Hans Scholl

Lore & Background

Scholl studied medicine at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, where he met professors and students critical of the regime. On 18 February 1943, while distributing leaflets at the university, Hans and his sister Sophie were arrested by the Gestapo after a custodian reported them.

Reader's Guide

Scholl's actions, including his attempt to protect his sister during interrogation, highlight the personal risks taken by resisters. The movement's literature, though suppressed, was later recognized as a powerful indictment of Nazi crimes.

Did You Know?

• Hans Scholl became an enthusiastic member of the Hitler Youth on 15 April 1933 and held leadership positions in the Deutsches Jungvolk before growing disillusioned.
• Hans Scholl was the principal author of the White Rose's leaflets, which quoted the Bible, Aristotle, Novalis, Goethe, and Schiller.
• He and his sister Sophie were arrested on 18 February 1943 while distributing leaflets at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München after a custodian reported them.
• Hans Scholl was tried for treason by Judge Roland Freisler, condemned to death on 22 February 1943, and executed by guillotine the same day at Stadelheim Prison.