Josef Schulz
Encyclopedia
Josef Schulz, also spelled Joseph Schultz , was a German soldier of the 714th Infantry Division stationed in the Balkans
, Serbia
during World War II
. He died in 1941, allegedly executed after refusing to take part in a partisan execution. The German High Command
recorded him as killed in action. The plot of the Yugoslav
short movie Joseph Schultz (1973) is based on the incident. Based on a Bundesarchiv study, the incident was dismissed as a legend by scholars in the 1990s.
, Wuppertal
, Germany
. During World War II
, he served as a corporal in the 714th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht
. He died during operations in Yugoslavia
on 20 July 1941.
, southeast of Belgrade
. When the bodies of the victims were exhumed after the war, an eyewitness recalls that remains of military equipment ascribed to a German soldier were also recovered, while an identification tag got lost. In 1947, when a memorial was erected for the victims, the name of a Croat victim with a German-sounding first name, Marsel Mezic, was rendered to Marcel Masel to reflect the belief that a German soldier was executed along with the partisans for refusing to take part in the executions.
In 1961 and 1966, West German
weeklies Neue Illustrierte and Quick published photographs dated to 20 July 1941, showing an execution and, probably, a German soldier without helmet and belt walking toward the line of the victims. The German public was asked to identify this person. The photographs were shot by Wehrmacht units, developed by a Palanka local and left behind when the unit was relocated to the Eastern Front. The Palanka chronicle also published the photographs, but without mentioning the defection of a German.
In response to the German weeklies' appeal, West German Bundestag
member Wilderich Freiherr Ostman von der Leye
identified the person on the photographs as Josef Schulz. He based his identification on the diary of Friedrich Stahl, commander of the 714th infantry division, which was made available to him by the Bundesarchiv's Military Archive in Freiburg
, then headed by Stahl's son. On Ostman's initiative, Josef's brother Walter Schulz travelled to Yugoslavia in 1972, and confirmed that the person in question was Josef Schulz. In 1973, a journalist from the Yugoslav paper Politika
visited Walter Schulz in Germany; afterwards, Yugoslav newspapers reported that Josef Schulz had been a capable artist and a member of an underground opposition
to Hitler. Zvonimr Janković, a Yugoslav eyewitness, confirmed that he had seen a German officer arguing furiously with a German without insignia on his uniform.
In contrast, some of Josef Schulz's former Wehrmacht comrades said that the person on the photographs was not Schulz. A 1972 report of the Central Office of the State Justice Administration for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes in Ludwigsburg
, Germany, also rejected the person's identification with Schulz. Studies conducted by the staff of the Ludwigsburg office and the Freiburg Military Archive conclude that Josef Schulz was killed already on 19 July 1941 during an engagement with partisans, and that he was reported dead to the army command on 20 July 2:00 AM, with a respective notice sent to the relatives subsequently. Scholars have since dismissed Schulz's alleged role in the incident on 20 July as a legend.
Schulz nevertheless remained a popular figure in Yugoslavia, despite protests from a veteran partisan organization. In the early 1980s, a second memorial was erected at the execution site in Palanka, where Schulz's name was added to those of the sixteen Yugoslav victims and the name of Marsel Mezic appears in its proper spelling. While the Schulz legend is not as popular in Germany, West German ambassadors Horst Grabert and Wilfried Gruber attended ceremonies in Palanka in 1981 and 1997, respectively.
and Predrag Golubic. Original sepia photographies were combined with a re-enactment of the incident. In Canada
and the United States
, the movie was distributed by Wombat Productions, New York
.
The movie was recommended as a resource for teaching by the US-based Educational Film Library Association (EFLA) and by a Torah Aura Productions
teachers' guide, Teaching the Holocaust.
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He died in 1941, allegedly executed after refusing to take part in a partisan execution. The German High Command
recorded him as killed in action. The plot of the Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
short movie Joseph Schultz (1973) is based on the incident. Based on a Bundesarchiv study, the incident was dismissed as a legend by scholars in the 1990s.
Life
Josef Schulz was born in 1910 and lived in BarmenBarmen
Barmen is a former industrial metropolis of the region of Bergisches Land, Germany, which in 1929 with four other towns was merged with the city of Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia. Barmen was the birth-place of Friedrich Engels and together with the neighbouring town of Elberfeld founded the...
, Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...
, Germany
History of Germany
The concept of Germany as a distinct region in central Europe can be traced to Roman commander Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as Germania, thus distinguishing it from Gaul , which he had conquered. The victory of the Germanic tribes in the Battle of the...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he served as a corporal in the 714th Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
. He died during operations in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
on 20 July 1941.
Partisans' execution incident
On 20 July 1941, a Wehrmacht firing squad executed sixteen Yugoslav partisans near the barracks of Smederevska PalankaSmederevska Palanka
Smederevska Palanka is a town and municipality located in Central Serbia. According to the preliminary results of the 2011 census, the municipality had a total population of 50,078, while the town proper has 23,152 inhabitants.-Geography:Smederevska Palanka lies in Pan-European Corridor X , just...
, southeast of Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. When the bodies of the victims were exhumed after the war, an eyewitness recalls that remains of military equipment ascribed to a German soldier were also recovered, while an identification tag got lost. In 1947, when a memorial was erected for the victims, the name of a Croat victim with a German-sounding first name, Marsel Mezic, was rendered to Marcel Masel to reflect the belief that a German soldier was executed along with the partisans for refusing to take part in the executions.
In 1961 and 1966, West German
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
weeklies Neue Illustrierte and Quick published photographs dated to 20 July 1941, showing an execution and, probably, a German soldier without helmet and belt walking toward the line of the victims. The German public was asked to identify this person. The photographs were shot by Wehrmacht units, developed by a Palanka local and left behind when the unit was relocated to the Eastern Front. The Palanka chronicle also published the photographs, but without mentioning the defection of a German.
In response to the German weeklies' appeal, West German Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
member Wilderich Freiherr Ostman von der Leye
Wilderich Freiherr Ostman von der Leye
Wilderich Freiherr Ostman von der Leye was a German SPD politician.- Life and career :Wilderich Freiherr Ostman von der Leye belonged to the Westphalian Ostman von der Leye family. After matriculation, he was a marine from 1941 to 1945. After the War, he studied Law and Medicine from 1946 to 1954...
identified the person on the photographs as Josef Schulz. He based his identification on the diary of Friedrich Stahl, commander of the 714th infantry division, which was made available to him by the Bundesarchiv's Military Archive in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
, then headed by Stahl's son. On Ostman's initiative, Josef's brother Walter Schulz travelled to Yugoslavia in 1972, and confirmed that the person in question was Josef Schulz. In 1973, a journalist from the Yugoslav paper Politika
Politika
Politika is a Serbian newspaper. It is considered the newspaper of record and is the oldest daily in the Balkans, having been founded on January 25, 1904 by Vladislav Ribnikar. It is currently being published by Politika Newspapers and Magazines , a joint venture between Politika AD and...
visited Walter Schulz in Germany; afterwards, Yugoslav newspapers reported that Josef Schulz had been a capable artist and a member of an underground opposition
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
to Hitler. Zvonimr Janković, a Yugoslav eyewitness, confirmed that he had seen a German officer arguing furiously with a German without insignia on his uniform.
In contrast, some of Josef Schulz's former Wehrmacht comrades said that the person on the photographs was not Schulz. A 1972 report of the Central Office of the State Justice Administration for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes in Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
, Germany, also rejected the person's identification with Schulz. Studies conducted by the staff of the Ludwigsburg office and the Freiburg Military Archive conclude that Josef Schulz was killed already on 19 July 1941 during an engagement with partisans, and that he was reported dead to the army command on 20 July 2:00 AM, with a respective notice sent to the relatives subsequently. Scholars have since dismissed Schulz's alleged role in the incident on 20 July as a legend.
Schulz nevertheless remained a popular figure in Yugoslavia, despite protests from a veteran partisan organization. In the early 1980s, a second memorial was erected at the execution site in Palanka, where Schulz's name was added to those of the sixteen Yugoslav victims and the name of Marsel Mezic appears in its proper spelling. While the Schulz legend is not as popular in Germany, West German ambassadors Horst Grabert and Wilfried Gruber attended ceremonies in Palanka in 1981 and 1997, respectively.
Movie
In 1973, Yugoslav Zastava Films released the short movie Joseph Schultz. The plot based on Schultz's refusal to execute Yugoslav partisans and his eventual execution by the firing squad he was assigned to. The 13 minutes long 16 mm sound and color movie was directed by Danko PopovicDanko Popović
Danko Popović was a Serbian writer. He graduated from the University of Belgrade's Law School, where he spent the biggest part of life and where he started his literary work. Danko, however, also returned regularly to his home town and property under the Bukulja...
and Predrag Golubic. Original sepia photographies were combined with a re-enactment of the incident. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the movie was distributed by Wombat Productions, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
The movie was recommended as a resource for teaching by the US-based Educational Film Library Association (EFLA) and by a Torah Aura Productions
Torah Aura Productions
Torah Aura Productions is a Jewish educational publishing company based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1981. The company's main focus is on publishing educational materials for Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist and unaffiliated Jewish synagogue schools in North...
teachers' guide, Teaching the Holocaust.
External links
- Joseph Schultz 13 minutes documentary from the Keene State CollegeKeene State CollegeKeene State College is a liberal arts college in Keene, New Hampshire. It is a member of the University System of New Hampshire and of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges....
Video Collection.