Oskar Schindler

Schindler was a German, born in Austria-Hungary, who rescued 1200 Jewish people from the Nazis. He initially was a German nationalist and worked for the Abwehr (Intelligence services) and at various trades. He wanted to make a fortune, and set up a business making enamel ware, in Poland early in the War... He hoped to do well, because he could use Jewish labour, which was virtually slave labour. He had several Jewish investors also. But he became close to his workers and was shocked when the Nazis in Krakow destroyed the Jewish Ghetto there. They moved most of the Jews to camps and murdered Jews, in the streets. Schindler in spite of being a selfish man who was mainly keen to make money, was shaken at what was happening. It made him turn away from Nazism. Amon Goth was the commandant of the Plaszow concentration camp in 1943 and he was a fanatical and sadistic brute. Schindler was friendly with him because he was a useful contact, but in time, he began to use his "useful contacts" to make money to protect his Jews. Oskar had married young but he led a bon vivant lifestyle, enjoying socialising and drinking too much and he had many mistresses. His wife tolerated his affairs and like him, was shocked at the Nazis. He had his contacts in the Abwehr and the army, and he was able to use them to save his Jewish workers. He was making a lot of money, and through his friendship with Goth, he got permission to build a separate camp for his factory. That way he could better protect his workers. He tried to keep them safe and took in children and wives, and even disabled people, whom he claimed were capable of working for the war effort. As the war began to go against Germany, the Germans moved their factories further east. Schindler managed, by dint of heavy bribing, to take his 1200 workers to Brunnlitz, which his home town. He got them there safely, though some of the women were taken to Auschwitz but he got them out. In Brunnlitz, he started to produce shells for the army, but he decided that he did not want any of the munitions to be capable of being used. In the last months of the War, Schindler spent a lot of time in Krakow bribing and cajoling in order to get necessary food and supplies for his Jews. He allowed his workers to hold Jewish services.....