The White Rose was a small anti-Nazi organization that started in 1942 and ended in early 1943. After serving in the war and realizing the deception of the Nazi regime, Hans Scholl, Alex Schmorell and Willi Graf decided they needed to do something to inform the German citizens of the true situation.

"Hitler kann den Krieg nicht gewinnen, er kann ihn nur verlängern. Die Schuld seiner Helfer hat für immer jede mögliche Grenze überschritten. Deshalb sollten Sie sich von den Nazis trennen! Zeigen Sie durch Ihre Handlungen, dass Sie anders denken!"

"Hitler cannot win the war, he can only prolong it. The guilt of his helpers has forever crossed every possible boundary. That’s why you should separate yourself from the Nazis! Show through your actions that you think otherwise!"
~ White Rose Pamphlet

When they returned to the University of Munich, the four of them and a few of their classmates gathered together to talk about their studies. These meetings evolved into political discussions showing the students they had similar views on Hitler and the Nazi party. They were further enraged when a Nazi party leader came to their school making harsh remarks about women. This anger, and the eye opening to Nazi cruelty, is what formed the White Rose Resistance Group. The main members were Sophie and Hans Scholl, Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, Christoph Probst, and their professor Kurt Huber.

"Es ist sicher, dass sich heute jeder ehrliche Deutsche seiner Regierung schämt. Wer unter uns hat eine Vorstellung von den Dimensionen der Schande, die uns und unseren Kindern widerfahren werden, wenn eines Tages der Schleier aus unseren Augen gefallen ist und das schrecklichste Verbrechen."

"It is certain that today every honest German is ashamed of his government. Who among us has any conception of the dimensions of shame that will befall us and our children when one day the veil has fallen from our eyes and the most horrible of crimes."​​​​​​​
~ First White Rose pamphlet

The group met secretly at the Scholl’s home. Initially, they worked on writing and distributing anti-fascist pamphlets. The flyers were printed on a hand-crank printing press. They were sent to random addresses all over Germany, aiming to make the group seem bigger than it really was. They printed and mailed thousands of pamphlets. In addition, the group started painting phrases such as ‘Freedom’ and ‘Down with Hitler’ on the building walls of Munich, Germany.