The "Bundeswehr" first official commemoration of a German soldier who had risked his life to save Jews during the Holocaust occurred on 8 May 2000, when it renamed a military base in Rendsburg "" in honor of his courage. Schmid's name replaced that of General Günther Rüdel, a German officer who fought in both world wars and sat as an honorary judge in Nazi People's Courts, which delivered summary verdicts ordering the execution of thousands of people following the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. However, later research found that Rüdel had only overseen one trial and advocated for acquittal. The renaming represented a sea change in German attitudes towards the "Wehrmacht" role in the war that coincided with the opening of a controversial exhibition focusing on "Wehrmacht" criminality.