Hans Adam (resistance fighter)
Heinrich "Hans" Adam (born February 23, 1894 in Anspach ; † September 11, 1942 in Cologne ) was a German worker and resistanceist against National Socialism in Luxembourg . In September 1942 he was executed in the Klingelpütz prison in Cologne.
When Hans Adam was three years old, his family moved from the Taunus to Schifflingen in Luxembourg. He married a Luxembourger, Catherine Breyer, and had two children. At first he worked as a miner and later switched to the iron and steel works of ARBED (Aciéries Réunies de Burbach-Eich-Dudelange) in Esch an der Alzette . Despite his German origins, he enjoyed great trust among his colleagues.
On Sunday, August 30, 1942, Gauleiter Gustav Simon announced general conscription in Luxembourg, which was meanwhile occupied by the German Wehrmacht , with immediate drafting of those born between 1920 and 1924. The next day there was a general strike across the country. At 6:02 p.m. Hans Adam, who belonged to the Alweraje resistance organization , gave the signal for a strike in his plant by attaching a heavy hook to the plant siren ( de Bier ) so that it emitted a continuous tone. Around 2,000 workers then left their jobs. On September 1, the German authorities declared a state of emergency in the country. 20 men who took part in the strike were sentenced to death by a court martial chaired by Gestapo chief Fritz Hartmann and shot dead on September 3rd.
Adam was first arrested for one day for refusing to work and then released. In another wave of arrests a few days later, he was arrested again. After days of interrogation, he confessed that he had operated the siren and thus triggered the strike at the Schifflingen iron and steel works. He was sentenced to death in a court martial and beheaded by guillotine on September 11, 1942 in Cologne . His fate was unknown for many years and only became known after an investigation in 1973.
His widow Catherine was deported to Silesia with her children on September 26, 1942 . On July 21, 1945 the family returned to Esch / Alzette.
Commemoration
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In Schifflingen, a square, the Square Hans Adam , was named after him in memory of Hans Adam , and a street in Berchem is named after him.
Adam is buried in the Lallingen cemetery. In September 2014 the grave was renewed and a memorial plaque was installed.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Photos of the plaque with text on the Hans Adam square. Fédération des Enrôlés de Force, accessed June 26, 2015 .
- ^ Reminder of the 1942 strike against the Nazis. In: Zeitung vum Lëtzebuerger Vollek. September 1, 2009, accessed June 25, 2015 .
- ↑ Forced recruitment and general strike in Luxembourg. In: wort.lu. March 15, 2012, accessed June 25, 2015 .
- ↑ Gilbert Simonelli: A memorial plaque on the grave of Hans Adam reminds of the general strike of 1942. In: Zeitung vum Lëtzebuerger Vollek. September 16, 2014, accessed June 25, 2015 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Adam, Hans |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Adam, Heinrich (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German workers and resistanceists against National Socialism |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 23, 1894 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Anspach |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 11, 1942 |
| Place of death | Cologne |