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{{Short description|German Communist and resistance fighter}} |
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[[File:Zig Ion.jpg|thumb|200px|John Sieg]] |
[[File:Zig Ion.jpg|thumb|200px|John Sieg]] |
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'''John Sieg''' (February 3, 1903 – October 15, 1942) was |
'''John Sieg''' (February 3, 1903 – October 15, 1942) was an American-born German [[Communist Party of Germany|Communist]] railroad worker, [[journalist]] and [[German resistance to Nazism|resistance]] fighter, who publicized [[Nazi]] atrocities through the underground Communist press and fought against [[National Socialism]] in the [[German resistance to Nazism|German Resistance]]. He was a key member of the anti-fascist resistance group that was later called the [[Red Orchestra (espionage)|Red Orchestra]] by the [[Gestapo]]. |
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== Biography == |
== Biography == |
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{{moresources|section|date=October 2022}} |
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John Sieg was born in [[Detroit]], Michigan, the son of a mechanic. After the death of his father in 1912, he lived with his grandfather in Germany and became a German citizen in 1920.<ref name="muselicht">[http://www.museum-lichtenberg.de/58.0.html "NS-Widerstandskämpfer/Innen" (click on name)] Museum Lichterberg, official website. List of German Resistance fighters. Retrieved |
John Sieg was born in [[Detroit]], Michigan, the son of a mechanic.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sieg, John 3.2.1903 11.10.1942 |url=https://www.bundesstiftung-aufarbeitung.de/de/recherche/kataloge-datenbanken/biographische-datenbanken/john-sieg |website=Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung |publisher=Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur, Karl Dietz Verlag Berlin |access-date=10 July 2023 |location=Berlin |language=de}}</ref> After the death of his father in 1912, he lived with his grandfather in Germany and became a German citizen in 1920.<ref name="muselicht">[http://www.museum-lichtenberg.de/58.0.html "NS-Widerstandskämpfer/Innen" (click on name)] Museum Lichterberg, official website. List of German Resistance fighters. Retrieved 7 April 2010. {{in lang|de}}</ref> |
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⚫ | In the beginning of the 1920s, Sieg went to school to become a |
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⚫ | In the beginning of the 1920s, Sieg went to school to become a teacher, but when his grandfather died in 1923, he had to quit. He returned to Detroit and met his future wife, Sophie, in 1924, while working as a college intern. He stayed in the United States until February 1928, when Sieg and his wife returned to Germany and he became a freelance author in [[Berlin]].<ref name="muselicht" /> |
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[[File:Stamps of Germany (DDR) 1983, MiNr Block 070.jpg|left|200px|thumb|1983 Postage stamp of Red Orchestra members Harnack, [[Harro Schulze-Boysen]] and Sieg; from the [[German Democratic Republic|GDR]]]] |
[[File:Stamps of Germany (DDR) 1983, MiNr Block 070.jpg|left|200px|thumb|1983 Postage stamp of Red Orchestra members Harnack, [[Harro Schulze-Boysen]] and Sieg; from the [[German Democratic Republic|GDR]]]] |
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He began writing articles for ''[[Die Tat]]'', a newspaper published by [[Adam Kuckhoff]]. After joining the [[Communist Party of Germany]] that same year, he began to write for the arts section of the KPD newspaper, ''[[Die Rote Fahne]]'' and he got to know [[Wilhelm Guddorf]] and [[Martin Weise]]. |
He began writing articles for ''[[Die Tat]]'', a newspaper published by [[Adam Kuckhoff]]. After joining the [[Communist Party of Germany]] (KPD) that same year, he began to write for the arts section of the KPD newspaper, ''[[Die Rote Fahne]]'' and he got to know [[Wilhelm Guddorf]] and [[Martin Weise]]. |
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He was arrested by the [[Sturmabteilung]] (storm troopers) in March 1933 and held till June. Upon his release, he began working with the Communist Resistance in the Berlin suburb of [[Neukölln]], becoming the focal point of several groups. He had close contact with [[Arvid Harnack]] and Kuckhoff. He took part in leafletting campaigns and shared political information. In 1937, he got a job with the [[Deutsche Reichsbahn]], eventually working as a signaller at the [[S-Bahn]] station at Papestraße. As a railroad employee, Sieg was able to make use of work-related travel and free travel to build connections with other Resistance groups, such as the one organized around [[Bernhard Bästlein]].<ref name="muselicht" /> |
He was arrested by the [[Sturmabteilung]] (storm troopers) in March 1933 and held till June. Upon his release, he began working with the Communist Resistance in the Berlin suburb of [[Neukölln]], becoming the focal point of several groups. He had close contact with [[Arvid Harnack]] and Kuckhoff. He took part in leafletting campaigns and shared political information. In 1937, he got a job with the [[Deutsche Reichsbahn]], eventually working as a signaller at the [[S-Bahn]] station at Papestraße. As a railroad employee, Sieg was able to make use of work-related travel and free travel to build connections with other Resistance groups, such as the one organized around [[Bernhard Bästlein]].<ref name="muselicht" /> He worked with Herbert Grasse, Otto Grabowski, and the [[Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization]] to produce the newspaper, ''[[Die Innere Front]]'' (''The Internal Front'').<ref name="muselicht" /> He was a core member of the [[Red Orchestra (espionage)|Rote Kapelle]], along with Guddorf and Kuckhoff. |
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⚫ | He was arrested on 11 October 1942 and was taken to the [[Gestapo]] prison on [[Niederkirchnerstraße|Prinz-Albrecht-Straße]], where he endured intensive interrogations and abuse. The previous spring, he had confided to a friend that if he were ever arrested, he would commit suicide rather than risk betraying friends. On 15 October 1942, following severe mistreatment, he hanged himself in his cell.<ref name="muselicht" /> Sieg's wife, Sophie, was also arrested in October 1942. Without trial, she was sent to [[Ravensbrück concentration camp]] in 1943. She was liberated by the [[Red Army]] in 1945.<ref>[http://bda-koepenick.de/ Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes e.V.- Bund der Antifaschisten Köpenick (photo of Sophie and John Sieg, plus brief details about Sophie)], berlin.vvn-bda.de. Retrieved 7 April 2010. {{in lang|de}}</ref> |
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He worked with [[Herbert Grasse]], [[Otto Grabowski]] and the [[Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization]] to produce the newspaper, ''[[Die Innere Front]]'' (''The Internal Front'').<ref name="muselicht" /> He was a core member of the [[Red Orchestra (espionage)|Rote Kapelle]], along with Guddorf and Kuckhoff. |
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⚫ | He was arrested on October |
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Sieg's wife, Sophie was also arrested in October 1942 and without a courtroom procedure, was sent to [[Ravensbrück concentration camp]] in 1943. She was liberated by the [[Red Army]] in 1945.<ref>[http://bda-koepenick.de/verfolgte/Sophie%20Sieg Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes - Bund der Antifaschisten Köpenick] Photo of Sophie and John Sieg, plus brief details about Sophie Sieg. Retrieved April 7, 2010 {{de icon}}</ref> |
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== Legacy == |
== Legacy == |
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[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L0622-0045, Berlin, Namensgebung John Sieg-Straße.jpg|thumb|200px|Street named after John Sieg in Berlin, June 1972]] |
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L0622-0045, Berlin, Namensgebung John Sieg-Straße.jpg|thumb|200px|Street named after John Sieg in East Berlin, June 1972]] |
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A street in an area of new construction on Frankfurter Allee-Süd in [[Berlin-Lichtenberg]] was named after John Sieg on June 22, 1972.<ref>[ |
A street in an area of new construction on Frankfurter Allee-Süd in [[Berlin-Lichtenberg]] was named after John Sieg on June 22, 1972.<ref>[https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=john-sieg-strasse+berlin,+Germany&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=62.74193,76.992187&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=John-Sieg-Stra%C3%9Fe,+Lichtenberg+10365+Berlin,+Germany&t=h&z=16 Map link to John-Sieg-Straße, 10365 Berlin, Germany] Google Maps. Retrieved April 7, 2010</ref> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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* [[List of Germans who resisted Nazism]] |
* [[List of Germans who resisted Nazism]] |
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{{Reflist}} |
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== Further reading == |
== Further reading == |
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* [[Hans Coppi, Jr.]], Jürgen Danyel and [[Johannes Tuchel]]. ''Die Rote Kapelle im Widerstand gegen den Nationalsozialismus''. Hentric, Berlin 1994, ISBN |
* [[Hans Coppi, Jr.]], Jürgen Danyel and [[Johannes Tuchel]]. ''Die Rote Kapelle im Widerstand gegen den Nationalsozialismus''. Hentric, Berlin 1994, {{ISBN|3-89468-110-1}} {{in lang|de}} |
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* Alfred Gottwaldt. ''Innere Front. Erinnerungen an John Sieg, Reichsbahngehilfe und Widerstandskämpfer''. In: Eisenbahn Geschichte, No. 26 ( |
* Alfred Gottwaldt. ''Innere Front. Erinnerungen an John Sieg, Reichsbahngehilfe und Widerstandskämpfer''. In: Eisenbahn Geschichte, No. 26 (February–March 2008) pp. 57–59 {{in lang|de}} |
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* Regina Griebel, Marlies Coburger, Heinrich Scheel. ''Erfasst? Das Gestapo-Album zur Roten Kapelle''. Audioscop, Halle/S. 1992, ISBN |
* Regina Griebel, Marlies Coburger, Heinrich Scheel. ''Erfasst? Das Gestapo-Album zur Roten Kapelle''. Audioscop, Halle/S. 1992, {{ISBN|3-88384-044-0}} {{in lang|de}} |
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* Gert Rosiejka. ''Die Rote Kapelle. |
* Gert Rosiejka. ''Die Rote Kapelle. "Landesverrat" als antifaschistischer Widerstand.'' ergebnisse, Hamburg 1986, {{ISBN|3-925622-16-0}} {{in lang|de}} |
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* Helmut Schmidt (Ed.) ''John Sieg. Einer von Millionen spricht''. Dietz Verlag Berlin 1989, ISBN |
* Helmut Schmidt (Ed.) ''John Sieg. Einer von Millionen spricht''. Dietz Verlag Berlin 1989, {{ISBN|3-320-01392-0}} {{in lang|de}} |
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* {{cite book |last1=Sieg |first1=John |last2=Scheel |first2=Heinrich |last3=Bock |first3=Sigrid |title=Einer von Millionen spricht: Skizzen, Erzählungen, Reportagen, Flugschriften |date=1989 |publisher=Dietz |location=Berlin |isbn=9783320013929 |language=de}} |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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* [http://www.museum-lichtenberg.de/58.0.html Museum Lichterberg, Berlin] Retrieved April 7, 2010 {{ |
* [http://www.museum-lichtenberg.de/58.0.html Museum Lichterberg, Berlin] Retrieved April 7, 2010 {{in lang|de}} |
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{{Writers and Publishers of Die Innere Front}} |
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{{People of the German Rote Kapelle resistance group}} |
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<references /> |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{Persondata |
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| NAME= Sieg, John |
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| ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |
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| SHORT DESCRIPTION= Journalist and [[German Resistance]] fighter |
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| DATE OF BIRTH= February 3, 1903 |
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| PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Detroit]], MI |
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| DATE OF DEATH= October 15, 1942 |
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| PLACE OF DEATH= [[Berlin]] |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sieg, John}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sieg, John}} |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1903 births]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1942 suicides]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1942 deaths]] |
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[[Category:German communists]] |
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[[Category:Red Orchestra (espionage)]] |
[[Category:Red Orchestra (espionage)]] |
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[[Category:Communists in the German Resistance]] |
[[Category:Communists in the German Resistance]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Spies who died in prison custody]] |
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[[Category:1942 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Spies who committed suicide]] |
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[[Category:American emigrants to Germany]] |
[[Category:American emigrants to Germany]] |
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[[Category:Suicides by hanging in Germany]] |
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[[de:John Sieg]] |
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[[Category:Prisoners who died in German detention]] |
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[[es:John Sieg]] |
Latest revision as of 21:11, 12 February 2024
John Sieg (February 3, 1903 – October 15, 1942) was an American-born German Communist railroad worker, journalist and resistance fighter, who publicized Nazi atrocities through the underground Communist press and fought against National Socialism in the German Resistance. He was a key member of the anti-fascist resistance group that was later called the Red Orchestra by the Gestapo.
Biography
[edit]This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2022) |
John Sieg was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of a mechanic.[1] After the death of his father in 1912, he lived with his grandfather in Germany and became a German citizen in 1920.[2]
In the beginning of the 1920s, Sieg went to school to become a teacher, but when his grandfather died in 1923, he had to quit. He returned to Detroit and met his future wife, Sophie, in 1924, while working as a college intern. He stayed in the United States until February 1928, when Sieg and his wife returned to Germany and he became a freelance author in Berlin.[2]
He began writing articles for Die Tat, a newspaper published by Adam Kuckhoff. After joining the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) that same year, he began to write for the arts section of the KPD newspaper, Die Rote Fahne and he got to know Wilhelm Guddorf and Martin Weise.
He was arrested by the Sturmabteilung (storm troopers) in March 1933 and held till June. Upon his release, he began working with the Communist Resistance in the Berlin suburb of Neukölln, becoming the focal point of several groups. He had close contact with Arvid Harnack and Kuckhoff. He took part in leafletting campaigns and shared political information. In 1937, he got a job with the Deutsche Reichsbahn, eventually working as a signaller at the S-Bahn station at Papestraße. As a railroad employee, Sieg was able to make use of work-related travel and free travel to build connections with other Resistance groups, such as the one organized around Bernhard Bästlein.[2] He worked with Herbert Grasse, Otto Grabowski, and the Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization to produce the newspaper, Die Innere Front (The Internal Front).[2] He was a core member of the Rote Kapelle, along with Guddorf and Kuckhoff.
He was arrested on 11 October 1942 and was taken to the Gestapo prison on Prinz-Albrecht-Straße, where he endured intensive interrogations and abuse. The previous spring, he had confided to a friend that if he were ever arrested, he would commit suicide rather than risk betraying friends. On 15 October 1942, following severe mistreatment, he hanged himself in his cell.[2] Sieg's wife, Sophie, was also arrested in October 1942. Without trial, she was sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp in 1943. She was liberated by the Red Army in 1945.[3]
Legacy
[edit]A street in an area of new construction on Frankfurter Allee-Süd in Berlin-Lichtenberg was named after John Sieg on June 22, 1972.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Sieg, John 3.2.1903 11.10.1942". Bundesstiftung Aufarbeitung (in German). Berlin: Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur, Karl Dietz Verlag Berlin. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "NS-Widerstandskämpfer/Innen" (click on name) Museum Lichterberg, official website. List of German Resistance fighters. Retrieved 7 April 2010. (in German)
- ^ Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes e.V.- Bund der Antifaschisten Köpenick (photo of Sophie and John Sieg, plus brief details about Sophie), berlin.vvn-bda.de. Retrieved 7 April 2010. (in German)
- ^ Map link to John-Sieg-Straße, 10365 Berlin, Germany Google Maps. Retrieved April 7, 2010
Further reading
[edit]- Hans Coppi, Jr., Jürgen Danyel and Johannes Tuchel. Die Rote Kapelle im Widerstand gegen den Nationalsozialismus. Hentric, Berlin 1994, ISBN 3-89468-110-1 (in German)
- Alfred Gottwaldt. Innere Front. Erinnerungen an John Sieg, Reichsbahngehilfe und Widerstandskämpfer. In: Eisenbahn Geschichte, No. 26 (February–March 2008) pp. 57–59 (in German)
- Regina Griebel, Marlies Coburger, Heinrich Scheel. Erfasst? Das Gestapo-Album zur Roten Kapelle. Audioscop, Halle/S. 1992, ISBN 3-88384-044-0 (in German)
- Gert Rosiejka. Die Rote Kapelle. "Landesverrat" als antifaschistischer Widerstand. ergebnisse, Hamburg 1986, ISBN 3-925622-16-0 (in German)
- Helmut Schmidt (Ed.) John Sieg. Einer von Millionen spricht. Dietz Verlag Berlin 1989, ISBN 3-320-01392-0 (in German)
- Sieg, John; Scheel, Heinrich; Bock, Sigrid (1989). Einer von Millionen spricht: Skizzen, Erzählungen, Reportagen, Flugschriften (in German). Berlin: Dietz. ISBN 9783320013929.
External links
[edit]- Museum Lichterberg, Berlin Retrieved April 7, 2010 (in German)