Rudolf Moebs (9.7.1922 Munich – 11.8.1942 Zaporizhzhia/Ukraine)

Rudolf Moebs came from a family of Munich tradesmen. He grew up in the Maxhof district of Munich. His parents were Jehovah's Witnesses and passed on the values of their religious community to Rudolf and his younger sister Maria. Rudolf's mother was briefly imprisoned for refusing to give the Hitler salute. Probably at the beginning of 1941 – the exact date is not known – Rudolf Moebs was drafted into military service. He reluctantly accepted the call-up and served in the Gebirgsjäger-Ersatz (Mountain Infantry Reserve) Battalion 99 Sonthofen, a unit that was not deployed in combat but served as a personnel reserve for the front. While still at home, he had declared that he would never shoot anyone.

He was apparently tormented by such severe conflicts of conscience that he attempted suicide. Rudolf Moebs was then sent to a military hospital and was released on November 24, 1941. Months later, he was called up for front-line service, which he initially complied with. However, once deployed in the field in Ukraine, he refused to serve with a weapon and thus remained true to his inner convictions. A court martial sentenced him to death in July 1942, and he was shot on August 11, 1942 at the age of 20.