List of German groups who resisted Nazism

However short, it might be more apt to just say, "Communists". The opposition to Nazism was almost exclusively, Communists, with a liberal sprinkling of church people and a few 'defectors' from military and centrist-to-right organizations.

This list contains the names of organizations who themselves were or individual members of which were involved in the German Resistance (WP) against Nazism, but is not a complete list.

Names are periodically added, but not all names are known. There are both men and women members in the organizations on this list of Widerstandskämpfer ("Resistance fighters") primarily German, some Austrian or from elsewhere, who risked their lives in a number of ways. They tried to overthrow the National Socialist regime, they denounced its war criminals, tried to prevent World War II (WP) and sabotaged German attacks on other countries. Some merely tried to protect those who were being harmed and persecuted by the Nazis.

This list is not exclusive of support for Nazism; in a few cases, especially of larger organizations such as the Catholic Church, there may have also been members or factions who supported Nazism, and conversely, in large groups that almost all supported Nazism, such as the Heimwehr or Wehrmacht or SS(WP), or who were so amoral that they would use Nazis as assets (WP), such as the Special Operations Executive, there may also have been members or factions who opposed it ('defectors', for lack of a better word, since that implies a movement of location, as well as ideology).

A

 * Abwehr German intelligence, elements of which were anti-Nazi, see Solf Circle, German Resistance, Frau Solf Tea Party, and Erich Vermehren
 * Allgemeiner freier Angestelltenbund (WP)
 * Anarchist resistance (Otto Weidt (WP))
 * American Friends of German Freedom
 * Antinazistische Deutsche Volksfront
 * Association of Revolutionary Visual Artists (ASSO) (WP)

B

 * Bästlein-Jacob-Abshagen Group (WP)
 * Brümmer Kleine resistance group
 * Buchenwald Popular Front Committee (WP)
 * Buchenwald Resistance (WP)

C

 * Christian Socialists
 * CVJM German (WP)
 * Committee for Proletarian Unity (WP)
 * Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ)(WP)
 * Communist Party of Germany (KPD) (WP)
 * Communist Party Opposition (KPO) (WP)
 * Communist resistance
 * Communist Worker's Party of Germany (KAPD) (WP)
 * Catholic Church (WP) (Clemens August Graf von Galen and others)
 * Confessing Church (WP) including Lothar Kreyssig, (only judge to intervene in Aktion T4 (WP) euthanasia operation)
 * Council for a Democratic Germany (WP)
 * Covenant of Religious Socialists of Germany (BRSD) (WP)

D

 * Deutsche Demokratische Partei (DDP) (WP)
 * Deutsche Volksfront
 * Deutscher Metallarbeiterverband (German Metalworkers' Federation, part of the International Metalworkers' Federation (WP)), later IG Metall

E

 * Edelweißpiraten (WP)
 * Ehrenfeld Group (WP)
 * Ernst Niekisch resistance movement
 * European Union (resistance group) (WP)
 * Evangelical Church in Germany

F

 * Franciscans Maria Restituta (WP)

G

 * Garibaldi Brigades
 * Gemeinschaft für Frieden und Aufbau Community for Peace and Development
 * Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) Greek People's Liberation Army
 * Gruppe Westerweel

H

 * Haushofer-Kreis
 * Herbert Baum Group
 * Heimwehr (WP)- paramilitary right wing group; defectors

I

 * Independent Socialist Union
 * International Red Aid (WP) associated with Rote Hilfe
 * International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) (WP)
 * Internationale Kommunisten Deutschlands (IKD) (WP)
 * Internationaler Sozialistischer Kampfbund (ISK) (WP)

J

 * Jehovah's Witnesses (Simone Arnold Liebster)

K

 * Kommunistische Räte-Union (August Merges)
 * Konservative Revolution Konservative Revolution more centrist and fascist organization than the Reichsbanner, defectors
 * Kreisau Circle (WP) (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke#Kreisau Circle)

L

 * Landschulheim Herrlingen (WP)
 * Landtag, Bavarian legislature (Alois Hundhammer)
 * Lutherans (Wilhelm Wester)

M

 * Maier Messner Caldonazzi
 * Michaelis Group

N

 * National Committee for a Free Germany (NKFD) (WP), USSR(WP)
 * Neu Beginnen (WP)
 * Neuer Weg Group

O

 * O5 (WP) (Rosengarten)
 * Onkel Emil Group
 * OSS (Office of Strategic Services) (WP), defectors. -London "Free Germans", Kurt Gruber

P

 * Polish resistance group organized by Ignaz Hulka

R

 * Red Orchestra (WP) Trepper group in Germany, France, and Belgium, the Red Three (German: rote Drei) in Switzerland, and the Schulze-Boysen/Harnack group in Berlin
 * Reichsbanner (WP) centrist nationalist organization, opposed to both left and right, but especially defectors
 * Résistance (WP)
 * Revolutionäre Sozialisten Deutschlands (RSD) (WP)
 * Robinsohn-Strassmann Group (Hans Robinsohn)
 * Robert Uhrig Group
 * Rosengarten (O5)
 * Rotfrontkämpferbund
 * Rote Hilfe (WP)
 * Rote Kämpfer
 * Rote Pfadfinder

S

 * Saarkämpferbund
 * Saefkow-Jacob-Bästlein Organization (WP)
 * Schlotterbeck Group (Schlotterbeck aus Luginsland)
 * SJVD (WP)
 * Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) (WP)
 * Social Democratic Party of Germany - RK (SPD-RK)
 * Socialist Front (WP)
 * Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (WP)
 * Solf Circle (WP)
 * Sopade (WP)
 * Special Operations Executive (SOE) (WP), defectors. (Albrecht Gaiswinkler, Josef Grafl)
 * Speyer Kameradschaft (Stanislaus Peplinski- (WP))
 * Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten "Steel Helmet, League of Frontline Soldiers"; Friedrich Illies, opposition to Nazism

T

 * Trotzkyists (WP)

U

 * Ugo Muccini partisan group - Garibaldi Brigades (WP)
 * Ulm abitur group of the White Rose

V

 * Versöhnler (Conciliator faction) anti-Marxist communist faction
 * Vierergruppe (WP)

W

 * Waffen-SS Waffen-SS (Kurt Gerstein)
 * White Rose (WP)
 * Wehrmacht (WP), defectors. (Karl Biedermann, Carl Szokoll; Operation Radetzky. Karl Plagge)
 * Willy Fred (Arnolt Bronnen)

Y

 * Young Communist League of Germany (WP) (KJVD) (WP)

Z

 * Zentrumspartei (WP)
 * Zionists (Edith Wolff)