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 was shaken at what was happening and turned away from Nazism. Amon Goth was the commandant of the Plaszow concentration camp in 1943 and he was a fanatical and sadistic brute. Schindler 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 decided to use his power as a well known businessman with contacts in the Abwehr and the army, to save his Jewish workers. He was making good money, and he used his contacts to develop a friendship with Goth. He managed to get permission to build a separate camp for his factory, where he could better protect his workers. He tried hard 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.....