Franceska Mann
Franceska Mann | |
|---|---|
Mann c. 1938 | |
| Born | Franceska Manheimer 4 February 1917 |
| Died | 23 October 1943 (aged 26) |
| Other names | Lola Horowitz surname also spelled as Man, Mannówna, or Rosenberg-Manheimer |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, dancer |
| Spouse | Marek Rosenberg |
Franceska Manheimer-Rosenberg (4 February 1917 – 23 October 1943), better known as Franceska Mann, was a Polish Jewish ballerina who, according to some accounts, killed a Nazi guard, Josef Schillinger, while a prisoner at the Auschwitz concentration camp and wounded at least one other, Wilhelm Emmerich. Her actions are said to have sparked an uprising among fellow female Jewish prisoners before she herself was killed.
In the most popular but unverified version of the event, Mann is said to have performed a striptease for Nazis at the camp and, once down to naught but high heels took one of her shoes and stabbed Walter Quakernack in the face with the heel, causing him to drop his firearm. She then used it to shoot Schillinger and Emmerich. Schillinger died from his wounds several hours later while Emmerich was left with a permanent limp.