"Those of us born on July 20th were once perceived as betrayers"
### Resistance Hero Honoured: Hans-Alexander von Voß Remembered in Göhren
On the 80th anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler, a central remembrance event took place in Göhren, Germany, honouring Hans-Alexander von Voß, one of the men who resisted Hitler and died as a result of the plot.
Von Voß, a general staff officer in the Wehrmacht during World War II, was part of a group of four young officers who were supposed to shoot Hitler in Paris. However, Hitler cancelled his visit to the city at short notice, preventing the assassination attempt.
Von Voß's memorial stone has been in the Gutspark of the von Schwerin family in Göhren since 1987. State Secretary Heiko Miraß emphasised that the resistance movement has become a symbol of decency, with Von Voß's life and actions serving as a testament to moral courage in the face of totalitarianism.
Ellen Ringhausen, 85 years old and living in Lüneburg and Untergöhren near Waren, shared her family's connection to Von Voß. Her father, also named Hans-Alexander von Voß, was involved in the resistance and took his own life to avoid revealing the names of his accomplices under torture. Ellen Ringhausen and her two younger brothers felt the consequences of their father's involvement after the war, including being considered traitor children and one of her brothers being beaten up at school.
An exhibition titled "Mecklenburgers in the Resistance against National Socialism" is located in the village's customs house, providing a deeper insight into the lives and actions of those who resisted the Nazi regime. Von Voß's biography is also deposited at the Memorial to the German Resistance.
Despite the bravery and sacrifices made by the resistance, many Germans continued to believe after 1945 that the men and women in the resistance had stabbed Hitler and Germany in the back. In West Germany, many saw the military conspirators as traitors even after 1945. However, as time has passed, the importance of the resistance movement in challenging the Nazi regime has become more widely recognised.
The families of the victims of the 20th of July had to file lawsuits to receive widows' and orphans' pensions, highlighting the ongoing struggle for justice and recognition faced by those who resisted the Nazi regime. Von Voß's legacy continues to inspire and remind us of the power of moral courage in the face of tyranny.
- The exhibition entitled "Mecklenburgers in the Resistance against National Socialism" showcases the lives of individuals like Hans-Alexander von Voß, who opposed the Nazi regime and had their biographies deposited at the Memorial to the German Resistance under the category of policy-and-legislation and politics.
- State Secretary Heiko Miraß made a statement during the remembrance event for Hans-Alexander von Voß, acknowledging that the resistance movement has turned into a symbol of decency, serving as an example of moral courage in the face of totalitarianism, a topic of significant general-news interest.
