- Rudolf von Scheliha
Rudolf von Scheliha (
May 31 ,1897 -December 22 ,1942 ) was a a Germandiplomat executed by theNazis duringWorld War II .Scheliha was born in Zessel, Silesia, as the son of a
Prussia n squire. He served as an army officer inWorld War I , studied law and joined the German Foreign Service in 1922. As a member of theGerman Embassy in Warsaw he became aware of the atrocities committed in the name of theThird Reich under the Nazi regime. After the outbreak ofWorld War II , he tried to help his Polish andJew ish friends and attempted to make the world aware of the impending systematic murder of the Jewish people. Suspected by theGestapo for his critical attitude, he was falsely charged with being a member of the Red Orchestra, sentenced to death by hanging, and executed inPlötzensee Prison .References
*Sahm, Ulrich; Rudolf von Scheliha 1897 - 1942 - Ein deutscher Diplomat gegen Hitler. C.H.Beck 1990. ISBN 3-406-34705-3.
*Kienlechner, Susanne; The Nazi Kultur in Poland. Rudolf von Scheliha und Johann von Wühlisch. Zwei Deutsche Diplomaten gegen die nationalsozialistische Kultur in Polen. http://www.shoa.de/content/view/752/40/
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