Oskar Schindler

He married Emilie Pelzl in 1928. His wife also played a very significant role in rescuing the 1,200 Jews along with Schindler. He abandoned his wife in 1957.

He had numerous love affairs. His relationship with Aurelie Schlegel resulted in the birth of two children.

He died in 1974 at the age of 66.

He was born to Johann “Hans” Schindler and Franziska "Fanny" Schindler. His father owned a farm machinery business.

After completing his primary education he did not go to university or college.

He learnt several trades such as chauffeuring and machinery and worked with his father for three years. After he quit working for his father he found work at Moravian Electrotechnic.

He served for 18 months in the Czech army where he rose to the rank of Lance-Corporal in the Tenth Infantry Regiment of the 31st Army. After his army stint he returned to Moravian Electrotechnic which went bankrupt leaving him unemployed.

He was employed at the Jarslav Simek Bank of Prague from 1931 till 1938.

He became a spy for the Abwehr, the intelligence service of Nazi Germany in 1936. He used to collect information on railways, military installations, and troop movements for them. After this, he became a member of the Nazi Party.

During the early 1940s, he acquired an enamelware factory which became known as ‘Emalia’. The business thrived and by 1944 around 1,750 workers—including 1,000 Jews—were employed there. His connections with the Abwehr helped him obtain contracts to produce enamelware for the military.

He helped save the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware factory and by protecting them from the onslaught of Nazis through his diplomacy and bribery. He invested all his life’s earnings and even risked his own life many times in his incessant efforts to rescue as many Jews as possible.