Oskar Schindler

Oskar Schindler was a German industrialist, spy, and member of the Nazi Party who is credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories, which were located in occupied Poland and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. He is the subject of the 1982 novel Schindlers Ark, and the subsequent 1993 film Schindlers List, which reflected his life as an opportunist initially motivated by profit who came to show extraordinary initiative, tenacity and dedication to save the lives of his Jewish employees.

Schindler was born onApril 1908, into a Sudeten German family in Zwittau, Moravia, AustriaHungary. His father was Johann Hans Schindler, the owner of a farm machinery business, and his mother was Franziska Fanny Schindler . His sister, Elfriede, was born in 1915. After attending primary and secondary school, Schindler enrolled in a technical school, from which he was expelled in 1924 for forging his report card. He later graduated, but did not take the Abitur exams that would have enabled him to go to college or university. Instead he took courses in Brno in several trades, including chauffeuring and machinery, and worked for his father for three years. A fan of motorcycles since his youth, Schindler bought a 250cc Moto Guzzi racing motorcycle and competed recreationally in mountain races for the next few years.

Source: Wikipedia