Hans Hirzel
Hans Hirzel (born 30 October 1924 in Untersteinbach; died 3 June 2006 in Wiesbaden) was a German resistance fighter. He was a member of the Ulm high school graduate group around which the White Rose resistance group formed. Early life. Hans Hirzel, the son of the pastor Ernst Ulmer Hirzel, was born in Untersteinbach, Germany, on 30 October 1924. His family moved to Ulm, where Hirzel's family quickly became best friends with the Scholl family. While Hirzel was closer in age to Sophie Scholl, he became good friends with Hans Scholl, who he greatly admired. Work in  the White Rose. After hearing of the White Rose from Hans Scholl, Hirzel, with Franz J. Müller and his sister Susanne, began a group based off the White Rose. This group would receive the leaflets of the White Rose, which they would then copy and distribute in Ulm and the surrounding areas. In 1943, he was arrested by the Gestapo, but was initially released again. After his release, Hirzel went to Hans and warned him that the Gestapo had files on him and his sister Sophie. Hirzel suggested that Scholl escape before he was captured by the Gestapo, but Scholl  did not flee, as there was no way to leave Munich without endangering his family. Hirzel was arrested again shortly after the Scholl sibling's capture on February 18, 1943. At his trial on 19 April 1943, Hirzel was sentenced to five years in prison. He was released when the Nazi Dictatorship fell in May 1945. Death and legacy. Hirzel died after a long serious illness in Wiesbaden in June 2006. His grave is located in Wiesbaden-Dotzheim in the forest cemetery there. His name is featured on the memorial to the White Rose members in Ulm. Hans Hirzel Hans