Remember the German officer who protected "The Pianist" Wladyslaw Szpilman?
Wilm Hosenfeld, the German officer depicted
in the film, "The Pianist," has been recognized as a Righteous Among
the Nations by Israel's Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance
Authority.
Hosenfeld was a sports and culture officer in Warsaw
during the war. Wladyslaw Szpilman, the Polish-Jewish musician, from
whose life the film "The Pianist" was taken, wrote to Yad Vashem that
Hosenfeld helped him during the war by finding him a hiding place and
giving him food. After the war, Hosenfeld was arrested and sentenced to
life in prison by the Soviets. He died in prison in 1952. His grown
children in Germany will receive a medal and certificate
In the photo above, a scene from the movie. Below, the real Hosenfeld; the real Wladyslaw Szpilman and Roman Jasinski.