David Frankfurter

David Frankfurter
David Frankfurter in British Mandate of Palestine, 1945
Born(1909-07-09)9 July 1909
Daruvar, Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, Austria-Hungary
Died19 July 1982(1982-07-19) (aged 73)
Ramat Gan, Israel
NationalityCroat
CitizenshipAustria-Hungary
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Israel
Parents

David Frankfurter (Hebrew: דוד פרנקפורטר, 9 July 1909 – 19 July 1982) was a Croatian Jew known for assassinating Wilhelm Gustloff, the Swiss branch leader of the Nazi Party, in February 1936 in Davos, Switzerland.[1] He surrendered and confessed, telling the police that "I fired the shots because I am a Jew."

Frankfurter was sentenced to 18 years in prison for murder. Shortly after V-E Day, he was granted a parliamentary pardon and released. As he left prison, sympathetic crowds cheered him as a hero.[2]

  1. ^ Alan Riding (8 April 2003). "Still Intrigued by History's Shadows; Günter Grass Worries About the Effects of War, Then and Now". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).