Network of Peace Historians (Arbeitskreis Historische Friedensforschung)

The Network of Peace Historians was founded in 1983 on the initiative of Prof. Karl Holl under the participation of Dr. Dirk Heinrichs, who is also a founding member of the Foundation. Today, around 100 historians are part of this consortium. Their research focuses on "lessons learnt" regarding the constant fragility of peace. General activities as well as specific research projects of the Network of Peace Historians have continuously been supported by the Foundation.

Its current research project, "Peace Initiatives in Germany at the Dawn of the Cold War", headed by Detlef Bald and Wolfram Wette, is also supported by the Foundation – financially as well as by providing staff. A large number of historians are involved in this project; its first workshop was held in Freiburg in spring 2007, a second in Bremen in November 2007 during the Network’s Annual Meeting, and a third workshop was held in March 2008 at the Catholic Academy, Freiburg. In August 2008, its first publication consisting of 11 articles was released under the title "Alternatives to Rearmament" by Klartext-Publications (Essen). Further workshops and publications are planned for 2009 and 2010.

The Foundation, along with the Network, had carried out a research project, "Outraged, Helpers and Rescues from within the Wehrmacht 1933-1945", over a couple of years. This project was headed by Prof. Wolfram Wette and Dr. Detlef Bald. This research project sought out those members of the Wehrmacht, who (especially during WW II) showed their disgust, revolted against or even became helpers and rescuers of Jews and other discriminated as well as persecuted groups threatened by the war of extermination and the racist systematic mass murder. Research findings are also used for compiling exhibitions at the memorial place "Silent Heroes" (Gedenkstätte "Stille Helden") in Berlin.

For many years, founding member Dirk Heinrichs represented the Threshold Foundation within the consortium. In 2001, Reinhard Jung took over this responsibility. Dirk Heinrichs conducted research himself in the case of two Wehrmacht-officers, verifying that they saved Jews and Polish people from persecution: Lieutenant Colonel Schulze-Bernett, a defense officer based in The Hague, and Captain of the Reserve Force Wilm Hosenfeld, stationed in Warsaw, who was also honored posthumously by the state of Israel as "Righteous among the nations" (Gerechter unter den Völkern). Research was conducted in the case of approximately one hundred representatives of a so called aktiver Anstand or "active integrity" (integrity, in German: Anstand, playing on the German word for resistance: Widerstand). This is only a small minority in the face of 19 million members of the Wehrmacht. These examples nevertheless show that – without wanting to whitewash the Wehrmacht as an institution as such – there was an alternative towards unconditionally obeying immoral commands. The Network’s research did not exclusively focus on the mere actions of rescue by these members of the Wehrmacht, but also took into account the spiritual and moral forces behind their acts of resistance.