julius Zassenhaus, is a certain sort of doubly transitive permutation group very closely related to rank-1 groups of Lie type.- Definition :...
), and physicians Günther and Willfried.
Following a bicycling holiday in Denmark in 1933, she decided to study philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, specializing in the Scandinavian languages. She graduated from the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
with a degree in Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
and Danish language
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
in 1939 and continued her language studies at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
.
World War II
In autumn 1940, Zassenhaus was employed as interpreter at the German office for the censorship of letters. She resigned this job in 1942 and started studying medicine in Hamburg. Later in 1942, she was asked by the prosecutorStaatsanwaltschaft
The Staatsanwaltschaft or public prosecutor's offices are criminal justice bodies attached to the judiciary but separate from the courts in Germany, Austria and the German-speaking parts of Switzerland...
in Hamburg to censor letters to and from Norwegian prisoners in the Zuchthaus in Fuhlsbüttel
Fuhlsbüttel
Fuhlsbüttel is an urban quarter in the north of Hamburg, Germany in the district Hamburg-Nord. It is known as the site of Hamburg's international airport, and as the location of a prison which served as a concentration camp in the Nazi system of repression....
, Hamburg. She initially refused, but after further pressure, she accepted on the condition that she be allowed to work independently. Instead of censoring the mail, she added messages urging the recipients to send food or warm clothing.
According to the German prison rules, the prisoners were allowed to receive regular visits, and the Norwegian priests in Hamburg were authorized to visit the prisoners on behalf of their families. She was assigned to interpret for and watch the priests during their visits. Later, she also interpreted for Danish priests and prisoners. She began smuggling in food, medicine, and writing materials. She was aided by the suspicion of the authorities that, because of her position in the Department of Justice, she was a member of the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
.
Towards the end of the war, the prisoners were moved to various prisons all over Germany, and the visits, to more than 1,000 Scandinavian prisoners scattered in 52 prisons, required long journeys. Zassenhaus maintained her own records in order to keep track of where the prisoners were being held; these files became important for the later evacuation by the White Buses
White Buses
"White Buses" refers to a program undertaken by the Swedish Red Cross and the Danish government in the spring of 1945 to rescue concentration camp inmates in areas under Nazi control and transport them to Sweden, a neutral country...
in 1945.
With the war in Europe nearing its end, Zassenhaus learned of "Day X", when all political prisoners were to be killed. She passed on her information and her files of prisoner locations to either the Red Cross or Swedish Count Bernadotte. A deal was negotiated; 1200 Scandinavian prisoners were freed and transported out of Germany.
Zassenhaus wrote about her experiences during the war in her 1947 book Halt Wacht im Dunkel. An English translation, Walls, was published in 1974. In 1978, she was featured in a British television series called Women in Courage about four women who defied the Nazis. It was produced by Peter Morley
Peter Morley (filmmaker)
Peter Morley, OBE is a German-born British television producer and documentary filmmaker. As a nine-year old child, he fled Nazi Germany with his elder siblings and moved to England, where he has lived ever since...
, himself a German refugee. The other women were Maria Rutkiewicz
Maria Rutkiewicz
Maria Rutkiewicz was a Polish communist and an editor. During the Nazi occupation of Poland, she was a radio operator with the Polish resistance.- Early years and World War II :...
, a Polish woman; Sigrid Helliesen Lund
Sigrid Helliesen Lund
Sigrid Helliesen Lund was a Norwegian peace activist, noted for her humanitarian efforts throughout most of the 20th century, and in particular her resistance to the occupation of Norway during World War II.-Biography:...
, a Norwegian; and Mary Lindell
Mary Lindell
Mary Lindell , also known as the Comtesse de Milleville, the Comtesse de Moncy and Marie-Claire was a British-born nurse who lived in France and worked independently against the Nazis during World War II. During the First World War, she served as a member of the Voluntary Aid Detachment and...
, a British woman.
Later career
After the war, Zassenhaus was unable to complete her studies at the University of Hamburg due to the damage inflicted on the city. As Germans had been prohibited from entering Denmark, Zassenhaus was smuggled into the country in 1947 in a fish truck. Afterward, the Danish parliament passed a special law to legitimize her immigration.She continued her medical studies at the University of Bergen
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen is located in Bergen, Norway. Although founded as late as 1946, academic activity had taken place at Bergen Museum as far back as 1825. The university today serves more than 14,500 students...
, where she finished the first part of the course, and finally graduated as a physician from the University of Copenhagen. She emigrated to Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
in 1952, where she worked as a practising physician.
Hiltgunt Zassenhaus died on 20 November 2004.
Honours
Zassenhaus is the only person from Germany decorated with the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav for her activities during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was also awarded the Red Cross Medal, the Danish Order of the Dannebrog
Order of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted in 1671 by Christian V. It resulted from a move in 1660 to break the absolutism of the nobility. The Order was only to comprise 50 noble Knights in one class plus the Master of the Order, i.e. the Danish monarch, and his sons...
, the German Bundesverdienstkreuz
Bundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
, and the British Cross of the Order of Merit
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...
. In 1974, the Norwegian government nominated her for the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
.