Educational purpose only. This post documents historical events related to World War II and condemns the Nazi regime, war crimes, and all totalitarian ideologies. We do not glorify violence or hate.
The Gloeden Family: Standing Up to Hitler – A Family Guillotined for Treason
Throughout the Second World War, thousands of German people were sentenced to death and executed for their resistance to Hitler and the Nazis. One family who all went to the execution chamber was The Gloeden Family – condemned to death for treason.
The Gloedens defied Hitler and decided to hide a German general who was considered a main plotter behind the July 20th Plot – an assassination attempt aimed at killing the Führer of Germany. The plot ultimately failed, but the Gloedens sheltered General Lindemann for several months.
1. The July 20th Plot and the Gloedens’ Decision
On July 20, 1944, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg planted a bomb at Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair headquarters in East Prussia. The explosion failed to kill Hitler, and the coup attempt collapsed. In the days that followed, the Gestapo arrested thousands of suspected conspirators, their families, and anyone who had aided them.
Among those who helped was General Lindemann, a senior military officer who had been involved in the plot. He went into hiding and was taken in by Erich Gloeden, a lawyer, his wife Lilo Gloeden, and his mother-in-law Elisabeth Kuznitzky. The family provided Lindemann with shelter in their Berlin apartment, risking their own lives to protect him.
2. Betrayal and Arrest
For months, the Gloedens kept Lindemann hidden. But they were eventually betrayed. The Gestapo arrested the entire family, along with General Lindemann.
At the trial, Erich Gloeden offered to take full responsibility. He was willing to be executed if his wife and mother-in-law were spared. But the court refused.
Lilo Gloeden and Elisabeth Kuznitzky both confessed to treason. They knew the consequences – death by guillotine.
3. The Trial and Execution
On November 30, 1944, the three members of the Gloeden family – Erich, Lilo, and Elisabeth – were brought before the People’s Court (Volksgerichtshof), presided over by the notorious judge Roland Freisler. They were found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death.
Inside the execution chamber of Plötzensee Prison in Berlin, the three family members were executed on the guillotine – or the German Fallbeil.
The executions were carried out on the same day. The family who had dared to stand up to Hitler was eliminated.
4. The Legacy of the Gloeden Family
The Gloeden family’s story is a testament to the courage of ordinary Germans who resisted the Nazi regime. They knew the risks, yet they chose to do what they believed was right.
They were not soldiers or politicians – they were ordinary people who made an extraordinary decision. And they paid for it with their lives.
Primary Sources:
Plötzensee Prison execution records – November 1944
People’s Court (Volksgerichtshof) trial records
Historical studies of the July 20th Plot and its aftermath
Wikipedia – July 20th Plot / Plötzensee Prison / Gloeden family