UNDERGROUND

1 Many Witnesses, such as Max and Konrad Franke, practiced their faith in spite of persecution, some duplicating Watch Tower literature underground. Konrad was taken to the camps at Osthofen (1933), Sachsenburg (1934), and Sachsenhausen (1936-1945), whereas his father, Max, was in Sachsenburg (1934) and Buchenwald (as from 1935).

2 Maria Hombach served as an underground courier. In February 1940, she was sentenced to three and a half years of prison, which she spent in solitary confinement. The judiciary set her free in 1943 after her Catholic parents pleaded for clemency. She discreetly continued her Witness activities until 1945.

3 Part of the book Jehovah (1934) from the German underground work, reduced photographically to the size of a matchbox.

4 On December 12, 1936, Jehovah’s Witnesses distributed a printed resolution all over Germany, protesting the persecution. On June 20, 1937, the “Open Letter” followed, containing more details.