Eugen Schilffarth: Refusal to Give the Nazi Salute

One name found more frequently in the district president’s confidential reports from the district of Upper and Central Franconia is that of Pastor Eugen Schilffarth (1880–1952). Schilffarth had served the parish of Streitberg in the Fränkische Schweiz since 1927. He and his family landed in conflicts with the NSDAP repeatedly after the Nazi seizure of power and were reported to the police several times.

Nazi leadership considered Schilffarth to be an opponent of National Socialism and accordingly had him and his family put under surveillance. Early on, his refusal to join the NSDAP had led to threats that he would have to leave Streitberg. He was reported to the authorities for the first time when he compared the local Nazis with Marxists in a private conversation in May of 1933 and was threatened with “protective custody” by the agent of the special commissioner of the senior SA leadership for the Ebermannstadt district government.

Schilffarth’s entire family was denounced in early 1935. In a letter of January 23, 1935, the NSDAP Gau Headquarters accused him and his family of refusing to give the Nazi salute (“Heil Hitler”) on the street and considered this to be an indication of his distance to National Socialism. When Schilffarth’s daughter Erny did not salute the NSDAP flag at a funeral procession in January of 1937, another report was filed, which accused her of rejecting the Nazi state and willfully intending to cause unrest among the populace with her conduct.

Despite ongoing clashes with the local Nazis, threats and reports to authorities, Schilffarth never backed down and one again ventured to compare Nazis with Communists in 1936. Charges had to be dropped, however, because of a lack of evidence. Schilffarth incurred particular displeasure when he saw off a Jewish family, which was being forced to leave Streitberg, at the train station and commented in confirmation class that baptism made Jews Christians.