Knaack was born in
Berlin. In 1928 he joined the Communist Youth League of Germany (KJVD). He performed the function of leader for agitation and
propaganda in the Berlin neighbourhood of
Prenzlauer Berg. From 1933, he fought illegally against Nazi domination. In 1935, he was arrested for the first time, and on 2 October 1936, the Berlin Superior Court of Justice (
Kammergericht) sentenced him to two years at hard labour in a
Zuchthaus. After being released, Knaack joined the illegal organization around
Robert Uhrig. On 26 March 1942, he was once again arrested by the
Gestapo and taken to
Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where he stayed more than two years until his trial. On 6 July 1944, the
Volksgerichtshof handed down a death sentence to Knaack. He was executed at
Brandenburg-Görden Prison in
Brandenburg an der Havel. Knaackstraße, the Ernst Knaack Youth Centre – later known as the
Knaack Klub (Greifswalder Straße 224 in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin) – and the Ernst Knaack Fourth Polytechnic Secondary School (Kastanienallee in Prenzlauer Berg) are named after Ernst Knaack. The stele
"Traditionen der deutschen Arbeiterklasse" ("Traditions of the German Working Class") by Heinz Worner (Knaackstraße 53–67 in Prenzlauer Berg) is dedicated to the
murdered antifascists Ernst Knaack and
Siegmund Sredzki. == Further reading ==