Johanna Cupal

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Johanna Cupal , Czech Jana Cupalová (born August 29, 1919 in Lundenburg , Czechoslovakia ; died October 8, 1943 in Vienna ) was a Czech victim of the political justice system under National Socialism . She was sentenced to death for favoring the enemy and executed at the age of 24.

Life

Cupal's parents ran an inn . She grew up with several siblings, attended elementary school and then a household school for three years, then helped her mother in the economy. When she and her brother Michael stood before the People's Court on July 21, 1943 , she was eight months pregnant. The siblings were arrested on February 1, 1943 in Lundenburg , twelve days later by the Gestapo in Vienna, together with their mother Franziska, and finally charged with favoring the enemy . The mother perished on February 19, 1943 under unexplained circumstances while in custody at the Vienna Regional Court .

Cupal's brother Ludwig had joined the Czechoslovak resistance , had gone abroad and was parachuted from an English plane in the Velehrad area in 1942 . He was supposed to blow up a railway line and poison a Czech minister. Ludwig Cupal found accommodation near his hometown and made contact with his families. Johanna visited him occasionally and urged him to abandon his plans so as not to endanger the family. Ludwig left his accommodation and settled in a wooded area. Then the contact broke off. The charge was that the siblings had provided their brother Ludwig "with knowledge of his orders to carry out acts of sabotage and assassinations in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia , at his place of residence Velehrad with food and tobacco products and thereby supported his anti-German activities".

Cupal had to appear in court very pregnant. As stated in the judgment of the People's Court, she made an “open confession” and her presentation is believed to be entirely credible. The People's Court, however, regards the offense of favoring the enemy according to § 91 b RStGB as fulfilled, the Senate rejects a possible mild punishment according to paragraph 2 of this provision. He decides on the death penalty for both siblings. In the grounds of the judgment it is stated: “Both defendants have mitigating reasons for their act to the side, especially insofar as Ludwig Cupal is her brother. For Johanna Cupal it is still to be appreciated that she tried to prevent her brother Ludwig from carrying out his orders. She also apparently acted under the influence of her mother, from whom she received the food that she brought to her brother. [...] All of these mitigating reasons must take a back seat to the political necessities of the state. The state security interests and those of the national community imperiously demand that any support of an enemy parachute agent be punished with the heaviest punishment available, even if the parachute agent is the brother or another close relative. "

After Johanna Cupal gave birth to her child, a girl, on September 17, 1943, which she was given to a sister eight days later, she was executed with a guillotine . Several appeals for clemency had been denied.

The Gestapo rejected the transfer of the bodies of Johanna and Michael Cupal to the family because of the possibility of "the burial and the grave of those executed could be used for propaganda purposes by members of Czech opposition circles."

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personal data
SURNAME Cupal, Johanna
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cupalová, Jana
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech victim of the political justice of National Socialism
DATE OF BIRTH August 29, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH Lundenburg , Czechoslovakia
DATE OF DEATH October 8, 1943
Place of death Vienna