Maria Stromberger: A Nurse in the Resistance in Auschwitz

During World War II, Maria Stromberger (Figure 1) was employed, by her own choice, as the Oberschwester (head nurse) in the SS (Schutzstaffel, Nazi security Staff) infirmary of Auschwitz, one of Nazi Germany's most infamous concentration camps. While there, she risked her life numerous times to save Polish inmates from torture and death. For this, she was made an honorary member of the Austrian Union of Former Prisoners of Concentration Camps,1 but she has otherwise received little recognition for her bravery.

Auschwitz has come to symbolize the extermination camps of Nazi Germany. It was both the largest concentration camp and the largest killing center.2 It is located on the …