Willi Graf Willi Graf ( 2 January 1918 in Kuchenheim near Euskirchen – 12 October 1943 in Munich ) was a member of the White Rose ( Weiße Rose ) resistance group in Nazi Germany . Willi Graf ' s family moved to Saarbrücken in 1922 , where his father ran a wine wholesaler , and was the manager of the Johannishof , the second largest banquet hall in Saarbrücken . Graf went to school at the " Ludwigsgymnasium " . It was not long before he joined , at the age of eleven , the " Bund Neudeutschland " , a Catholic youth movement for young men in schools of higher learning , which was banned after Hitler and the Nazis came to power in 1933 . In 1934 , Graf joined the " Grauer Orden " ( " Grey Order " ) , another Catholic movement which became known for its anti - Nazi rhetoric . It , too , was banned and for this reason , it formed many splinter youth groups . Graf showed conviction in his beliefs from a young age . Although compulsory at the time , he refused to associate with the Hitler Youth . While other future members of the White Rose initially embraced the Hitler Youth , Graf never did so . Moreover , in his address book he crossed out the names of friends who had joined the Hitler Youth . In 1935 , at the age of 17 , Graf and a few friends marched in an annual May Day parade . The parade was dominated by swastikas , brown - shirted Hitler Youth troops marching in formation , and " Sieg Heils . " However , Graf and his friends marched under their tattered school flag , making great effort to stand out from their peers . They did not done any swastikas , or participate in any of the " Sieg Heil " salutes . After his " Abitur , " the German equivalent of Baccalauréat , in 1937 , Willi Graf did his six - month " Reichsarbeitsdienst " and afterwards began his medical studies . In 1938 , he was arrested along with other members of the " Grauer Orden " and charged by a court in Mannheim with illegal youth league activities – the " Bünde " having been banned – in relation with his unlawful field trips , camping excursions and other meetings with the " Grauer Orden " . The charges were later dismissed as part of a general amnesty declared to celebrate the Anschluss . The detention had lasted three weeks . His time in jail did not weaken his resolve to participate in anti - Nazi activities or organizations . German army . In early 1940 Graf was conscripted into the German army as student - soldier . From 1940 to 1942 , Graf participated in various war deployments in Europe as a medical orderly . During these deployments he experienced the depths of war which included seeing the Warsaw ghetto in Poland , harsh treatment of Russian civilians , and being forced to consume horse meat due to ration shortages on the Russian front . He was horrified by the suffering he witnessed . In his army medic files it was noted that his care of the ill was " exemplary . " It was also noted by Dr . Webel , the Chief Medical Officer , that Graf " showed himself to be an intrepid medic who never thought about his own safety . " Graf was granted the service medal , 2nd class with swords , for his actions . In 1942 , as a member of the Second Students ' Company in Munich , he came into contact with the Nazi resistance organization , the White Rose . He became an active member of this resistance group , which centered around Hans and Sophie Scholl . Graf ' s main role in the White Rose was to function as a recruiter in other cities around Germany . He also participated in anti - Nazi and anti - Hitler graffiti campaigns . On 18 February 1943 , Willi Graf , along with his sister Anneliese , was seized in Munich . On 19 April 1943 , he was sentenced to death at the " Volksgerichtshof " for high treason , " Wehrkraftzersetzung " ( undermining the troops ' spirit ) , and furthering the enemy ' s cause . Willi Graf was beheaded on 12 October 1943 at Stadelheim Prison in Munich , after six months of solitary confinement . During this 6 - month period the Gestapo tried to extract information from Graf about other White Rose members and other anti - Nazi movements . While under interrogation Graf yielded no names , and took on blame for White Rose activities in order to protect others who had not yet been arrested . His grave is in the St . Johann Cemetery in Saarbrücken . Seven schools in Germany have been named after him , among them the " Willi - Graf - Gymnasium " in Munich and Saarbrücken - St . Johann ; a student residence in Munich also honours Graf by bearing his name . In 2003 , Willi Graf was posthumously awarded the status of honorary citizen of Saarbrücken . In film . Graf was portrayed by Maximilian Brückner in the film " " .