Stuttgart Gestapo anticipates hand-off to Munich

I 15 Js 12/43

Contents: 1 Leaflet with envelope

Sent by: State Attorney General’s Office, District Court of Stuttgart, Stuttgart – East, Urban Street 18

[Illegible]
/Seal: State Attorney General’s Office, District Court of Stuttgart, Eagle with Swastika/

* * * * * * * *

Secret State Police [Gestapo]
[Illegible]
No. II A – 67 / 43.

Stuttgart [Illegible], February 25, 1943
[Illegible]

To the State Attorney General’s Office of the District Court, Stuttgart.

/Stamp: State Attorney General’s Office of the District Court Stuttgart. February 27, 1943, [Illegible] I / 1 [Illegible]/

With regards to: Leaflets of the Resistance Movement In Germany

Previous Correspondence: Your request dated [illegible], No. I 1, SJS No. 12/43

Enclosures: 1 Request, 1 Leaflet with envelope.

On January 27 and 28, 1943, the leaflets “Of the Resistance Movement in Germany” landed in Munich, Augsburg, Vienna, Salzburg, Linz, Frankfurt a.M., and Stuttgart by mail for dissemination. In Munich, the leaflets were also distributed by means of a “scatter operation” throughout the downtown area.

On February 18, 1943 at 11 am, the same leaflets with similar content were scattered through the University of Munich. The following persons were taken into custody that same day under strong suspicion of distributing these leaflets:

Hans Scholl, single student, born September 22, 1918 in Ingersheim, Sofie Scholl, single student, born May 9, 1021 in Forchtenberg.

Both of these resided in Munich, Franz Josef Street 1 [sic], [Illegible], and were taken into custody by the State Police Headquarters in Munich. Following a telexed communication from the State Police Headquarters in Munich, both of the suspects were sentenced to death by the People’s Court on February 22, 1943. The sentence was immediately executed.

Investigations showed that the persons responsible for distributing the leaflets that landed in Stuttgart were the siblings

• Hans Hirzel, single pupil, born October 30, 1924 in Untersteinbach, Öhringen County, residing in Ulm, Schiller Str. 50,
• Susanne Hirzel,  single music student, born August 7, 1921 in Untersteinbach, Öhringen County, residing in Stuttgart, Römer Str. 41.

Both of them were taken into custody on February 21 or 22, 1943.

Hans Hirzel has confessed to receiving a large number of envelopes from Hans Scholl around Christmas 1942, and to receiving about 2000 copies of the leaflets in question from Sophie Scholl on January 25, 1943. Using a telephone directory that he stole, he typed the addresses on a borrowed typewriter and affixed postage to the letters. On January 27, 1943, he brought these – around 500 copies – to Stuttgart, where he together with his sister mailed them from various mailboxes throughout metropolitan Stuttgart. The investigations have not yet been finalized.

Presumably, there is a larger circle of perpetrators. However, since we do not currently know how the cooperative effort will work with the State Police Headquarters in Munich (they have been designated the competent authority by the Secret Service), nothing further can be stated with regards to this matter at this time. An official from the State Police Headquarters in Munich is expected to arrive here at any time. He is supposed to bring the required information.

/Signature: [Illegible]/ Crim. Inspector

==========

Source: NJ1704 (108 – 110)