During the German invasion of the USSR, Alexander Schmorell served as a medic in the 252nd Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht. However, he hated Hitler, Nazism, and wholeheartedly sympathized with the Soviet people. Schmorell's mother was Russian, his father was German, and he was born in Orenburg and practiced Orthodoxy. In 1921, his family moved from Russia to Germany. Alexander enrolled in medical school, but shortly before the start of World War II, he was drafted into the army. As part of a medical company, he participated in the French campaign and Operation Barbarossa, though he spent very little time on the front. In 1942, together with his friend and fellow student Hans Scholl, Schmorell organized the underground organization "White Rose." Soon, several students and even a professor joined them. The underground members printed and distributed leaflets calling for resistance against the Nazi regime, leaving inscriptions like "Down with Hitler" and "Freedom" on buildings in Munich. In early 1943, the Gestapo uncovered the "White Rose." The underground members were tried and sentenced to death. "If I have to die, know that I am not afraid of death," Alexander wrote from prison to his family. "The Lord directs the course of things according to His will, but for our good. Therefore, we must trust Him..." On July 13, 1943, Alexander Schmorell was guillotined. Today, streets, squares, schools, or parks in Germany are named in honor of him and other members of the "White Rose." There is also a memorial to the brave medical student in his hometown of Orenburg. On February 4, 2012, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Schmorell.