Kurt Pester
Kurt Arthur Pester (born August 18, 1908 in Ehrenhain ; † April 21, 1945 in Cuxhaven - Sahlenburg ) was a German resistance fighter .
Life
Pester was the third of six children of a bricklayer and Social Democrat . Like his father, Pester learned the trade of bricklayer and joined the SPD at the age of 19 . As a member of the SPD and a member of the Reichsbanner he actively fought against the then emerging fascism .
After the " seizure of power " by the National Socialists in 1933, he was politically active in the illegal fight against fascism. He participated in the resistance against the dictatorship and against the preparations for war through leaflet campaigns and maintaining illegal connections to emigrated SPD members in what was then Czechoslovakia . In 1941 he was drafted into the Wehrmacht . As a corporal , Pester served in various units and locations such as in Cuxhaven, Holland and most recently on the island of Helgoland . During this time, too, he was politically active against National Socialism.
In the last days of the war in April 1945 he organized with other comrades and citizens of the island of Helgoland the handover of the island to the Allied troops without a fight . Their conspiracy was betrayed, those involved - including Pester - were arrested and sentenced to death brought to Cuxhaven. Rear Admiral Rolf Johannesson , as sea commander Elbe-Weser and court lord, confirmed these Nazi injustice judgments , which were immediately enforced without defense and against the request of a naval pastor for a delay. The five people involved, sentenced to death on April 21, 1945, were executed by firing squad on the same day by a military court martial . They died from being shot in the neck .
Pester was married with a wife and three children aged twelve, nine and five. A square in Ehrenhain bears his name and on April 17, 2010 a stumbling block was set on Heligoland .
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Pest, Kurt |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Pester, Kurt Arthur |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German resistance fighter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 18, 1908 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Grove of Honor |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 21, 1945 |
| Place of death | Cuxhaven - Sahlenburg |