Paul Gerbaulet, born on April 1, 1910, in Epe in the western Münsterland, came from a family of blacksmiths, cattle traders, and butchers. His father, Bernhard, working as a dispatcher, provided his children with a good education. After studying veterinary medicine in Münster, Paul established himself as a veterinarian in Vetschau in the Spreewald.

With the onset of the war, the 29-year-old was conscripted into military service. He moved to Lübeck, to the Ahrens family at Katharinenstraße 53, possibly due to family connections. Here, he became involved in the resistance and faced charges for violating § 175 of the Reich Criminal Code. On November 26, 1940, he was arrested in Lübeck and transferred to Hamburg.

Paul went through various stages of military service, got wounded, and was ultimately shot on March 31, 1942, at the military training ground Höltigbaum in Hamburg-Rahlstedt. His parents accompanied him to the shooting range, where he refused to be blindfolded. His death was executed on the eve of his 32nd birthday, with the death certificate dated June 26, 1943, in Hamburg-Rahlstedt, and burial at the Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg.

Paul Gerbaulet is remembered as a victim of Nazi tyranny and persecution due to his homosexuality. A memorial at the military training ground and a Stolperstein (stumbling stone) at Katharinenstraße 53 in Lübeck are testimonies to his fate. He is one of many men in Lübeck and at least 330 Wehrmacht members in Hamburg who fell victim to the Nazi era.

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