Wilm Hosenfeld: a Righteous German
The selection is entitled “I Am Trying to Save Everyone”. In this event participated Halina Szpilman, the pianist’s widow.
In 1933, when the Nazis seized power in Germany, Wilm Hosenfeld believed that it is an opportunity to rehabilitate Germany after the First World War and to bring under review the Treaty of Versailles.
Hosenfeld was influenced by Nazi propaganda, joined the SA and later the NSDAP. Although he became part of Hitler’s regime, he rejected the perspective adopted by the Nazis.
Hosenfeldparticipated in the Second World War but he did not serve at the front. In 1939, as soldier of the reserve, he was sent to Poland.
During a short time he was commandant of a camp for Polish prisoners of war. Since 1940 he served as officer of the occupation army in Warsaw.
As officer he was able to provide prisoners who escaped and hiding Poles with false documents, thus saving their lives. During his service he helped both Poles and Jews.
Hosenfeld – who for a few weeks in the end of 1944 managed to keep Władysław Szpilman alive – was presented by Roman Polański in the “Pianist”.
In the beginning of 1945 Hosenfeld was taken captive by the Soviets. He died in a camp near Stalingrad in 1952.
Halina Szpilman together with her son Andrzej fought for the memory of Hosenfeld for a long time. In effect of their efforts, in 2007 the President of the Republic of Poland honored him posthumously with the Commander’s Cross Polonia Restituta.
On November 25th, 2008 the Yad Vashem Institute honored Wilm Hosenfeld with the title “Righteous Among the Nations” for saving Jews during the Second World War. This decision gave rise to big controversy - which lasts to this day - because of the participation of Hosenfeld in the apparatus of the Third Rheich.
Hosenfeld was a man of deep faith. This faith induced him to save people although he was part of a murderous system.
Wienfried Lipscher, translator and one of the editors of the Polish edition of Hosenfeld’s letters “I Am Trying to Save Everyone” remarks that this figure could become a true symbol of Polish-German reconciliation.
