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Arno Schönmann

Victim | 1890 | Weaver / jeweller

Arno Schönmann has a Jewish background and escapes the rise of Nazism by emigrating to NEI. He becomes director of the "Kantjil Mas" weavery in Surabaya. He is also referred to as jeweller in Surabaya.

When the rescue ship ms Boelongan spots a chain of floating rafts loaded with survivors, the infamous scene develops whereby captain Berveling shouts over the ship's railing whether there are any Dutch survivors on the rafts. Apparently the Germans deny this openly and captain Berveling decides to leave. Arno Schönman jumps from his raft and swims towards the Boelongan. Some crew members on the Boelongan are about to throw a life line to save him. To their amazement and confusion, the captain orders to abort the rescue action. According to some accounts Schönmann then keeps swimming after the moving Boelongan and tries to grab the rope. He then gets so exhausted that he drowns on the spot. According to other accounts he manages to swim back to his raft, but later, when the rafts are cut loose from the guiding boat in front, he drowns, together with the others hanging on to the raft.



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