History's Youngest Heroes: Hans and Sophie Scholl and the White Rose

History's Heroes

BBC

Documentary, History, Society & Culture

4.8 • 704 Ratings

🗓️ 17 February 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

With the power of the written word as their weapon, a brother and sister mount a daring campaign against the Nazis.

Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.

A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Producer: Suniti Somaiya Edit Producer: Melvin Rickarby Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts

Transcript

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0:00.0	He tells her that she will be sent to France as a secret agent, and if she's caught, she's going to be shot.
0:09.3	I'm Helen Obalam Carter, and this is history's secret heroes, where I shine a light on extraordinary stories from World War II.
0:17.6	What they wanted was someone to get themselves arrested and sent to Auschwitz.
0:22.0	Tales of deception, an incredible acts of resistance and courage.
0:26.3	She was a born soldier.
0:27.4	She's a freedom fighter in its widest sense.
0:29.9	The brand new series of history's secret heroes.
0:32.8	Listen first on BBC Sounds.
0:36.4	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:41.4	Hans Scholl and his sister Sophie awoke to a sunny morning in Munich, Germany.
0:46.1	They leave their flat. They have a suitcase and a briefcase.
0:51.3	It was the 18th of February, 1943.
0:54.2	The Second World War had been raging in Europe for three and a half years.
0:58.2	Germany was at war with the Allies.
1:01.2	But inside Germany, there had been little resistance to Nazi rule.
1:05.0	Hans and Sophie walk the short route to the university.
1:08.9	Just before 11 in the morning, they pushed through the doors into the Licktough.
1:12.6	This was a building, this was a 19th century building with a very large central atrium,
1:19.6	with three floors, with balconies.
1:23.6	It was empty.
1:26.6	Hans and Sophie opened their cases and took out hundreds of pamphlets.
1:32.3	They've timed this so that they can distribute copies of the pamphlets while students are still in their lectures and classes.
	...

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