Education

Purple Triangles : Profiles

Marcel Sutter (1919-1943)

Marcel Sutter was born on January 3, 1919 in Mulhouse, Alsace (France). A young man who loved life, Marcel was studying electricity with the hopes of becoming an engineer when World War II began and interrupted his education. He was initially drafted as a French citizen, but returned to Alsace after the German occupation in 1940.

He found that his mother and sister, Emma, were attending meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. These were being held secretly at the time because the Nazi government had banned Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany and the occupied territories. Although Marcel loved life and having a ‘good time’ and had no real interest in spiritual matters, he agreed to attend a meeting at the insistence of his sister. This raised for him many questions which had to be answered at a secret meeting place. His honest response to what he learned about the Bible resulted in rapid progress in his studies during the spring of 1941. The Arnolds recognized and appreciated his earnest efforts and despite constant risk of arrest, assisted him in their own home. He was baptized secretly in 1941, after studying less than a year. Just a few days after his baptism, Marcel found himself responsible for the local group’s secret meetings because of the arrest of most of the responsible male members, including Adolphe Arnold.

In 1942, he and other Alsatians were drafted under German Law to report for military service. In the spring of 1943, Marcel refused to present himself for departure to Germany as a recruit and was therefore arrested two days later and remanded to the Camp of Schirmeck in Alsace. Having been drafted already, he was registered by the military forces. Marcel was arrested in the camp by the military police. These released him from the camp and sent him to his battalion, where he arrived with a high fever. After being confined in the military hospital there as a result of scarlet fever, he was called up for service into the German army. His convictions, however, did not permit him to kill his fellow man. Because of his firm refusal to serve in the military, he was taken to the prison in Torgau, Germany. A military court pronounced his condemnation on October 8, 1943 for refusing to perform military service. He based his defense on God’s law and his love of neighbor. The entire procedure lasted twenty minutes. His death sentence was handed down on October 22, 1943.

Marcel Sutter was beheaded in the prison of Roter Ochse in Halle on November 5, 1943 as a conscientious objector. Today, a permanent exhibit in that prison lists the names of all those executed there. Marcel was 24 years old when he lost his life for his faith. A few hours before Marcel was beheaded, he wrote the following letter:

“ My dearly beloved parents and sisters,

When you receive this letter, I will no longer be alive. Only a few hours separate me from my death. I ask you to be strong and courageous ; do not cry, for I have conquered. I have finished the course and kept the faith. May Jehovah God help me until the end. Only a short period of time separates us from the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Soon we will see each other again in a better world of peace and righteousness. I rejoice at the thought of that day, since then there will be no more sighing. How marvelous that will be ! I am yearning for peace. During these last few hours I have been thinking of you and my heart is a little bitter at the thought of not being able to kiss you good-bye. But we must be patient. The time is near when Jehovah will vindicate his Name and prove to all creation that he is the only true God. I now wish to dedicate my last few hours to him, so I will close this letter and say good-bye until we meet again soon. Praise be to our God Jehovah ! With my warm love and greetings,

Your beloved son and brother,

Marcel ”

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