Rotmistr Anton Schmid - Hrdina humanity a zachránce Židů – Wette Wolfram (2018)

The biography by a German military historian captures the fate of a Wehrmacht member who, during the Holocaust, was one of the few German soldiers who actively and selflessly helped Jews. For this activity, he was sentenced and executed on April 13, 1942. Anton Schmid, an Austrian born on January 9, 1900, was an unassuming man from a lower-class background, and his parents came to Vienna from Hodonín in Moravia. In Vienna, he ran a shop and repair service for electrical appliances. As testimonies show, he defended his Jewish acquaintances even during the first anti-Semitic outbursts in Vienna. Without resorting to grand ideologies, he managed to show ordinary human decency and Christian love for his neighbor even in times that required considerable personal courage – during Hitler's campaign to the East. He enlisted in the Wehrmacht as a non-commissioned officer, but due to his age, he avoided the front and served in the rear. This led him to the 'Jerusalem of the East,' Vilnius, where he became, against his will, the commander of a gathering place for scattered soldiers. His task was to locate lost soldiers (or deserters) of the Wehrmacht and send them on to the appropriate units. Although this was not directly related to his work, Anton Schmid became an indirect witness...