Beheadings in the Third Reich

[Pete26]

I am also asking the same question, but guessing at the answer:

Is it possible that the two types of execution were segregated by the offence?

I suggest:

The humiliation of execution by the Fallbeil a la common criminal was set aside to those who were perceived as having failed in a moral sense? (i.e. Lack of Moral Fibre, aka Cowardice?) Which would apply to those holding rank who had a duty to those below them, those convicted of what would be Capital crimes in Civvie Street &c.

Whereas a common Soldier, derelict in his duty to his fellows, (asleep on Guard, e.g.) could expect to be dealt with by his Regiment..? Under Miltary law & thus shot?

Best

John

In support of your argument, I have mentioned in one of my earlier posts that 9 German soldiers were guillotined in Pankratz prison, while 3 Czech soldiers in the same prison were executed by a firing squad. The reason for this discrepancy could have a lot to do with the type of offense they were condemned for.

[fredric]

Pete, can you share any information on the execution shed photo you posted? Date taken? Source?
Was this facility for hanging? Bruchsal fallbeil was shipped to Plotzensee. A very interesting photo.

[Piotr1]

http://www.dgb-rheine.de/archiv/duhme-l ... luther.htm

[Paul53]

In the central execution site Stuttgart, the death sentences given by the courts in the again affiliated areas of Alsace/Lorraine, were also carried out.As Berlin was the Reichs capital, Muenchen the ""city of the movement"" and Leipzig the City of the ""Fairs or auctions"", Stuttgart was the city of the ""Germans from beyond the Reich""In april 1943,the President of the German institute of foreign affairs,turned t o the RJM with a special request.:As Stuttgart was a special execution place for the southwest,Alsace people and people from Lorraine were to be executed there also,thus Volksdeutsche,people belonging to the German people""Apart from the guilt that anyone has ,such a fact seems to me incomparable with the thought of this city as the place for Auslanddeutschen,i.e Germans from abroad.Therefore, I requested an investigation into the possibility for death sentences from the Alsace/Lorraine region to be carried out in a special execution site,for the Alsace/Lorraine region.At a closer inquirey, it was clear however, that the chief of the Justice Department in the Alsace and Lorraine area,was presented the Stuttgart execution site as the sole site to execute death warrants in.It was reachable in the shortest time,and was not thus called upon in such a way that the building of a further execution site in the southwest would have been justified.

[Paul53]

This concludes Stuttgart.
I will continue with Bruchsal.
Needless to say,a word by word translation, which I should have done from the onset.But I will make it up in due time.

[Pete26]

http://www.dgb-rheine.de/archiv/duhme-luther/duhme-luther.htm

Yes, this is the site I got the photograph from.
It appears that these two men were beheaded because there is a reference of them being taken to Stuttgart, where heavy allied bombing damaged the "Richtmaschine" which I think would mean a fallbeil, not a hanging beam. However, there is no mention how exactly they were executed in Bruchsal prison, but it makes sense to assume it was by fallbeil (Otherwise they would have hanged them in the first prison they took them to).

Even though the Bruchsal prison fallbeil was shipped to Plotzensee, how do we know that some other fallbeil was not shipped to Bruchsal later to take its place?

[fredric]

http://www.dgb-rheine.de/archiv/duhme-luther/duhme-luther.htm

Yes, this is the site I got the photograph from.
It appears that these two men were beheaded because there is a reference of them being taken to Stuttgart, where heavy allied bombing damaged the "Richtmaschine" which I think would mean a fallbeil, not a hanging beam. However, there is no mention how exactly they were executed in Bruchsal prison, but it makes sense to assume it was by fallbeil (Otherwise they would have hanged them in the first prison they took them to).

Even though the Bruchsal prison fallbeil was shipped to Plotzensee, how do we know that some other fallbeil was not shipped to Bruchsal later to take its place?

Bruchsal's last fallbeil execution is reported to have been in 1923. Fourteen years (Feb. 1937) later Bruchsal's fallbeil (a Mannhardt-type) was installed at Berlin- Plotzensee when Berlin-Plotzensee was named a central execution site. I have no information that Bruchsal had a fallbeil from 1937 until 1944. I would be very interested to know if any information to the contrary turns up. In May, 1944 I understand Bruchsal did get a replacement fallbeil (not a Tegel) and carried out 55 beheadings from June 22,1944 until January 25,1945.

[Piotr1]

http://www.dgb-rheine.de/archiv/duhme-luther/duhme-luther.htm

It appears that these two men were beheaded because there is a reference of them being taken to Stuttgart, where heavy allied bombing damaged the "Richtmaschine" which I think would mean a fallbeil, not a hanging beam. However, there is no mention how exactly they were executed in Bruchsal prison, but it makes sense to assume it was by fallbeil (Otherwise they would have hanged them in the first prison they took them to).
Even though the Bruchsal prison fallbeil was shipped to Plotzensee, how do we know that some other fallbeil was not shipped to Bruchsal later to take its place?

More informations about this execution.Chapter 14.
BTW- there is an information about special "prize" for well-deserved NSDAP members:
"Die Anwesenheit bei solchen Hinrichtungen erschien vielen fanatischen NSDAP-Mitgliedern in dieser Zeit als eine Art besondere Belohnung für ihre Teilnahme am Kampf gegen sogenannte „Volksschädlinge“. In den Akten des Reichsjustizministeriums finden sich mehrfach Anfragen, wonach verdiente Parteigenossen es als eine Anerkennung für ihren Kampf angesehen hätten, wenn sie der „Vernichtung von Volksschädlingen“ hätten beiwohnen dürfen."

http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache:Z9X ... ent=safari

[Paul53]

That is a LOT of info on your link,Piotr!Before reading it,I will first give some Waltenbacher info on Bruchsal.Question is,were these party officials actually given access to an execution,or were they only requesting?

Bruchsal.
Part 1.

As a relieve for the prison Stuttgart, endangered as it was by continuous air raids,and subsequent damage, it was decided in the fall of 1943, to build another execution site.
The place where this execution site had to be build,for the southwest of Germany, should be reached easily from all administrative areas, but especially so from Alsace/Lorraine.All the prisons in the administrative Stuttgart execution area,were therefor examined on their use as execution site. ""Frankental is ,after a recent report, destroyed by an air raid,although the prison itself was not damaged.To my recollection, the Administrative-and Judicial courts are burned down.The institution therefore, cannot be considered for the afore mentioned purpose.Metz is within the administrative responsability of the chief of Civilian Justice of Alsace/Lorraine, and is not to be considered on these grounds alone for the execution of Death sentences.The Metz penal institution is also from the technical side of the building, not suited.Moreover, the institution is located too far on the side of the planned execution area.Saarbruecken suffered a few days ago a heavy daytime attack.I regard this city with its extensive industrial areas, for unfit.As I recall, the penal institution there is located right in the middle of the city.
Only Zweibruecken can be considered.The General Attourney however,has declared to be against this plan, on grounds of the walls being too low,insufficient space and other thechnical problems.Besides, he described Zweibruecken prison as being very much threathened from air raid activity.From my own experience, I can testify that this institution is not safe in relation to the housing of prisoners condemned to death,from a wall that is far too low, and insufficient safety measures.
On these grounds, I will have to advise against this idea.
The penal institution Bruchsal,that I know from personal inspection, seems to me very fit to erect a execution site in.It would be most practical to build an execution shed on the wall of the so called Psychiatric Ward in Bruchsal Prison.The execution building would only be a few meters from the cell block.The road thereto would be blocked from view from all sides.The transport of the death bodies however, poses problems, as they have to be carried in the present situation,through the main building.Therefore, the wall should be broken through from the execution shed.On the other side, the yard of the Wehrmacht prison is located.It has a door. The responsable Military officials will not refuse to co operate""

[Paul53]

Bruchsal.
Part 2.


The judicial execution site Bruchsal, located 60 km northwest of Stuttgart in the small town of Bruchsal,had an inmate housing capacity of 784 male and 70 female and was used as a correctional facility.The fact that the prison neighboured to a Wehrmacht prison, which used half of the available prison area, was to seriously delay the building of an execution room,as the newly build execution room should be located directly to the wall that devided the Wehrmacht-and Judicial prisons so that the bodies could be carried off less conspiculously: "" The presentation of a cost estimation for the building of an execution shed in the yard of the former Bruchsal Psychiatric ward is delayed because of the overworkedness of the Judicial Area Building Staff.The commander of the Wehrmacht prison answered on the question of him giving the go ahead to break through the dividing wall between the prisons to gain access to the exercise yard(for the transport of bodies),that he was not able to consent and that the request had to be presented to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht.
He has the opinion, that even when the transport lorries would only be deployed at night in the exercise yard, the interests of the Justice prison would still prevail over those of the Wehrmacht prison and the latters transport activity.""The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht,which was presented the situation, expressly refused permission,stating-if in this case nothing else can be done, the carrying off of the bodies will have to take place via the Justice prison""

[Paul53]

The Fallbeil installed in Bruchsal, was discovered in a Strassbourg execution site, was inspected by Reichart, found to be well in shape, and was transported to Bruchsal prison. Reichart regarded the breakthrough of the wall to the Wehrmacht prison for carrying the bodies, as practical ,as any other solution would lead to great difficulties,transporting the executed bodies through the prison itself.
The Wehrmachtskommandatur(Local Wehrmacht bureau) reported on february 9, 1944: ""The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regrets, not to have been able to grant the breakthrough of the wall to the exercise yard,closing off the Wehrmacht prison on the east side,and to carry off the executed by this way to the main gate.As the commander of Wehrmacht prison Bruchsal reports,hunderds of Wehrmacht penal inmates are so housed in Bruchsal prison, that they have full view of the prison exercise yard.A inconspicuous transport of the executed bodies would therefore be impossible,even when taking place at night.Moreover, the exercise yard, is to be used as the only roll call yard of the Wehrmacht prison from autumn till spring, daily ,in the morning and evening and even at night.In case the aim of the proposed measures would be to avoid the transport of the executed through the Justice execution prison Bruchsal,then the same precaution has to be made for the inmates of the Wehrmachtmacht prison, who are trained here and after serving their sentence are to be deployed at the front."(note)What is more, in due time there will be a significant amount of these transports.

As the commander of the Wehrmacht prison has pointed out,there is a possibility,by replacing the location of the execution building to the utter east end,or by breaking through a cellar wall,to find a way not to compromize the Wehrmach prison, insofar an erecting of a execution site in a small town as Bruchsal is unavoidable.""

Note: these military men had to serve in the so called ""Bewaehrungskompanien"", special squads for punished soldiers or downright opponents of the regime(who survived that is) and were used for clearing landmines, burying corpses and the like.

[Paul53]

As a side remark,I feel that it is important to remind ourselves that Waltenbacher describes the situatuon of execution practise of 1944 ,and that a lot had happened before this time in relation to our topic.For example, I never found any clue to the question why they changed the Pankraz guillotine with another model, apparently somewhere in 1943/1944.The total info of this book is so overwhelming,that the previous history is sometimes somewhat lost.

[fredric]

The Fallbeil installed in Bruchsal, was discovered in a Strassbourg execution site, was inspected by Reichart, found to be well in shape, and was transported to Bruchsal prison. Reichart regarded the breakthrough of the wall to the Wehrmacht prison for carrying the bodies, as practical ,as any other solution would lead to great difficulties,transporting the executed bodies through the prison itself.
The Wehrmachtskommandatur(Local Wehrmacht bureau) reported on february 9, 1944: ""The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regrets, not to have been able to grant the breakthrough of the wall to the exercise yard,closing off the Wehrmacht prison on the east side,and to carry off the executed by this way to the main gate.As the commander of Wehrmacht prison Bruchsal reports,hunderds of Wehrmacht penal inmates are so housed in Bruchsal prison, that they have full view of the prison exercise yard.A inconspicuous transport of the executed bodies would therefore be impossible,even when taking place at night.Moreover, the exercise yard, is to be used as the only roll call yard of the Wehrmacht prison from autumn till spring, daily ,in the morning and evening and even at night.In case the aim of the proposed measures would be to avoid the transport of the executed through the Justice execution prison Bruchsal,then the same precaution has to be made for the inmates of the Wehrmachtmacht prison, who are trained here and after serving their sentence are to be deployed at the front."(note)What is more, in due time there will be a significant amount of these transports.

As the commander of the Wehrmacht prison has pointed out,there is a possibility,by replacing the location of the execution building to the utter east end,or by breaking through a cellar wall,to find a way not to compromize the Wehrmach prison, insofar an erecting of a execution site in a small town as Bruchsal is unavoidable.""

Note: these military men had to serve in the so called ""Bewaehrungskompanien"", special squads for punished soldiers or downright opponents of the regime(who survived that is) and were used for clearing landmines, burying corpses and the like.

Very valuable information and fine translation. I know that the Fallbeil obtained from the unnamed Strassbourg execution site was unique. Interesting that Reichhart inspected it. Does the book include any information about it? I know that it is all-metal, new (I think) and is the Mannhardt-style. But where is it today? Could it still be at Bruchsal? Destroyed in the War?

[Paul53]

No Fredric,I gave all the info that is in the book( word by word)I also wondered about the Strassbourg.It could(speculation) have been one of the Fallbeils saved from some execution site lost to bombing or so.I never even heared of it until now.Strassbourg never had its own execution site anyway as you know,although it was considered.This Fallbeil was captured 1944 in a time frame between febuary and may or so.It is left to the reader to uncover its origin.To be more exact, in the next chapter it is said that the Bruchsal execution shed came into use in june 1944.But nothing more than that is known to me I am afraid.

[fredric]

No Fredric,I gave all the info that is in the book( word by word)I also wondered about the Strassbourg.It could(speculation) have been one of the Fallbeils saved from some execution site lost to bombing or so.I never even heared of it until now.Strassbourg never had its own execution site anyway as you know,although it was considered.This Fallbeil was captured 1944 in a time frame between febuary and may or so.It is left to the reader to uncover its origin.To be more exact, in the next chapter it is said that the Bruchsal execution shed came into use in june 1944.But nothing more than that is known to me I am afraid.

I will attempt to get some information from Bruchsal and maybe Strasbourg. If the Strasbourg-Bruchsal fallbeil still exists, it would be a major find. An unproven story is that it was destroyed in a devastating air raid. Bruchsal prison was the site of some war crimes executions (hangings)so it must not have been totally destroyed and the fallbeil may have survived. It appears to be all-metal including its bench and tip-board (from a rare photo I once saw in a privately-held German collection). Its operating features match the Mannhardt so it may have been modelled by an Alsacian builder on the Bavarian fallbeil or in fact ordered by the Alsacian authorities from Mannhardt in Munich. The fallbeil was sent from Strasbourg to Bruchsal in May, 1944 and the exact date of its first use was June 22.1944 and its final use Jan. 25, 1945 which corresponds to your translation. I wonder when Strasbourg got the machine.