Igo Sym
Encyclopedia
Karol Juliusz "Igo" Sym (July 3, 1896 – March 7, 1941) was an Austria
n-born Polish
actor and collaborator
with Nazi Germany
. He was killed in Warsaw
by members of the Polish resistance movement
.
, the son of Anton Sym from Niepołomice in Galicia
and his wife Julia neé Sepp. It is not known why he had chosen to settle in Poland
or when exactly it happened. During World War I
he served in the Austro-Hungarian Army
, becoming a lieutenant. After the war, he served in the Polish Armed Forces
infantry in the rank of a First Lieutenant
, until in 1921 he took up the job of a bank attorney.
Sym's movie debut took place in 1925, in a film called Vampires of Warsaw (of which no copy is known to exist). Handsome and athletic, he often played aristocrats and army officers. In 1927 he left for Vienna
, where he signed a contract with the Sascha-Film
production company. In late 1920s Sym worked mainly in Austria
and Germany
, appearing with such actresses as Marlene Dietrich
and Lilian Harvey
in silent movies like Die Pratermizzi
or Café Elektric
directed by Gustav Ucicky
.
At the beginning of the 1930s Sym returned to Poland and settled in Warsaw
. Unexpectedly, he gave up most of movie theater productions, concentrating activities on stages of Warsaw’s theatres. He entertained by singing, dancing and playing the musical saw
.
and thereby was declared a Volksdeutsche
r. Due to his widespread fame, the Germans regarded him a crucial element of legitimization of the new authorities. So, the propaganda department of the General Government
gave him the post of the director of the Theater der Stadt Warschau, the former Polish Theatre in Warsaw
. Sym was the director of the Nur für Deutsche
cinema, the Helgoland (former Palladium), and licensee at the Teatr Komedia.
Some time in late 1939, Sym became a Gestapo
agent. Also, according to the preserved documents, the actor had been cooperating with Berlin
before September 1, 1939. At the beginning of the war he helped to organize a trap, in which Hanna Ordonówna
was caught (Ordonówna had been Sym's pre-war partner on the screen and his friend from Warsaw's theaters). Polish resistance quickly found out about this, and a group of agents, led by “Teatr Komedia” actor Roman Niewiarowicz, started to trace his activities.
On 10 October 1941 the film Heimkehr
debuted in Berlin
's Ufa-Palast am Zoo theatre. The Nazi propaganda
movie directed by Gustav Ucicky told a story about the pre-1939 German minority in Polish Volhynia
resettled in the course of the Nazi–Soviet population transfers. The Germans, presented as noble, peace-loving people, were brutally persecuted by vicious Poles. In the final scene, Polish soldiers lead arrested Germans to an execution, however Wehrmacht
airplanes and tanks appear, saving the whole community. Igo Sym did not perform in this film, but he actively cooperated in the production, casting Polish actors more or less willing to take part. Several actors refused, including Kazimierz Junosza-Stępowski. Finally, he found some individuals, who were accepted by director Ucicky. After the war, these actors were punished for cooperating with the Germans.
His collaboration contrasts the behaviour of his younger brother Ernest, who under his official activities as a chemist clandestinely manufactured explosives for the Home Army.
When Roman Niewiarowicz informed the ZWZ that Sym would leave for Vienna
on March 8, 1941, the resistance decided to kill the collaborator before that date. To carry out the assassination, the ZWZ selected the commando group “ZOM” of the Intelligence Department of the Warsaw-City District, led by Bohdan “Szary” Rogoliński.
At 7:10 a.m. on March 7, 1941, two Polish agents knocked at the door of Sym's 4th floor apartment at 10 Mazowiecka Street in Warsaw
. The agents – Rogoliński and Roman “Srebrny” Rozmiłowski – told Sym that they were mailmen, carrying a dispatch. Both were covered by Wiktor “Mały” Klimaszewski. On opening the door, Sym was asked to confirm his name, which he did. One of the agents then shot Sym dead with a Vis
pistol.
Fischer threatened to shoot all hostages unless those responsible for assassination were found. All theatres were closed, and about 120 people were arrested, including teachers, physicians, lawyers and actors. The population of Warsaw was given three days to find Sym's murderers.
As nobody was found, on March 11 in Palmiry
, 21 hostages were executed. Several actors were also arrested and sent to Auschwitz, among them such notable figures as directors Stefan Jaracz
and Leon Schiller
.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-born Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
actor and collaborator
Collaboration
Collaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
with 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...
. He was killed in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
by members of the Polish resistance movement
Polish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
.
Early career
Sym was born in InnsbruckInnsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, the son of Anton Sym from Niepołomice in Galicia
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was a crownland of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and Austria–Hungary from 1772 to 1918 .This historical region in eastern Central Europe is currently divided between Poland and Ukraine...
and his wife Julia neé Sepp. It is not known why he had chosen to settle in Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
or when exactly it happened. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he served in the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
, becoming a lieutenant. After the war, he served in the Polish Armed Forces
Polish Armed Forces
Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej are the national defense forces of Poland...
infantry in the rank of a First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
, until in 1921 he took up the job of a bank attorney.
Sym's movie debut took place in 1925, in a film called Vampires of Warsaw (of which no copy is known to exist). Handsome and athletic, he often played aristocrats and army officers. In 1927 he left for Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where he signed a contract with the Sascha-Film
Sascha-Film
Sascha-Film, in full Sascha-Filmindustrie AG and from 1933 Tobis-Sascha-Filmindustrie AG, was the largest Austrian film production company of the silent film and early sound film period.-History:...
production company. In late 1920s Sym worked mainly in Austria
First Austrian Republic
The Republic of Austria encompasses the period of Austrian history following the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye of September 1919, the settlement after the end of World War I which put an end to the Republic of German Austria, continuing up to World War II...
and Germany
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
, appearing with such actresses as Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
and Lilian Harvey
Lilian Harvey
Lilian Harvey was a British-born actress and singer, long-based in Germany, where she is best known for her role as Christel Weinzinger in Erik Charell's 1931 film Der Kongress tanzt.-Life:...
in silent movies like Die Pratermizzi
Die Pratermizzi
Die Pratermizzi is an Austrian silent drama film made by Gustav Ucicky in 1926, released in January 1927, which was long believed lost until its rediscovery in 2005.-Plot:...
or Café Elektric
Café Elektric
Café Elektric is an Austrian film directed by Gustav Ucicky.- Plot outline :The daughter of a wealthy industrialist falls for a pickpocket .- Cast :* Willi Forst ... Fredl* Marlene Dietrich ... Erni Göttlinger...
directed by Gustav Ucicky
Gustav Ucicky
Gustav Ucicky was an acclaimed Austrian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. He was one of the more successful and acclaimed directors in Austria and Germany from the 1930s through to the early 1960s...
.
At the beginning of the 1930s Sym returned to Poland and settled in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. Unexpectedly, he gave up most of movie theater productions, concentrating activities on stages of Warsaw’s theatres. He entertained by singing, dancing and playing the musical saw
Musical saw
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin...
.
Collaboration
After the Invasion of Poland starting on 1 September 1939, Sym stayed in German-occupied Warsaw. Known before the war for his pro-German stance, the actor registered with the VolkslisteVolksliste
The Deutsche Volksliste was a Nazi institution whose purpose was the classification of inhabitants of German occupied territories into categories of desirability according to criteria systematized by Heinrich Himmler. The institution was first established in occupied western Poland...
and thereby was declared a Volksdeutsche
Volksdeutsche
Volksdeutsche - "German in terms of people/folk" -, defined ethnically, is a historical term from the 20th century. The words volk and volkische conveyed in Nazi thinking the meanings of "folk" and "race" while adding the sense of superior civilization and blood...
r. Due to his widespread fame, the Germans regarded him a crucial element of legitimization of the new authorities. So, the propaganda department of the General Government
General Government
The General Government was an area of Second Republic of Poland under Nazi German rule during World War II; designated as a separate region of the Third Reich between 1939–1945...
gave him the post of the director of the Theater der Stadt Warschau, the former Polish Theatre in Warsaw
Polish Theatre in Warsaw
Polish Theatre in Warsaw The theatre was initiated by Arnold Szyfman and designed by Czesław Przybylski. Finished in 1913, the facility featured Poland's first revolving stage. It a private enterprise staging Polish and foreign classics, contemporary drama, as well as popular plays.The theater was ...
. Sym was the director of the Nur für Deutsche
Nur für Deutsche
The slogan Nur für Deutsche was during World War II, in many German-occupied countries, a racialist slogan indicating that certain establishments and transportation were reserved only for Germans...
cinema, the Helgoland (former Palladium), and licensee at the Teatr Komedia.
Some time in late 1939, Sym became a 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...
agent. Also, according to the preserved documents, the actor had been cooperating with Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
before September 1, 1939. At the beginning of the war he helped to organize a trap, in which Hanna Ordonówna
Hanna Ordonówna
Hanna Ordonówna also known as 'Ordonka', was a Polish singer, dancer and actress...
was caught (Ordonówna had been Sym's pre-war partner on the screen and his friend from Warsaw's theaters). Polish resistance quickly found out about this, and a group of agents, led by “Teatr Komedia” actor Roman Niewiarowicz, started to trace his activities.
On 10 October 1941 the film Heimkehr
Heimkehr
Heimkehr is a 1941 German anti-Polish propaganda film directed by Gustav Ucicky.It received the rare honor "Film of the Nation," bestowed on films considered to have made an outstanding contribution to the national cause...
debuted in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
's Ufa-Palast am Zoo theatre. The Nazi propaganda
Nazi propaganda
Propaganda, the coordinated attempt to influence public opinion through the use of media, was skillfully used by the NSDAP in the years leading up to and during Adolf Hitler's leadership of Germany...
movie directed by Gustav Ucicky told a story about the pre-1939 German minority in Polish Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
resettled in the course of the Nazi–Soviet population transfers. The Germans, presented as noble, peace-loving people, were brutally persecuted by vicious Poles. In the final scene, Polish soldiers lead arrested Germans to an execution, however Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
airplanes and tanks appear, saving the whole community. Igo Sym did not perform in this film, but he actively cooperated in the production, casting Polish actors more or less willing to take part. Several actors refused, including Kazimierz Junosza-Stępowski. Finally, he found some individuals, who were accepted by director Ucicky. After the war, these actors were punished for cooperating with the Germans.
His collaboration contrasts the behaviour of his younger brother Ernest, who under his official activities as a chemist clandestinely manufactured explosives for the Home Army.
Assassination
In early 1941, the headquarters of the underground Polish resistance group Union of Armed Struggle (ZWZ) decided to liquidate the collaborator. Sym’s behavior was loudly trumpeted by the Nazis, and his assassination would show the Poles that the underground movement was active, always ready to punish all traitors. At first, the ZWZ planned to poison the actor, but later decided to shoot him instead.When Roman Niewiarowicz informed the ZWZ that Sym would leave for Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
on March 8, 1941, the resistance decided to kill the collaborator before that date. To carry out the assassination, the ZWZ selected the commando group “ZOM” of the Intelligence Department of the Warsaw-City District, led by Bohdan “Szary” Rogoliński.
At 7:10 a.m. on March 7, 1941, two Polish agents knocked at the door of Sym's 4th floor apartment at 10 Mazowiecka Street in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. The agents – Rogoliński and Roman “Srebrny” Rozmiłowski – told Sym that they were mailmen, carrying a dispatch. Both were covered by Wiktor “Mały” Klimaszewski. On opening the door, Sym was asked to confirm his name, which he did. One of the agents then shot Sym dead with a Vis
Vis (weapon)
Vis is a 9 mm caliber, single-action, semi-automatic pistol...
pistol.
Aftermath
On the same day, German loudspeakers on the streets announced that hostages had been taken as revenge for Sym’s death. Then, posters signed by a Dr. Ludwig Fischer appeared on the walls stating that more hostages would be taken and curfew would be enforced from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.Fischer threatened to shoot all hostages unless those responsible for assassination were found. All theatres were closed, and about 120 people were arrested, including teachers, physicians, lawyers and actors. The population of Warsaw was given three days to find Sym's murderers.
As nobody was found, on March 11 in Palmiry
Palmiry
Palmiry During World War II, between 1939 and 1943, the village and the surrounding forest was one of the sites of German mass executions of Jews, Polish intelligentsia, politicians and athletes, killed during the AB Action. Most of the victims were first arrested and tortured in the Pawiak prison...
, 21 hostages were executed. Several actors were also arrested and sent to Auschwitz, among them such notable figures as directors Stefan Jaracz
Stefan Jaracz
Stefan Jaracz was a Polish actor and theater director. The Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź, Poland is named after him.-Life:He was born in Stare Żukowice, near Tarnów, and died in Otwock, near Warsaw....
and Leon Schiller
Leon Schiller
Leon Schiller de Schildenfeld was a Polish theater and film director, critic and theoretician. He was also a composer and wrote theater and radio screenplays....
.
External links
- Likwidacja Igo Syma at powstanie-warszawskie-1944.ac.pl (in Polish)
- Egzekucja Igo Syma - e-teatr.pl at www.e-teatr.pl (in Polish)
- Filmpolski.pl: Igo Sym at www.filmpolski.pl (in Polish)
- Portrait of the actor Igo Sym by Thomas Staedeli at www.cyranos.ch
- Trials of German Major War Criminals: Volume 7 at www.nizkor.org
- Photographs and literature