John Rabe

John Rabe
Born
John Heinrich Detlef Rabe

(1882-11-23)23 November 1882
Died5 January 1950(1950-01-05) (aged 67)
OccupationBusinessman
EmployerSiemens AG
Known forSaving about 250,000 Chinese civilians during the Nanjing Massacre
Establishing the Nanking Safety Zone
Political partyNazi Party
SpouseDora Rabe
RelativesThomas Rabe (grandson)
John and Dora Rabe autograph signatures, Nanjing, 22 May 1932

John Heinrich Detlef Rabe (23 November 1882 – 5 January 1950) was a German businessman and Nazi Party member best known for his efforts to stop war crimes during the Japanese Nanjing Massacre (also romanized as Nanking) and his work to protect and help Chinese civilians during the massacre that ensued. The Nanking Safety Zone, which he helped to establish, sheltered approximately 250,000 Chinese people from being killed. He officially represented Germany and acted as senior chief of the European-U.S. establishment that remained in Nanjing, the Chinese capital at the time, when the city fell to the Japanese troops.