Otto Schimek

Otto Schimek (May 5, 1925 – November 14, 1944) was an Austrian soldier in the German Wehrmacht during World War II who served as a member of a firing squad. He was himself executed for refusing to carry out a death sentence on Poles. His actions have served as a source of inspiration to many Poles and pacifists.

Early life

Otto Schimek was born in Vienna, the thirteenth child of Rudolph and Maria (née Zsambeck). The family had fallen into hard times during the Great Depression, and was further pushed into poverty by the death of Rudolph Schimek, who had been the primary breadwinner, in 1932. After his father's death, Otto neglected his school duties in favor of helping his mother, a dressmaker, bring enough money in to feed the large family.

According to his sister, Elfrida Kujak, Otto was not particularly religious as a child. However, he would go to church every Sunday with his mother. Later, after being drafted to the Wehrmacht, he carried a cross with him at all times. His work with his mother consumed most of his time, and he did not have too many friends. However, the family's neighbors spoke highly of him, and on the way to the army unit, he was allegedly bid farewell by the whole condominium located on Obere Augartenstrasse.

Wehrmacht duties

Schimek was seventeen years old when he was drafted. He initially served in Bosnia, and was later moved to southern Poland. As Elfrida Kujak stated after the war, while on leave some time in 1943 or early 1944, Otto told her that he did not want to kill anybody, and that he would raise his gun above heads of enemies. "My conscience is clear" - Schimek allegedly said. "I will not shoot people. These people want to return home just like me. This war is not Christian."

This behavior was swiftly noted by the Army authorities. Schimek was warned, and then put in prison. He managed to escape and tried to return to Vienna, but was caught somewhere in Czechoslovakia. Severely beaten, Otto faced court martial for desertion, but was given a final chance.

Firing squad

Wehrmacht authorities decided that Schimek would be included in a firing squad. His task was to kill a Polish family from the area between Tarnów and Dębica - a father, mother and two sons, who had been caught preparing food for soldiers of the Home Army. Otto firmly refused, stating that he would not kill innocent people in Hitler's war. His superiors' reaction was quick, and Schimek was immediately sentenced to death for cowardice and desertion.

Elfrida Kujak later said that when news about the sentence reached his family, Otto's mother wrote a letter to Berlin, pleading for clemency. It was too late. A few hours before the execution, Schimek wrote a letter to his brother, stating: "I am in a happy mood. What do we have to lose? Nothing, only our poor lives, as they cannot kill our souls. What a hope! Today, I am going to heaven, where the Father is waiting. May God guard you so that you will join me".

Death

Schimek was executed on the morning of November 14, 1944. The exact location of his execution is unknown. It has only been established that it took place in the village of Lipiny, southeast of Tarnów. Afterwards, the locals were reportedly allowed to pick up his body. He was reportedly buried in the cemetery in the village of Machowa, located halfway between Tarnów and Dębica.

The tomb

The locals today regard Schimek's symbolic tomb as an object of pilgrimage. A nearby tablet reads "Born in 1925, executed in 1944, because he did not want to shoot the Poles. May God take you in his mercy". Many people visit the grave to lay flowers and light candles in his memory. Polish and Austrian flags can also be seen on it.

These visits became controversial in the late 1980s, when the anarcho-pacifist organization Wolnosc i Pokoj (WiP), on November 17, 1985, used the anniversary of Schimek's death to announce their "Declaration of Principles". WiP activists were stopped on their way to the cemetery. Communist militia in Tarnów detained fourteen of them for several hours. On May 4, 1986, a march to Schimek's grave to commemorate his birth resulted in the detention of fifty activists.

In 1993, Telewizja Polska (Polish Television) made a 40-minute documentary movie entitled Casus: Otto Schimek.

Sources

• Kennedy, Michael D. "The constitution of critical intellectuals: Polish physians, peace activists and democratic civil society", Center for Research on Social Organization, The University of Michigan, April 1990, pp. 27-30. Retrieved on: September 6, 2007.
• Warszawski, David. "Set an example... On the Otto Schimek Affair" Tezeusz (Article about WiP demonstrations by Schimek's tomb, late-1980s) Retrieved on: September 6, 2007.
• (Polish) "Odmawiam wykonania rozkazu", Przewodnik Katolicki nr 39, Poznań, 28 września 1975 r., Retrieved on: September 6, 2007.
• (Polish) Sylwetki - Otto Schimke, Wspólnota Przymierza Miasto na Górze w Bielsku-Białej, Retrieved on: September 6, 2007.
• (Polish) Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa, Telewizyjna i Teatralna im. Leona Schillera w Łodzi (Description of the 1993 Polish movie about Schimek) Retrieved on: September 6, 2007.
• (German) Antikriegsmuseum der Evangelischen Kirche Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz, Retrieved on: September 6, 2007.

External links

• Otto Schimek's tomb in Machowa

Persondata
Name	Schimek, Otto
Alternative names
Short description	Austrian soldier, pacifist
Date of birth	May 5, 1925
Place of birth	Vienna Austria
Date of death	November 14, 1944
Place of death