CFP: Biographical, general Holocaust studies

The following are the biographical topics on the subject of German resistance or general Holocaust studies we would like to see researched in-depth - in strictly alphabetical order, not in order of priority or interest. Reminder that we accept queries for short-short essays of approximately 450 words, short essays 1800-3600 words, white papers 4500-13,500 words, and short or long book treatments 13,500-150,000 words.

Note: WR-Other means the CFP could apply specifically to the person's connection to White Rose resistance, or their life as a whole, and they are also included on that CFP page.

Professor Bumke. He is not completely unknown in American circles, as one of the most famous biographies of Bumke was written by an American. However, several people we interviewed sat through Prof. Bumke's lectures and disagreed with the positive portrayal of him as a closet doubter or dissident. It may be time for a review of conventional wisdom. - This could also be used as a jumping-off point for a discussion of German medicine from 1933-1945. WR-Other.
Rudolf Degkwitz. He was the de facto leader of a resistance cell in Hamburg. Huge influence on Traute Lafrenz. (A White Rose note: Hamburg resistance was predecessor to, not successor of, the White Rose group in Munich.) His writings survived the war, yet relatively little is known about him, though post-war he became a fairly famous medical doctor. If writing about Degkwitz as "Other" and not White Rose, please focus on Hamburg resistance. WR-Other.
Harald Dohrn. Usually referred to as the father-in-law of Christoph Probst. However, Dohrn's influence on Christoph has been marginalized, when it should have been emphasized. He was a dissident long before there was a White Rose. Hellerau! Freiheitsaktion Bayern! If writing about Dohrn as "Other" and not White Rose, please focus on his other work and contribution. WR-Other.
Klaus (alternately Claus) Dohrn. May be one of the most fascinating people on this list. Published an anti-Nazi newspaper in the 1930s and was forced to emigrate to England. WR-Other, but this person had little connection to White Rose, except for his personal relationship with Christoph Probst long before there was a White Rose.
Gerhard Graf (Willi Graf's father). Specifically more about his role in the establishment of the Nazi Party in the Saarland. We know generally what he did, because Willi's attorney used Gerhard Graf's ardent and tangible support of the NSDAP in the Saarland as part of his clemency proceedings. (And Willi then refused the clemency offer he was given.) It could only be enhanced by comparison of that record to primary source materials, e.g. the lawsuit that the League of Nations filed against the NSDAP for a Watergate-type infraction that took place in Graf's Gasthaus. If writing about Gerhard Graf as "Other" and not White Rose, please focus on his political beliefs, not as much on his relationship with his son. WR-Other.
Kurt Hahn. Famous educator before the war. With the support of Prince Maximilian of Baden, Hahn founded Schule Schloss Salem, an elite boarding school not far from the Bodensee (Lake Constance). Note: No book length queries, as there are already several thorough biographies about Hahn's life. We would, however, welcome essays or white papers that would appeal to high school and undergraduate students, especially ones focusing on the evolution of sentiment from the time he founded Salem, to his forced emigration to the UK, most especially his public criticism of the Nazi regime in general, and Adolf Hitler in particular.
Pastor Ernst Hirzel, father of Hans and Susanne Hirzel, and pastor of the Martin-Luther-Kirche in Ulm. The journal he kept throughout the war has never been published, though the church still has the original. We know that Ernst Hirzel signed the Bonhoeffer/Niemoeller confession even after it meant financial hardship and loss of status, yet he did not like or approve of their "radical" actions. Understanding him could go a long way to comprehending the psyche of the many fence straddlers in Germany under Hitler. If writing about Ernst Hirzel as "Other" and not White Rose, please focus on his political beliefs and actions, not as much on his relationship with his children. WR-Other.
Walter Hirzel. According to Susanne Hirzel, he went from being a nationalist who supported Hitler, to a nationalist who was fired for opposing Hitler's views. Is this an accurate portrayal of his life? His biography would also add knowledge to the operation of the Gau, since his political career was on the state - not national - level. WR-Other.
In-depth interviews with Jewish families who told their stories in Zeugnisse zur Geschichte der Juden in Ulm. (Most live in the USA, a few in Israel.) If you do not have access to this book, please contact us. We will look up the families who live in your region. We will list names and "assignments" as they are spoken for. WR-Other.
Marcia Kahn, primarily her assistance to Inge Scholl during Inge's fundraising tours throughout post-war America, and subsequent falling out with Scholl. Understand Ms. Kahn could contribute to understanding U.S. apprehensions (both during the war and after it) about those who were or who claimed to have been part of the resistance. If writing about Marcia Kahn as "Other" and not White Rose, please focus on her political beliefs and actions, not as much on her relationship with Inge Scholl. WR-Other.
Keller, Prior of the Benedictine Cloister in Beuron. The description of this man comes from an unreliable source, so you may find he wasn't that at all. He has also been held up as someone who was anti-Nazi, but we have our doubts. We suspect you will find he worked for the NSDAP. WR-Other.
Hermann Ramdohr. He resigned his judicial position after Hitler came to power and in so doing strongly influenced Lilo Ramdohr (whom the Nazis deemed one of the more dangerous people in the White Rose). Yet little is known of his life. If writing about Hermann Ramdohr as "Other" and not White Rose, please focus on his political beliefs and actions, not as much on her relationship with Lilo Ramdohr. WR-Other.
Professor Fritz-Joachim von Rintelen. The real story, not the Wittenstein legend. WR-Other. Note: We would welcome biographical work about any professors at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München from 1900-1945!
Günther Schmich. The story of a so-called "half-Jewish" Catholic priest during the Third Reich has got to be worth telling, especially since he was Willi Graf's friend. Could form the basis of a study of the lives of so-called "half-Jewish" Germans, especially those who identified as either Catholic or Protestant, not Jewish. WR-Other.
Josef Söhngen. And not just White Rose activities. Like Eickemeyer, he got to write his own autobiography post-war. His proclamations of dissidence and affiliation with White Rose do not seem to mesh well with how he was known during the war. Many open questions remain about this enigmatic gay man who seemed to be a magnet for those in the White Rose (and outside the White Rose) who repressed their "illegal" sexual orientation. If writing about Josef Söhngen as "Other" and not White Rose, please focus on his political beliefs and actions, not as much on his relationship with Hans Scholl. WR-Other.
Bishop Sproll of Rottenburg. We know only that he was evidently a "rogue priest" - and nothing more. Was he really? WR-Other.
Ernst Wiechert. With special emphasis on his 1935 speech in Munich. How well did he operate in Nazi Germany? His works were not completely banned. We need to know more about this fence-straddler. Or was he truly a dissident? WR-Other.
Bishop Wurm of Württemberg. In Susanne Hirzel's memoirs (Vom Ja Zum Nein), Bishop Wurm seems to vacillate between courage and cowardice. WR-Other.