Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

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lilli marlene
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Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#1

Post by lilli marlene » 09 Jun 2009, 10:12

This is my first post. I'm desperately seeking any information on 20 July conspiritor Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing. I know only what is in Wikipedia, along with a few small facts. Any information about his family would be especially appreciated. Thank you!

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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#2

Post by valkyrie » 12 Jun 2009, 17:40

I understand that his father was pro-Nazi and I believe I have read that he committed suicide following his son's conviciton in the first trial following the bomb plot. There is a lot available on Klausing but most of it has to be pulled form other general histories like Hoffman's history of the resisitance.

Here is a profile on him from Anadore Leber's Conscience in Revolt. The full text of thsi book is available on line at http://www.archive.org/stream/conscienc ... p_djvu.txt


FR1EDRICH KARL KLAUSING

24 May 19208 August 1944

FRIEDRICH KARL KLAUSING, being a member of the Christian Boy Scouts, was automatically transferred to the Hitler Youth in 1933. In 1938 he passed his matriculation in classics, and after serving six months with the Labour Service
joined up with the 9th Infantry Regiment, as an officer-cadet, in the autumn of 1938. He took part in the Polish and French campaigns, was awarded the Iron Cross (1st Class) and received his commission. He was seriously wounded at the
battle of Stalingrad, when he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant; and when he was again badly wounded in Russia in 1943, he was transferred to G.H.Q. for home service.

This young officer is a true representative of a whole generation who grew up under the influence, and indeed in the spirit of National Socialism; but each of whom, sooner or later, was brought by his own thinking or experience to the
point where he was forced to listen to the voice of conscience, and to find his own answer. For Klausing, the conflict began at the front, when he began to ask himself what sense there was in the war; it deepened when he was sent on home service, after being wounded. Then he met a friend from his regiment, an older man, Fritz von der Schulenburg, who opened his eyes and won him over to the cause of the resistance group. Klausing then cast aside the tarnished ideals of his youth, betrayed as they were by criminal leaders, and became Adjutant to Stauffenberg, whom he admired with all
the enthusiasm of youth but also as time went on with a more mature political outlook.

There now began a life of self-denial and conspiracy which led by way of many setbacks and long waiting to 20 July.
Although ill himself, Klausing was in the War Office in the Bendlerstrasse at mid-day, ready to cany out his appointed
task, which was to keep other key members of the plot, in Potsdam, in touch with events. He witnessed the arrest and
execution by a firing squad of the officers nearest to Stauffenberg, but himself escaped late at night. He took refuge in the Zehlendorf house of Vera Gaupp, a doctor, as he had often done in the past weeks. He spent the next few hours with
Wolfgang Gaupp, one of the conspirators, trying to decide what was the right thing to do. Finally he chose neither
suicide nor flight, but gave himself up to the authorities the next morning. He was sentenced to death by the People's
Court, and died with some of his friends on 8 August, 1944. Vera Gaupp has written the following account, based on
her brother's story of Klausing during the last few hours before his arrest.

'He came to my house at midnight, white and distraught. My brother was there too. Klausing laid his pistol on the table.
He said that he would now have to shoot himself, since all was lost and he must share the fate of his friends. The discussion lasted half the night, and ranged over the alternatives of flight, suicide or a common death with his friends. He soon gave up the idea of suicide, because he didn't want to endanger the rest of us; also, on reflection, he decided it would be no real solution, but merely an evasion. Flight he regarded as cowardly, and thought this too might lead to trouble for those who would wish to help him. And so in the end there seemed to be only one thing to do : openly to declare himself for Stauffenberg and his venture, and return to the Bendlerstrasse. Wolfgang was unable to convince him of the senselessness of this sacrifice, which could no longer serve the cause. The deciding factor in Klausing*s decision was his loyalty to his friends, for which his life seemed to him to be the appropriate price. When he set off at eight o'clock the next morning to give himself up he was calm, sure and fearless. He knew what he was doing.'

Other links

http://www.gdw-berlin.de/bio/ausgabe_mit-e.php?id=44

http://books.google.ca/books?id=212hoVr ... t&resnum=6


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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#3

Post by lilli marlene » 13 Jun 2009, 15:21

Thank you so much. My girlfriend is translating a book from German to English and it has a section on Klausing. His father was, I believe, a party member and in the SA. He killled himself on 6 August 1944 to clear the family name. One thing I found interesting was the father's suicide note. He left a message to each of his three sons. I'm actually quite curious about what happened to his two brothers. Also, I'm curious if his father's wife was his mother or stepmother. She is always referred to as "his father's wife" except in Hauptmann Klausing's last letter, where he calls her "liebe mutter". Of course, I think a lot of that letter was forced by the Nazis, but anyway.....thanks!

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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#4

Post by valkyrie » 13 Jun 2009, 16:13

Looks like you know a lot about Klausing already. I would be surprised if his final letter was forced. There are several extant final letters left by executed July 20 resisters and I have never seen any indication that they were "forced." Several of these letters have gone done in history as resisters' vindications. If these letters had been closely monitored they would never have reached their families or us. I don't know why the authoorities would have required Klausing to write something when not others.

Colin

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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#5

Post by LilliMarlene » 10 Sep 2010, 13:13

Lilli Marlene returns, after forgetting her password and which email she used. Oh, well, new account. I have two photos of Klausing to submit, in hopes of finding others. Also, please, if anyone knows where I can find footage of him, do tell. I have looked on YouTube without success, and I do not have the time to watch every second of footage (but I'm trying!). This has become quite the interest of mine. I love a challenge. I did find an excellent magazine article on Klausing (although it is in German, which I do not read) and managed to use Google translator to get a bit of info from it. I'll specify the article's source as soon as I find it. Also, in the footnotes of Stauffenberg:A Family History I found reference to a Mathilda Klausing. She would most likely be Hauptmann Klausing's sister, and the book refers to a 1980 interview with her. Is she still living? Please help a girl out, if you can.
~Lili Marlene
Ok, no pictures, as I can't remember how to post them....
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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#6

Post by valkyrie » 10 Sep 2010, 17:02

I believe Klausing appears in the extant Volksgerichtshof video but I can't recall if he is seen testiying or merely being led into court. I will try to fast fwd through my copy this weekend and let you know. I picked my DVD up on Ebay for a reasonable cost and highlights of the trial have been released on DVD recently with English subtitles and embedded in a documentary called "The Top Secret Trial of the Third Reich."

Colin

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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#7

Post by LilliMarlene » 10 Sep 2010, 18:38

I have that movie, "The Secret Trial..." but I have no idea what I've done with it (I recently moved across town). I'll keep looking. Also found out the names of Klausing's parents and siblings....excellent article. I can't find it online, but try googling "Marie-Sybille Klausing" and you may find something of the sort. I figured out how to upload photos, as well. Has anyone seen any besides these?
karl 2.jpg
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karl.jpg
karl.jpg (53.86 KiB) Viewed 4626 times
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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#8

Post by valkyrie » 19 Sep 2010, 03:38

Two more shots of Klausing in the Volksgerichthof.

Cheers

Colin
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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#9

Post by LilliMarlene » 20 Sep 2010, 01:57

Oh, wow! I had never seen the second photo anywhere! Where did you find it? You just totally made my day, Colin! Thank you much!
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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#10

Post by valkyrie » 20 Sep 2010, 04:39

In a great German book I picked up in the Bendlerstrasse book shop publsihed by Chronos. Its called "Die Angeklagten des 20. Juli vor dem Volksgerichtshof." It has plates of every condemned resister and lots of other info.

If you want a better quality scan, send me a PM with your email. Cheers

Colin

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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#11

Post by Vendale » 03 Nov 2010, 05:56

Hiho !

At first .. maybe me english is not the finest .. but i´ll do my best ;)

The family name "Klausing" isn´t so popular at all in germany, but anyway its not easy so search about all the relationships of the Klausing family.
Maybe you can help me to get some more informations .. As I know Friedrich Karl Klausing has had no children at all .. but what about his brothers/sisters ? And what about the father of Friedrich Karl ... i´m specially interested in where he was, and what he hase done in his time in the SA .

I wonder a little bit, cause the family of the Klausings lived since the 16th century most time in northern germany .. not in the south, where Friedrich Karl was born... so there is lot to find out for me :)

Maybe you can help me to find out some more about my family .. My grandfather died when i was 1 year old .. so i had no chance to ask him by myself .. and nobody of my family knows something about that.

I know . this post is allready 1 year old .. but maybe you can help me to know some more about my families history

Best wishes from Dortmund / Germany

A.Klausing

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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#12

Post by LilliMarlene » 03 Nov 2010, 18:07

A. Klausing
Hi! It's great to find family members of interesting people, especially resistance heroes :) I know that Friedrich Karl Klausing had at least three siblings- a sister named Mathilda (I read a reference to a 1980 interview with a Dr. Mathilda Klausing in a book on von Stauffenberg), a brother known as Benno, and another brother whose name I can't remember but I could look up for you, if you want. Their father mentions them all in his suicide note. I myself know little about the father, besides he was employed as head of a university in Prague during the war. However, my partner also has read a lot on the resistance, and she knows more than I. I can send a PM with our email addresses, if you wish to ask anything we might know. Also, Colin (the other person posting) is incredibly well-informed and resourceful. Good luck!
"Wie einst, Lilli Marlene...."

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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#13

Post by Frankfurter » 06 Nov 2010, 16:12

Vendale wrote:The family name "Klausing" isn´t so popular at all in germany, but anyway its not easy so search about all the relationships of the Klausing family.
...
I wonder a little bit, cause the family of the Klausings lived since the 16th century most time in northern germany .. not in the south, where Friedrich Karl was born... so there is lot to find out for me :)
---
A.Klausing
The name Klausing is indeed north German, I know there are some with this name living in the area I´m coming from.
My late uncle once told me that "a neighbour (a major as he said) was killed because of his involvement in the 20th July plot". I wondered if that could have been Klausing, because that name is so familiar in my family home area. I dont think anymore it was him, but couldnt find who else that could have been.

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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#14

Post by valkyrie » 06 Nov 2010, 18:01

Perhaps Klamroth?

Colin

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Re: Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Klausing

#15

Post by LilliMarlene » 30 Dec 2012, 09:21

My partner and I are sort of renewing our search for anything on the subject of Hauptmann Klausing.....we found a new (at least, to us) photo and article yesterday at "Die Welt." We haven't translated the article yet....any assistance would be more than appreciated (she knows a little German; I know none). What I am looking for mainly is any film footage of Klausing. Another Axis History forum user sent us some footage of Klausing being led in to trial (thank you!) but we are most interested in hearing him speak, if possible. Anyway, just thought I'd check in with everyone here to see if there's anything new. Grazi, and have a great day!
"Wie einst, Lilli Marlene...."

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