Joseph Wertheim (resistance fighter)
Joseph Wertheim (born August 1, 1922 in Mannheim , † June 1, 1944 in Égletons ) was a German member of the French resistance in World War II .
Life
Joseph Wertheim was born in 1922 as the son of the variety artist Jakob Wertheim and Henny Boesche. At the age of eight he lost his father and lived with an aunt in Vienna for a few years .
Wertheim was still a student and was only 17 years old when he was deported from Mannheim to Gurs on October 22, 1940 as part of the Wagner-Bürckel campaign . Next, he came to the Rivesaltes camp before him, the Todt Organization for forced labor committed.
After a successful escape, he crossed the Pyrenees and joined the resistance against Franco .
In February 1943 he was back in the south of France and now joined the group "Leopold Rechaussières" in the Corrèze department . His fellow campaigners included his friend Gerard Leo and the only 16 year old Pierre Pranchère. Towards the end of May 1944 the actions of the Resistance were intensified. In addition to road blockades, the railway line was completely blocked until it was liberated. Joseph Wertheim died on June 1, 1944 in Égletons while trying to free French prisoners.
Five days later, in the course of the Allied landing in Normandy, further resistance actions began in the Limousin . Wertheim was still involved in the preparations. Members of the SS Panzer Division "Das Reich" took cruel revenge for this. On June 9, 1944, 99 hostages from the city of Tulle were murdered, just one day later 642 residents of Oradour-sur-Glane were killed. Major General Heinz Lammerding , who was jointly responsible , was never prosecuted by the German judiciary.
Corrèze was liberated on August 22, 1944.
Commemoration
An obelisk in Lafage-sur-Sombre commemorates those who died in both world wars and the four resistance fighters: Maureille, Saglluget, Wertheim and Ballet. His grave is in the same place and is tended by the population. In 2007 the Lord Mayor of Mannheim, Peter Kurz , honored him as a “role model for young people” in a memorial event.
literature
- Ursula Wertheim-Schäfer: Joseph Wertheim . Unpublished manuscript.
- Collectif: Maquis de Corréze - Terre de Résistance et de Liberté . 5th edition, Naves 1995.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wertheim, Joseph |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German resistance fighter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 1, 1922 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mannheim |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 1, 1944 |
| Place of death | Égletons |