Wilhelm Guddorf
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Guddorf was a journalist
and resistance fighter against the Third Reich. He was reputedly a member of the Red Orchestra (Rote Kapelle) resistance group.
, Belgium
, Guddorf completed studies in philology
. In 1922, he joined the Communist Party of Germany
(KPD) and from 1923 worked for several of the party's newspapers. After the Nazi party
seized power
in 1933, he began distributing articles against the régime under his alias. He was arrested in April 1934 and later sentenced to hard labour at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp
, where he was held until 1939.
After he was released from Sachsenhausen, Guddorf developed contacts with the Red Orchestra and introduced Eva-Maria Buch
to the group. He was arrested once again in 1942 and in February 1943 was sentenced to death. He was executed at Plötzensee
Prison
in Berlin
on 13 May.
In 1972, a street in Lichtenberg
, a Berlin borough, was named after Guddorf (see external link below).
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and resistance fighter against the Third Reich. He was reputedly a member of the Red Orchestra (Rote Kapelle) resistance group.
Life
Born in MelleMelle, Belgium
Melle is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Gontrode and Melle proper. On January 1, 2006 Melle had a total population of 10,585...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Guddorf completed studies in 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...
. In 1922, he joined the Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
(KPD) and from 1923 worked for several of the party's newspapers. After the Nazi party
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
seized power
Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
in 1933, he began distributing articles against the régime under his alias. He was arrested in April 1934 and later sentenced to hard labour at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
, where he was held until 1939.
After he was released from Sachsenhausen, Guddorf developed contacts with the Red Orchestra and introduced Eva-Maria Buch
Eva-Maria Buch
Eva-Maria Buch was a resistance fighter against the Nazi régime in Germany associated with the Red Orchestra resistance group.- Life :...
to the group. He was arrested once again in 1942 and in February 1943 was sentenced to death. He was executed at Plötzensee
Plötzensee
Plötzensee is a small glacial lake in Berlin. It is situated near the Rehberge public park in the former borough of Wedding, now a part of Mitte. The name stems from Plötze, one name for the roach in German, as the lake formerly teemed with it....
Prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
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...
on 13 May.
In 1972, a street in Lichtenberg
Lichtenberg
Lichtenberg is the eleventh borough of Berlin, Germany. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it absorbed the former borough of Hohenschönhausen.-Overview:...
, a Berlin borough, was named after Guddorf (see external link below).