Schmid, Anton

(1900--1942), German soldier who rescued Jews during World War II. While serving in Vilna as a sergeant in the Wehrmacht, Schmid came in contact with a group of Jews from the Vilna ghetto who were assigned to work for his unit.Schmid treated them kindly, and they grew to trust him. After hearing about the massacres at Ponary in late 1941, Schmid decided to do whatever he could to rescue Jews. He released Jews who were being detained in the Lakishki jail, secretly brought food and supplies to Jews in the ghetto, and hid Jews in the cellars of three houses under his supervision. He also worked with the Jewish underground in Vilna. He even transported some underground members to Warsaw and Bialystok in his truck, so that they could warn the Jews there about the mass executions in Ponary.Underground members had meetings and even slept in his home. Schmid also sent groups of Jews to other ghettos, which at that time were still safe. In January 1942 Schmid was arrested and executed by a military court. In 1964, 22 years after his death, Schmid was designated as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.