First graffiti campaign

As we had previously arranged, Schmorell and I met the evening of February 3, 1943 in my apartment. Schmorell brought the template, paint, and paint brushes. Shortly after midnight, we left my apartment with these things, intending to use the template to paint [our graffiti] in every suitable place.

That night, we used black tar-based paint. I do not remember what path we took. We did not have any specific plan regarding which houses or places we wanted to paint [the graffiti]. Occasionally we would test the plaster to see whether it were suited for the graffiti.

We did not initially intend to paint inflammatory words on the university [building]. That thought crossed our minds on the way home, namely at a point in time when we considered the night’s operation complete. Nevertheless, we did in fact paint numerous things there. We did in fact paint graffiti on all the above-mentioned [Note 1] houses, but it is incorrect to say that we also painted graffiti on the “Brown House” [Note 2].

We did paint graffiti on a building that had something to do with Reich administration. I do not recall what street it was on, wherever it was, we turned left off of Kaufinger Street. I remember precisely that we painted the graffiti on a sign where we saw the words Reich Administration. I do not remember how many times we painted the graffiti.

… We painted the graffiti from around midnight to about 3:30 am. That night, the moon did not rise till about 3:30 am. At the beginning of the evening, it was raining a little. I can not say that it was particularly bright that evening. After the operation, Schmorell spent the night at my apartment.

My sister Sofie Scholl certainly had no knowledge of this operation. She had already gone to bed when we left the apartment. I had told her that I had to go to the Women’s Clinic on Mai Street to help deliver a baby.

During this operation, Schmorell and I were wearing civvies.

I would like to expressly say that my sister also did not see the template, paint, and paint brushes that Schmorell brought with him, since he brought them all packed up.

That same night, I also painted the word “Freedom” on the right- and left-hand sides of the entrance to the university two three four times. I used the same black tar-based paint, but painted in very large letters without the use of a template. Schmorell was standing next to me while I did this. He did not help me.

While Schmorell and I painted our graffiti, no one defaced property [Note 3], because I thought that was completely superfluous. I would also like to anticipate [your next question] and state for the record that I only worked with black tar-based paint and green oil-based paint. We did not use any other colors, nor did we use white chalk. We also only painted the words “Freedom” and “Down with Hitler”. If other smear campaigns took place in Munich recently, they did not originate with Schmorell and me. If they had, I would be more than willing to admit this to you today.

… The piece of paper that I was just shown that bears the words “Down With Hitler” etc. concerns a test imprint I made using the template. I did this the night of February 3/4, 1943 on Ludwig Street. The words “Down With Hitler” that were painted on the Dresdner Bank building with red paint the night of February 3/4, 1943 were not painted by Schmorell and me.

The “Down with Hitler” graffiti that was discovered on February 8, 1943 on the premises of Herzog-Spital Street 15 probably was done by Schmorell and me, but if so, most certainly on the night of February 3/4, 1943. I remember precisely that we were on Herzog-Spital Street that night, but not the night of February 7/8, 1943.

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Note 1: There are no “above-mentioned” houses.

Note 2: Hitler’s residence in Munich – approximately equivalent to the White House in Washington, DC.

Note 3: Schmieren literally means “smear” – such as wildly extravagant graffiti, or smearing substances other than paint, e.g. grease, on a surface.

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Source: Hans Scholl’s fourth interrogation, February 20, 1943