Alfons of Deschwanden
Alfons von Deschwanden (born March 28, 1922 in Offenburg ; † August 30, 2015 there ) was a German entrepreneur and savior of the Jews .
Life
Alfons von Deschwanden came from a Catholic family and was active in the Catholic youth. He completed an apprenticeship as a car mechanic in his father's car workshop in Offenburg and obtained his technical college entrance qualification at the evening grammar school before he was drafted into the Wehrmacht in June 1941. There he was employed in the army vehicle park in Vilnius ; his superior there was Major Karl Plagge , who deliberately employed Jews and Jewish slave laborers to save them from annihilation. On the night of July 2nd to 3rd, 1944, he helped numerous Jewish forced laborers to escape. Deschwanden, who was deployed to guard the camp, and a comrade refused to give the order to shoot. His superior Plagge made sure that Deschwanden was able to evade an investigation by the SS into the course of the escape.
After the war Deschwanden set up a car dealership in Offenburg. In 1971 survivors who had fled to Israel contacted Deschwanden. His superior Karl Plagge was honored as Righteous Among the Nations .
literature
- Dieter Petri: Alfons von Deschwanden (1922–2015). In: Jürgen Stude, Bernd Rottenecker, Dieter Petri: Jewish life in the Ortenau. Verlag seitenweise, Bühl 2018, ISBN 978-3-943874-25-9 , pp. 173-174.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Deschwanden, Alfons von |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German entrepreneur and savior of the Jews |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 28, 1922 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Offenburg |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 30, 2015 |
| Place of death | Offenburg |