Many factors played into Sophie wanting to take part in what she knew was a dangerous resistance. She lived in a family environment which encouraged opposition to Hitler. Sophie had a strong Christian faith and was motivated after hearing speeches by anti-Nazi pastors. She read two volumes of Cardinal John Henry Newman’s sermons which made a strong impression on Sophie, especially the ‘theology of conscience’ During her interrogation she referred to this ideology as a defence. Her boyfriend Fritz Hartnagel was on the Eastern Front, he reported to Sophie the awful conditions of war, the failure at Stalingrad and also he his dreadful experience of witnessing war crimes undertaken by German and SS forces. Reports of mass killings of Jews, were also widely shared amongst members of the White Rose. This features in the second White Rose pamphlet. On February 18, 1943 Sophie and other members of The White Rose were arrested for the distribution of the anti-war leaflets. The members were seen by Jakob Schmidt, a local Nazi member. Sophie and Hans were interrogated by Nazi officials and although they tried to protect each other, only four days later they were sent to court.
"And I could weep at how mean people are and how they betray their fellow creatures, perhaps for the sake of personal advantage. It is enough to make a person lose heart sometimes. I often wish I lived on a Robinson Crusoe island." - Sophie Scholl |