The White Rose A non-violent, intellectual group of Nazi Resisters consisting of a few students from the University of Munich and their philosophy professor

Hans Scholl was a student at the University of Munich who had previously been a member of the Hitler Youth, but left in 1937. A medical student, Scholl began to question the Nazi regime Hans Scholl and his sister Sophie were the main leaders of the White Rose

In the early summer of 1942, the group put together four leaflets which called for both passive and active opposition to the Nazi government These pamphlets were copied on a typewriter, about 100 copies were made and distributed around Germany As the Gestapo had surveillance of all activities inside Germany, the White Rose campaign distributed their pamphlets by hiding them in phone books or using secret couriers

First Leaflet by the White Rose - 1942 Isn't it true that every honest German is ashamed of his government these days? Who among us has any conception of the dimensions of shame that will befall us and our children when one day the veil has fallen from our eyes and the most horrible of crimes– crimes that infinitely outdistance every human measure– reach the light of day?

The group carried out a risky graffiti campaign on the nights of February 4, 8, and 15, 1943 They used tar and paint to write slogans such as "Down with Hitler" and "freedom” on 29 sites in the city

On February 18, 1943, Hans and Sophie Scholl arrived on campus with a large amount of leaflets to distribute They left stacks of leaflets outside of full lecture halls Then they tossed the remaining leaflets down to the floor below. This ‘reckless’ action was seen by the custodian who reported the Scholls to the police

All three were executed by the Nazis On February 22 1943, Hans and Sophie Scholls and professor Christoph Probst were found guilty of political offenses All three were executed by the Nazis The organization's final leaflet was successfully smuggled out of Germany and received by the Allies in 1945. Printed in large numbers, millions of copies were air-dropped over Germany by Allied bombers upon VE Day

Monument to the White Rose in front of the University of Munich Today, the members of the White Rose are honoured in Germany as some of its greatest heroes. They opposed the Third Reich in the face of almost certain death Monument to the White Rose in front of the University of Munich