BERLIN (AP) — Ulrich Renz, who once led The Associated Press’ German-language service and reported on the Auschwitz death camp trials following World War II, has passed away at the age of 90.
Renz, affectionately known as “Uli,” died on Monday, as confirmed by his longtime friend and former AP colleague, Peter Gehrig. They had shared a friendship for 50 years and lived in the same senior citizen residence in Frankfurt. The cause of Renz’s death has not been disclosed.
Born in Stuttgart in 1934, Renz was raised in the village of Giengen an der Brenz in southwestern Germany. After completing his high school education, he began his journalism career at Heidenheimer Zeitung before moving to United Press International in 1959. In 1971, he joined the Associated Press and started on the foreign desk, eventually becoming head of the German-language service at the Frankfurt headquarters from 1986 until his retirement in 1992.
Renz was instrumental in the establishment of the German-language news service, created after World War II to promote a free press and democracy in postwar West Germany. This service was sold to the German news agency DDP in 2009.
Throughout his distinguished career, Renz focused on the reporting of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany and extensively covered the trials of several former Nazis, including the significant Auschwitz trials, which took place from 1963 to 1965. This trial, involving 22 men associated with the operation of the Auschwitz camp, was one of the most notable postwar trials and served as a critical moment in Germany’s confrontation with its Nazi past.
After retiring, Renz turned his attention to researching Georg Elser, a carpenter who attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in Munich. Elser’s plot failed when Hitler left the room moments before a bomb detonated. Renz authored several acclaimed books about Elser, earning recognition from scholars and political leaders alike, as well as the German Cross of Honor for his significant contributions to understanding this historical event.
Gehrig noted that Renz’s motivation to investigate the Third Reich was partly influenced by his father’s silence about his experiences as a civilian administrator in Nazi-occupied Poland. “Across vanquished Germany, there wasn’t much interest in digging into the dark past. Uli was among the young Germans who thought otherwise,” Gehrig remarked.
Former AP Bonn correspondent Terrence Petty commented, “As a journalist unafraid to tackle uncomfortable truths, Uli inspired many who worked with him, including myself.” In his personal life, Renz enjoyed cycling, reading, and frequenting coffee shops in Frankfurt, even as his eyesight deteriorated in recent years.
He is survived by a son, a daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter, leaving behind a legacy of commitment to truth and a fascination with Germany’s complex history.
