Oskar Schindler is formally credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jewish individuals during the Holocaust by employing them within his enamelware and ammunitions manufacturing operations. Operating initially out of Kraków, Poland, and later in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, he utilized his status as a German industrialist to protect his workers from deportation to extermination camps.
Early Career and Intelligence Activities
Born in 1908 in Svitavy, Schindler was the son of a farm machinery business owner. After expulsion from technical school in 1924, he pursued various trades and completed service in the Czech army. By 1936, he became an operative for the Abwehr, the military intelligence service of Nazi Germany. His work involved espionage, including the collection of data on railway systems and military troop movements within Czechoslovakia. He joined the Nazi Party in 1939, maintaining his intelligence roles until the invasion of Poland.
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In 1939, Schindler acquired an enamelware factory in Kraków. At its peak capacity in 1944, the site employed approximately 1,750 workers, 1,000 of whom were Jewish. Schindler used his established intelligence connections to shield these employees from forced deportation. To maintain the safety of his workforce, he frequently relied on the black market to procure luxury items and supplies required for bribes to various Nazi officials.
Relocation to Brněnec and Final Efforts
As the war turned against Germany in 1944, the SS began liquidating concentration camps. Schindler negotiated with Amon Göth, the commandant of the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp, to relocate his production facilities to Brněnec in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. With the assistance of Mietek Pemper and Marcel Goldberg, a list of 1,200 Jews was compiled for transfer to this new location. Schindler spent his entire fortune on bribes and supplies to ensure these individuals survived until the end of the conflict in May 1945.
Post-war Life and Legacy
Following the war, Schindler moved to West Germany and later emigrated to Argentina with his wife, Emilie, where they engaged in farming. After filing for bankruptcy in 1958, he returned to Germany, where he engaged in multiple unsuccessful business ventures. He relied on financial support from the survivors of his factories until his death in Hildesheim in 1974. He was buried on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, receiving the Righteous Among the Nations designation in 1993.
Fast facts
- Born: 1908, Svitavy
- Died: 1974, Hildesheim
- Citizenship: Nazi Germany, West Germany
- Award: Righteous Among the Nations (1993)
- Award: Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit (1965)
- Languages: German, Polish, Spanish, Czech
- Burial Site: Mount Zion
Questions readers ask
How many lives did Schindler save?
He is credited with saving 1,200 Jewish people by employing them in his factories.
What happened to Schindler after the war?
He lived in Argentina for a time, then returned to Germany where he faced business failures and lived with financial help from those he saved.
Achievements
- Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany — 1965
- Worked as entrepreneur, industrialist and salesperson
