Feldwebel Anton Schmid served in the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War, yet he defied the state's extermination machinery by coordinating the rescue of approximately 300 Jewish individuals. Stationed in Vilnius, he operated outside official directives to shelter those fleeing the systematic violence of the Holocaust, eventually facing a court martial for his actions.
Background and Conscription
Born in Vienna on 9 January 1900, Schmid grew up in a devout Roman Catholic household. After training as an electrician, he served in the Austro-Hungarian Army during the final months of World War I, surviving the Italian campaign. Before the war, he operated a radio shop in Brigittenau where he employed Jewish workers. Following the 1938 annexation of Austria, he assisted neighbors threatened by Nazi violence before his eventual conscription into the German army in 1939.
Operations in Vilnius
In August 1941, Schmid transferred to the Landeswehr Battalion 898 in Vilnius, where he managed a military office responsible for returning separated soldiers to their units. Upon witnessing the mass killings at the Ponary pits, his role shifted toward rescue. He began by employing Jewish workers in his office, providing them with protected work permits. These documents were dubbed 'leave from death papers' as they shielded holders from imminent liquidation by the SS and local police forces.
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Schmid expanded his efforts by utilizing military trucks to transport Jews to locations perceived as safer, such as Lida in Belarus. Within his own residence in Vilnius, he provided sanctuary to resistance figures, including Hermann and Anita Adler. His apartment became a covert hub for meetings between partisans, and he eventually worked with Vilna Ghetto resistance leaders to facilitate broader escape plans. His actions reached approximately 300 individuals before his activities were discovered.
Trial and Legacy
Arrested in January 1942, Schmid faced a court martial for his efforts to protect persecuted populations. He was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad on 13 April 1942. His remains are interred at the Antakalnis Cemetery. In 1964, Yad Vashem designated him Righteous Among the Nations. While he was treated as a traitor in his home countries for decades, he is now recognized as an example of individual moral courage.
Fast facts
- Born: 9 January 1900, Vienna
- Died: 13 April 1942, Vilnius
- Military Rank: Feldwebel
- Burial Site: Antakalnis Cemetery
- Award: Righteous Among the Nations (1964)
- Profession: Electrician
- Citizenship: Austria
Questions readers ask
How many lives did Anton Schmid save?
It is estimated that he was responsible for saving approximately 300 Jewish people during his time in Vilnius.
Why was he executed?
He was court-martialed and sentenced to death for actively protecting Jews and defying military orders during the German occupation of Lithuania.
Did he belong to an anti-Nazi organization?
No, he was described as a non-ideological individual who did not conform to military culture and acted purely out of a humanitarian respect for human life.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 1964
- Worked as soldier and military personnel
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