He was first arrested in March 1933 and was held several weeks at the new concentration campHeuberg. After his release, he continued his struggle against fascism and in autumn of 1933, he was arrested again. He was condemned to five and a half years in penitentiary, which he had to spend in solitary confinement. After serving his sentence, he was sent to various concentration camps, Welzheim, Dachau, Mauthausen and Buchenwald, where he was active with the Resistance activities there.
In June 1945, he was deployed by the United States Army as assistant of the lord mayor and was responsible for social affairs in Heilbronn until 1948.
Buchenwald - Ein Konzentrationslager. Bericht der ehemaligen KZ-Häftlinge Emil Carlebach, Paul Grünewald, Helmut Röder, Willy Schmidt, Walter Vielhauer. ISBN3-87682-786-8(in German)
Trau! Schau! Wem? Dokumente zur Geschichte der Arbeiterbewegung im Raum Heilbronn/Neckarsulm 1844–1949. ISBN3-929348-09-8(in German)