Offenbach snake gang

Disturbing forces – they open our eyes.
This is how they were seen – and this is how they wanted to be seen: young people who did not want to fit into the system of Gleichschaltung. While their peers marched in uniform and sang nationalist slogans, some young people in Offenbach chose a different path – bravely, dangerously, and with full awareness.

They called themselves the Snake Gang.

She wore her hair long, her clothes were colorful and untidily fitted. Instead of appeals and HJ service, she went out into nature – on bike rides, hikes, and in parks or remote places in the evenings. Her appearance was provocative at a time when nonconformity was considered a threat. And that didn’t go unnoticed.

The HJ patrol chased them, forced them to have their hair cut in an NS-style. But they did not give in. Fred Horz, one of the youths, recalls:

„We did not accept the measures of the HJ leaders and decided to take countermeasures […] We obtained pistols and in the evening we blew out the light bulbs in Nazi-era apartments.“

What began as a youthful rebellion turned into real resistance.

In January 1944 Several members are arrested – for „breach of the peace“ and „membership in a criminal youth gang“. They spend months in the Gestapo prison in Darmstadt, are interrogated, beaten, and intimidated. In June they are released – but the danger remains.

When new arrests threaten at the end of 1944, the Gretel Maraldo only option is to flee. In January 1945, Werner Diehl, Fred Horz, Robert Heinrich Appel and Werner Kaltmaier set off for Switzerland. But their plan fails: In Villingen, they are caught by a Wehrmacht patrol. The Gestapo takes them to Bensheim – the interrogations begin again.

Then things get out of hand. Four of the youths are to be deported to Bavaria. But the Allies are closing in; the regime loses control. Diehl is pulled out of his cell; two shots are fired. He survives – seriously injured. The other three take the opportunity on the march to Groß-Umstadt to escape – and finally reach Offenbach.

Gretel Maraldo She remains in Bensheim. On March 24, 1945, she is driven to Kirchberg with other prisoners. She knows what that means. She flees. But she is discovered – and shot.

A reminder of civil courage

Gretel’s story stands for many who did not want to conform. The „snake band“ was not a political organization, not an organized resistance in the classical sense – and that is precisely what makes it so remarkable. Their resistance was personal, immediate, and courageous. They risked everything to live differently.

Their actions are an impressive example of civil courage in a time when dissent could have ended fatally.