Peter Schäfer (Edelweiss Pirate)

Schäfer, Jülich, Koch (2nd, 3rd, 6th from left) Edelweiss Pirate Festival (2005)

Peter Schäfer (* 1930 in Cologne ) was involved as a youth with the group of the Cologne Edelweiss Pirates in the resistance against National Socialism .

Life

Having grown up in Cologne-Sülz , Schäfer and his parents were sent to a makeshift barracks in Cologne-Ossendorf after the total destruction of the apartment in 1943 . It was here that the thirteen-year-old came into contact with Edelweiss pirates, an informal group of unadapted Cologne youths who evaded the coercion of the Nazi party youth and, in the tradition of the forbidden Bündische Jugend or the oppressed Catholic youth associations, did their own ventures, which also included actions of resistance. He was one of the youngest activists, took them on trips to the Felsensee near Königswinter and was finally arrested on the street in 1944 because he was wearing a chasm . He was first interrogated in the EL-DE house , then imprisoned in Klingelpütz and finally interned in the "probation camp " in Ellern (Hunsrück) .

Act as a contemporary witness

After retiring from working life, at the latest since 2004, he actively participated as a contemporary witness in the remembrance work, especially for young people and schoolchildren about the history they had experienced, and in 2004 also actively participated in a project to process and preserve the music of the edelweiss pirates. Schäfer also took part in the "Edelweiss Pirate Festival" in Cologne from 2005 onwards, playing the harmonica with other Edelweiss Pirates. In 2007, he was therefore with Rolly Brings , participated the group from the Rhineland Regional Council with the Rhineland Taler excellent.

Award

It took a long time for the then youthful resistance members to receive official recognition. After Jürgen Roters, as district president , had already publicly recognized members of the Cologne resistance groups, including those from the particularly radical Ehrenfeld group , in June 2005, it took until April 2011 for him to join the five remaining members, Hans Fricke , Gertrud Koch , Peter Schäfer and Wolfgang Schwarz and Fritz Theilen was now able to hand over the Federal Cross of Merit on ribbon as the Lord Mayor of Cologne. Rolly Brings took part in the award ceremony in Cologne's town hall with his Edelweiss pirate song.

literature

See the articles Ehrenfeld Group and Edelweiss Pirates .

Individual evidence

1. ^ To museums Cologne "It was in Shanghai" online (accessed April 2011)
2. ↑ LVR press release on the award ceremony ( memento of the original from August 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Accessed April 2011) 
3. ↑ Cornelia Schlößer in report-k from April 13, 2011 online ( memento of the original from April 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ↑ Mattias Pesch: Edelweisspiraten "Role models for civil courage" , in: Kölner Stadtanzeiger from April 14, 2011, p. 26 online (accessed June 23, 2016)