Hitler Youth and Danish Resistance
At the age of 12, Schafer was pressured into joining the Hitler Youth. In 1943 he was stationed in Denmark with the occupation forces. In Denmark, he risked his life to work with the Danish resistance under the leadership of Damgaard Hansen. He was betrayed, captured by the Gestapo, found guilty of espionage, and sentenced to death. He was jailed for six months while awaiting execution. Twice, he was placed in front of firing squads in an effort to coerce him into betraying members of the resistance. He refused to name names and, at 17, started a hunger strike.
On March 16, 1945, Heinrich Himmler commuted his death sentence to 15 years in prison. Shafer's father had been writing to the prison, begging for his son's release, though it is unclear what effect this had. When the Allied Forces liberated Berlin, Schafer had worked 18 months hard labor in Grabow, Mecklenburg, Germany.
Read more about this topic: Georg Schafer
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