Helmut Himpel
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Helmut Himpel | |
|---|---|
 Helmut Himpel was a young dentist when he decided to start treating Jews. | |
| Born | 14 September 1907 |
| Died | 13 May 1943 (aged 35) |
| Citizenship | German |
| Occupation | Dentist |
| Movement | Member of the Red Orchestra ("Rote Kapelle") |
| Spouse | Maria Terwiel |
Helmut Himpel (14 September 1907 - 13 May 1943) was a German dentist and resistance fighter against Nazism. He was a member of the anti-fascist resistance group that was later called the Red Orchestra by the Abwehr.[1][2] Himpel along with his fiancé Maria Terwiel were notable for distributing leaflets and pamphlets for the group. Specifically this included the July and August 1941 sermons of Clemens August Graf von Galen.[2] The second leaflet the couple posted, on Aktion T4 denouncing the murders of the sick by euthanasia, induced Hitler to stop the euthanasia murders and find other ways to do it.[2]
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Himpel studied electrical engineering at the University of Karlsruhe and in 1926 became a member of the Germania fraternity there (now Karlsruher Burschenschaft Teutonia). He then studied dentistry in Freiburg and Munich.[2] During his studies, Himpel met his future fiancée Maria Terwiel.[1] However, they were not allowed to marry due to the Nuremberg Laws as Terwiel was classed as half-Jewish (Halbjüdin).[1] After Himpel was awarded his doctorate, they both moved to Berlin, where Himpel opened a dental practice around 1937[1] at 6 Lietzenburger Strasse.[2] Himpel was successful as a dentist, for example, his patients included many members of the diplomatic corps, actors and artists, such as Heinz Rühmann.[2]
