Anton Emil Hermann Saefkow (; 22 July 1903 – 18 September 1944) was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
Communist and a
resistance fighter against the
National Socialist
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
régime. He was arrested in July 1944 and executed on 18 September by guillotine.
Early life
Anton Saefkow was born in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, a member of a
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
working-class family and in 1920 while still a metalworker's apprentice, joined the
Young Communist League of Germany
The Young Communist League of Germany (, abbreviated KJVD) was a political youth organization in Germany.
History
The KJVD was formed in 1920 from the Free Socialist Youth () of the Communist Party of Germany, A prior youth wing had been forme ...
to whose Berlin leadership he rose in 1922.
Activism
In 1927, he became secretary of the
Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in Berlin, then in
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
. From 1929 to 1932, he led the
Revolutionary Trade Union Opposition (''Revolutionäre Gewerkschafts-Opposition''; RGO) in the KPD
Ruhr district and became in 1932 political leader of the KPD's Wasserkante district in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
. In 1932, Saefkow married
Theodora Brey who was also active in the underground resistance.
Imprisonment
From April 1933 to April 1934, Saefkow was in a
concentration camp
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
, followed by two and a half years in a ''
Zuchthaus'' at hard labour, followed by a spell at the
Dachau concentration camp
,
, commandant = List of commandants
, known for =
, location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany
, built by = Germany
, operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS)
, original use = Political prison
, construction ...
. There, he organized an illegal remembrance service for
Edgar André Edgar André may refer to:
* Edgar André (politician)
* Edgar André (footballer)
{{hndis, Andre, Edgar ...
and as a result was given another two years of imprisonment.
Resistance
Released from detention in July 1939, Saefkow went back to the illegal political work. In Berlin, after the
attack on the Soviet Union in 1941, he built up the biggest KPD resistance group, called the "Operative Leadership of the KPD". In 1944, he,
Bernhard Bästlein
Bernhard Bästlein (; 3 December 1894 in Hamburg – 18 September 1944 in Brandenburg an der Havel) was a German Communist and resistance fighter against the Nazi régime. He was imprisoned very shortly after the Nazis seized power in 1933 and wa ...
and
Franz Jacob led the
Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization The Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization was an underground German resistance movement acting during the Second World War, that published the illegal magazine, '' Die Innere Front'' ("The Internal Front").
In the 1940s, the Communist Party of Germ ...
which agitated against the
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
in Berlin
munitions
Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...
plants, and called on people to commit
sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...
.
In April 1944, the
Social Democrat
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soc ...
Adolf Reichwein
Adolf Reichwein (3 October 1898 – 20 October 1944) was a German educator, economist, and cultural policymaker for the SPD, who resisted the policies of Nazi Germany.
Biography
Reichwein was born in Bad Ems. He took part in the First World W ...
made contact with Saefkow with a view to involve him with the KPD group in the
20 July Plot which sought to
assassinate or otherwise overthrow
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
. It eventually took the form of the well-known 20 July bomb attack on the Führer at the latter's HQ, the
Wolf's Lair
The ''Wolf's Lair'' (german: Wolfsschanze; pl, Wilczy Szaniec) served as Adolf Hitler's first Eastern Front military headquarters in World War II.
The headquarters was located in the Masurian woods, near the small village of Görlitz in Ost ...
in
East Prussia
East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
. It famously failed with dire consequences for the plotters.
Arrest and execution
In July 1944, Saefkow was arrested, sentenced to death by the "People's Court" ''
Volksgerichtshof'' on 5 September and executed on 18 September by guillotine at
Brandenburg-Görden Prison
Brandenburg-Görden Prison is located on Anton-Saefkow-Allee in the Görden quarter of Brandenburg an der Havel. Erected between 1927 and 1935, it was built to be the most secure and modern prison in Europe. Both criminal and political prisoners we ...
in
Brandenburg an der Havel
Brandenburg an der Havel () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417.
With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the ...
.
Saefkow left behind a wife and two daughters. Shortly before his death, he wrote to his wife Änne: "Through this letter I want to thank you, my comrade, for the greatness and beauty that you have given me in our life together... Not until today, writing these lines, thinking about you all, have my eyes moistened since the sentencing. For the pain, which might tear me apart, restrains reason. You know, I am militant and shall die bravely. I only ever wanted to do good..."
Memorials
On 2 February 1975, a square in Berlin was named after Anton Saefkow. Franz Jacob and Bernhard Bästlein were also honoured by having streets in the same neighbourhood named after them.
Map link to Bernhard-Bästlein-Str., Berlin.
Google Maps. Retrieved March 22, 2010 In Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg () is a locality of Berlin, forming the southerly and most urban district of the borough of Pankow. From its founding in 1920 until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a district of Berlin in its own right. However, that year it was incor ...
, a greenspace called Anton-Saefkow-Park is not only named for Saefkow, but also features a bust
Bust commonly refers to:
* A woman's breasts
* Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders
* An arrest
Bust may also refer to:
Places
* Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France
*Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically
Media
* ''Bust'' (magazin ...
of him. In Brandenburg an der Havel
Brandenburg an der Havel () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417.
With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the ...
, the street running in front of the very prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
where Saefkow and many other members of the antifascist resistance were executed has been named Anton-Saefkow-Allee.
Further reading
* Hermann Weber, ''Die Wandlung des deutschen Kommunismus''; Vol. 2, Frankfurt am Main (1969) 267f
* E.R. Greulich, ''Keiner wird als Held geboren''; Verlag Neues Leben, Berlin (1961)
References
External links
*
Page about Anton-Saefkow-Platz in Berlin-Fennpfuhl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saefkow, Anton
1903 births
1944 deaths
Politicians from Berlin
Executed members of the 20 July plot
People executed by Nazi Germany by guillotine
Dachau concentration camp survivors
Communist Party of Germany politicians
Executed communists in the German Resistance
Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization