Sophie picked up Hans and Alexander from the train station.
“Sophie!” Are they happy? They looked sad.
“We’re meeting this evening.” Hans said, “We have to make the next flyer!”
“Today?” Sophie asked. “You’re obviously tired…”
At home, he told her sister about what he had seen. About the pale and sick Jews in ghettos, about the execution of Russian soldiers, the Romens, also women and children.
Hans cried. “On one street, there were Jews working. Street work. Something for men. A little girl was there, she’s about the same age as you. Next to her stood a fat German soldier with a rifle, he only shouts: ‘Quicker! Get to work!’ I wanted to give my chocolate to the girl. She didn’t take it. She looked at me and didn’t take my chocolate. She was like you, do you understand? But she had a yellow star on her and was terribly thin…For her, I was a nazi, a murderer!”
“She definitely understood…”
“What did she understand? I’m one of them! For the rest of the world, I’m a Nazi, a killer! Just because I’m German.”
“You’re right. We have to produce new leaflets. This evening.”
Two days later, the next flyer was ready.
“One can’t argue with the Nazis. It is wrong to speak of a National Socialist worldview. Because they lie, they have always lied from the beginning. Hitler wrote it himself in his book ‘Mein Kampf’(I’ve never read any German worse than this): ‘If one wants to govern a nation, one has to tell lies to the people.’ And he did exactly that. And the intellectuals? They say absolutely nothing!
We’re just in front of the end. It’s time. We have to go back on track and form a rebellion, only then, can Germany be free again, and this war will finally end. A end with terror is better than terror without end.
From the beginning of the war, the Nazis killed more than 300000 Jews in Poland. You’re not interested in Jews? Then what’s with the Polen nobles that have been shot or left in concentration camps to die? Yes, all young man from Polen nobles, their age ranging from 15 to 20. And the girls all went to brothels. But you probably already know all that, or other crime commited by the Nazis. Why is the German nation so apathetic? It’s still soundly sleeping. Has it already turned so dumb and numb? Every one of us should feel ashamed, when it leaves the Nazis keep doing what they’ve done.”
When they’ve printed out a few hundreds of sheets, Alexander wanted to stop.
but Hans said: “We need more!”
“Why? What should we do with them?”
“We have to go to other cities and distribute them in other universities!”
“In other cities? Do you know how dangerous that is?”
“I’ll do it!” Sophie said. She grabbed the sheets and stuffed them in her bag.
“Those have to go to Hamburg.” Hans said, “”There, a friend of mine is waiting. They want to create a Hambur White Rose.”
“To Hamburg?” Alexander asked, “That’s too dangerous!”
He’s right. The Gestapo are everywhere. It’s dangerous.
“I’m a girl!” She said, “They’re not going to notice me! They’re only looking for soldiers that have run away!”
On the next day she’s already in the train. She already put the backpack somewhere else. Nobody’s going to see it, because the train’s very full. There were policemen everywhere. They asked questions like “Who are you?” and “Where are you going to?” and “What are you doing there?” But none of them saw the backpack.
Sophie met Heinz in Hamburg, a tall, blond German.
She had to laugh all the time when he spoke. She found his accent so strange.
But what he said wasn’t anything to laugh about. He wanted to start distributing flyers with his friends. A Hamburg White Rose!
Sophie is really happy about the trip.
Alexander and Hans too. They went to many cities.
“We’re getting stronger!”
But the next problem came.
They didn’t have any paper.
“And now?”
“They still have some in the university. The professors…”
“What, should we ask?”
“Huber.”
“Ah, he has a family. He’s definitely not going to risk anything.”
“I’m gonna try anyways.”
Alexander visited professor Huber in his house. He’s often there. Sometimes, he has lectures for some interested students.
Huber’s wife opened the door.
“Please come here!”
The professor was still speaking to his little daughter, then he finally had time for Alexander.
Alexander put the flyer on his desk.
“Yes, I read that.”
“We need paper, professor!”
At first, Huber said nothing.
Then: “I can’t do it, Mr Schmorell. That just doesn’t work out. You can leave now.”
“Professor, don’t you want to do something against the Nazis?”
Huber laughed. “With flyers? There’s no point in doing that! You’re risking your lives for absolutely nothing. There’s only one way: The army has to go against Hitler!”
“The army?” Alexander didn’t believe it.
“They’re commiting crime in the east, professor!”
“Our army? No, I don’t believe it either. Or it’s gonna come to an end.”
“Professor: you said to us, we should think independently.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Please!”
Silence.
“Ok then. The day after tomorrow, I’ll bring you a packet. But I want to get in on the next one.”
“Thank you, professor!”
Alexander knew: it’s not easy for a father to do what Huber wants to do now.