August Landmesser

August was born on the 24th May 1910, in Moorrege (near Harnburg). 

Rudolf Landmesser, who knew him weIl, wrote: 

• "For all the faults he may have had, your father had the character of a decent man. Intelligent, but as an onIy child coddled by his unassuming mother, he sailed through the elementary school in Moorrege. I' d describe him as a country lad who, had he been given more opportunities at home, could certainly have made more of himself. I can teIl you that the Landmessers also had Jewish ancestors. The oldest female ancestor I've been able to track down is Susanna Rernus, nee Abraham, widowed Witt. She came frorn the TucheIer Heide (West Prussia)."

However, according to the Landgericht's (District Court) ruling of 26th October 1938, 

• "The names (Landmesser, Schmidtpott, Remus and Bester) are German. Foreign blood is not apparent. The accused also has an Aryan appearance. " (Public-record office Hamburg 213 -I ) 

Together with his maternal relatives, August joined the NSDAP in 1931. He hoped this would enable him to get a job. He was a member of the party until 1935. His later behaviour proved that he was not a supporter by conviction. His personal experience clearly showed him the error of his ways.

August Landmesser's Photos

On Irma Eckler

What happened to August Landmesser and Irma Eckler...