KL Buchenwald personnel

[Georg_S]

I have all of the names in a book about KL Buchenwald. I will take a look asap

//Georg

[Michal78]

Isn´t it SS-Standartenführer Unkn.1?
Michal

[Andrey]

Isn´t it SS-Standartenführer Unkn.1?
Michal

Yes, Michal, but WHO?

Andrey.

[BjörnSwe]

The unknown No 2, could that be M.Sommer?

[Andrey]

Georg, we are looking forward to hearing from you...
Best,

Andrey.

[Georg_S]

Sorry I totally forgot, the man with the back to camera is RFSS Himmler, the far to the right is most probably Adj Bungeler . Unfortunately I remembered wrong the Book just identified RFSS, the year is 1938 and I suspect that the man to the the far left is Florstedt, or a high official of the SS in Thüringen

Best regards
Georg

[Georg_S]

I found a new sources the officer to the far left is Kurt Daleuge that would actually fit

Best regards
Georg

[sekudlyda]

I'm wondering if the man in the third photograph could be defendant Hans Eisele. As far as the list of Buchenwald personnel on this site's first page goes, as far as I know, all the Buchenwald defendants originally sentenced to death in the main trial who were not executed were eventually released from American custody. The exception being Hermann Pister who died of a heart attack in Landsberg Prison on 9/28/48; a month or two before he was scheduled for the gallows. Kurt Franz and Martin Sommer, both sentenced to life imprisonment in West Germany long after the war, were also both released on parole which was common in cases of Nazi war criminals being sentenced to "life imprisonment" by West German courts. Ilse Koch committed suicide by hanging herself on August 31, 1967 in her prison cell while serving her life sentence imposed by a West German court.

The case that has long puzzled me is of Hermann Florstedt. He is routinely listed on numerous and varied websites and in books as having been executed by the SS on April 15, 1945, at Buchenwald concentration camp. However, Buchenwald was liberated by the U.S. Army on April 11, 1945. Some sites have referred to Florstedt being shot on the express orders of Himmler after Florstedt and Karl Koch were sentenced to death by an SS court for corruption and murder. Unlike Koch, though, I have never seen any information concerning Florstedt's verifiable date, method and/or location of execution by the SS. I have read unsubstantiated accounts that, somehow, Florstedt evaded execution and was able to disappear into the chaos of postwar Germany having never been heard from again. Any thoughts?

[Michal78]

Hello Georg,
I am affraid that Daluege is not in the picture.
Michal

[Andrey]

I agree with Michal - is not Daluege and Himmler too in this photo.

Andrey.

[sekudlyda]

Returning to photographs of Buchenwald concentration camp personnel, there is a well known photo of a Russian POW in striped inmate garb pointing an accusing finger at an older German guard wearing a forager or field cap. I believe the photograph was taken on the day Buchenwald was liberated by U.S. forces. For those familiar with this picture, any ideas on the identification of the German (presumably SS) guard in the photo? Thanks.

[Georg_S]

Is it this photo you mean? If so it´s from the liberation KL Dachau , the inmate in this photo infront of the SS-Gebirgsjäger is visuable in a lot of photos from this day in April 1945

//Georg

[sekudlyda]

No, I'm sorry, that's not the one. I'm going by memory but the photograph shows a Russian inmate in striped uniform and cap in the left portion of the photo, unarmed, pointing directly at the face of an older German Buchenwald guard who's face is clearly seen (and looking quite worried as a matter of fact). The German guard is wearing a similar field cap as is shown in your photograph. Between the Russian inmate and the German guard is another German officer looking on; he appears to be in the Wehrmacht. I'm sorry I don't have the photo to post on-line but I've seen it on numerous websites over the years. Thanks anyway.

[history1]

Returning to photographs of Buchenwald concentration camp personnel, there is a well known photo of a Russian POW in striped inmate garb pointing an accusing finger at an older German guard wearing a forager or field cap.[...]

Source: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/concen ... uard-1945/

[sekudlyda]

Thank you very much! That's the photograph I was thinking of. Any ideas as to the identity of the SS guard being pointed at by the Buchenwald inmate? Thanks again. Much appreciated.