Georg Johannes Schäfer (March 25, 1926 – January 11, 1991) also known by the pseudonym Oma Ziegenfuss, was a German painter, poet, and author who lived in Guatemala and the United States.
Early life and wartime activities
Schäfer was born in 1926 in Leinefelde, Germany.
According to Schäfer's account, at the age of 12 he was pressured into joining the Hitler Youth. In 1943 he was stationed in Denmark with the occupation forces, where he became a member of the Danish resistance, under the leadership of Damgaard Hansen. While working with the resistance, Schäfer was betrayed, captured by the Gestapo, found guilty of espionage, and sentenced to death. He was jailed for six months while awaiting execution. He was twice placed in front of firing squads in an effort to coerce him into betraying members of the resistance, which he refused to do. Aged 17, he started a hunger strike.
On March 16, 1945, Heinrich Himmler commuted his death sentence to 15 years in prison. Schäfer's father had been writing to the prison, asking for his son's release, though it is unclear what effect this had. When the Allied Forces liberated Berlin, Schäfer had worked 18 months hard labor in Grabow, Mecklenburg, Germany.
Post-war
After the war, Schäfer entered the Theological College at Fulda Hessen, but decided against a career in the Catholic Church. He was invited to accompany a group of Romani people who had also been interned in concentration camps, and traveled with them for two years.