Hermann Josef Wehrle
Encyclopedia
Hermann Josef Wehrle was a German
Catholic priest who was killed after the July 20 plot
.
Wehrle was born in Nuremberg and was drafted into the German Army in World War I
. On 10 December 1918 he joined the Catholic Priest seminary at Fulda
but quit soon and began to study Philosophy and catholic philosophy in Frankfurt
. He worked as a journalist and at the public library of Frankfurt.
In 1938 Wehrle worked at the public school of Marktbreit
, but was forced to resign because of his lack of support for the Nazis. He then started to study catholic theology at the abbey of St. Ottilien. After the monastery was dissolved in April 1941 Wehrle joined the priest seminary of Freising
and was ordained on 6 April 1942. He worked at the catholic congregations of Planegg
and in Heilig Blut (Munich
- Bogenhausen
) and was in contact to Alfred Delp
.
On 13 December 1943 Ludwig Freiherr von Leonrod
asked him under the seal of confession about the theological justification of a tyrannicide
. Leonrod was involved in the 20 July plot and told the Gestapo
about his confession. Wehrle was arrested on 18 August 1944 and examined as a witness in the trial against Leonrod.
He was sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof on 14 September 1944 for his knowledge of the plot and killed the same day in Plötzensee prison
next to Heinrich Graf zu Dohna-Schlobitten, Nikolaus von Üxküll-Gyllenband
and Michael Graf von Matuschka
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Catholic priest who was killed after the July 20 plot
July 20 Plot
On 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
.
Wehrle was born in Nuremberg and was drafted into the German Army in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. On 10 December 1918 he joined the Catholic Priest seminary at Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
but quit soon and began to study Philosophy and catholic philosophy in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
. He worked as a journalist and at the public library of Frankfurt.
In 1938 Wehrle worked at the public school of Marktbreit
Marktbreit
Marktbreit is a town in the district of Kitzingen in the Regierungsbezirk Unterfranken in Bavaria situated at the most southern point of the Main river. It is the birthplace of Alois Alzheimer who first identified the symptoms of what is now known as Alzheimer's Disease...
, but was forced to resign because of his lack of support for the Nazis. He then started to study catholic theology at the abbey of St. Ottilien. After the monastery was dissolved in April 1941 Wehrle joined the priest seminary of Freising
Freising
Freising is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district Freising. Total population 48,500.The city is located north of Munich at the Isar river, near the Munich International Airport...
and was ordained on 6 April 1942. He worked at the catholic congregations of Planegg
Planegg
Planegg is a municipality in the district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the river Würm, 13 km west of Munich ....
and in Heilig Blut (Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
- Bogenhausen
Bogenhausen
Bogenhausen is the 13th borough of Munich, Germany. It is the geographically largest borough of Munich and comprises the city's north-eastern quarter, reaching from the Isar on the eastern side of the Englischer Garten to the city limits, bordering on Unterföhring to the north, Aschheim to the east...
) and was in contact to Alfred Delp
Alfred Delp
Alfred Delp was a German Jesuit priest who was executed for his resistance to the Nazi régime in Germany.- Early life and education :...
.
On 13 December 1943 Ludwig Freiherr von Leonrod
Ludwig Freiherr von Leonrod
Ludwig Freiherr von Leonrod was a German officer who took part in the July 20 plot.Leonrod was born in Munich and joined the Weimar German Reichswehr on 1 April 1926 in the Cavalry Regiment 17 in Bamberg next to Claus von Stauffenberg.In World War II Leonrod was severely wounded in late 1941 and...
asked him under the seal of confession about the theological justification of a tyrannicide
Tyrannicide
Tyrannicide literally means the killing of a tyrant, or one who has committed the act. Typically, the term is taken to mean the killing or assassination of tyrants for the common good. The term "tyrannicide" does not apply to tyrants killed in battle or killed by an enemy in an armed conflict...
. Leonrod was involved in the 20 July plot and told the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
about his confession. Wehrle was arrested on 18 August 1944 and examined as a witness in the trial against Leonrod.
He was sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof on 14 September 1944 for his knowledge of the plot and killed the same day in Plötzensee prison
Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison was a Prussian institution built in Berlin between 1869 and 1879 near the lake Plötzensee, but in the neighbouring borough of Charlottenburg, on Hüttigpfad off Saatwinkler Damm. During Adolf Hitler's time in power from 1933 to 1945, more than 2,500 people were executed at...
next to Heinrich Graf zu Dohna-Schlobitten, Nikolaus von Üxküll-Gyllenband
Nikolaus von Üxküll-Gyllenband
Nikolaus Graf von Üxküll-Gyllenband was a German businessman who took part in the July 20 plot.Nikolaus von Üxküll-Gyllenband was born in Güns , Austria-Hungary and joined the Austro–Hungarian Army prior to the First World War. After the war Üxküll worked as a businessman in Germany.He was an...
and Michael Graf von Matuschka
Michael Graf von Matuschka
Michael Graf von Matuschka was a German politician who took part in the July 20 plot.- Biography :...
.
External links
- Wehrle and Leonrod at the "Volksgerichtshof"