Roland Freisler

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Potsdamerplatz
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#16

Post by Potsdamerplatz » 17 Aug 2007, 03:40

Freisler was denied an honorable state funeral by Hitler himself. Instead, Freisler was buried anonymously in his wife's family plot.
This may not have been a deliberate snub. The air attack of 3rd February 1945 was the heaviest bombing raid on Berlin of the entire war. Nearly 1,000 US Flying Fortresses took part and over 25,000 civilians were killed. Freisler was just one of many people killed that day.

It is probable that the Nazi leadership in Berlin had more important things to do coping with the aftermath of the weekend raids than a lavish state funeral for Freisler, who was never part of the upper-level hierarchy anyway.

Kind regards.

Peter
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Re: Roland Freisler

#17

Post by Peter » 17 Dec 2008, 12:18

Possibly one of the best pics I have seen of him, its from Bundesarchiv/Wikipedia
Deutsch: Originalbeschreibung im Bundesarchiv:
Roland Freisler

Der Präsident des Volksgerichtshofes Dr. Freisler [Porträt] Fot. Heinscher 1.9.42 [Herausgabedatum]
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jeffhan373
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Re: Roland Freisler

#18

Post by jeffhan373 » 20 Dec 2008, 18:03

Those interested in Roland Freisler, or just interested in a fine historical film, should check out the movie Sophia Scholl: The Final Days. It's readily available as a DVD, and Sundance shows it frequently. There is a long, excellently done sequence with the White Rose conspirators before the Volksgerichtshof which leaves you with the feeling that you are really there. The actor who played Freisler (Andre Hennicke) closely resembles him physically, and has clearly studied Freisler's style from the wartime newsreels - you really get a sense of just how heinous this "jurist" was in real life....

J. Duncan
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Re: Roland Freisler

#19

Post by J. Duncan » 20 Dec 2008, 22:24

From what I've read on the man and what i've seen of footage of the trials, I think Freisler is mentally unhinged.
He looks somewhat deranged to me in the photo above, like someone who has been on prozac for 20 years. Freisler was influenced by the Bolsheviks as a WWI POW and probably studied the Stalinist techniques of Andrei Vyshinsky.

Igor Karpov
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Re: Roland Freisler

#20

Post by Igor Karpov » 25 Dec 2008, 08:55

Somebody have Freisler's photo in NSKK uniform?

slick321
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Re: Roland Freisler

#21

Post by slick321 » 29 Sep 2009, 01:58

I was watching the history channel and I heard a statement while they were talking about the Peoples Court and it went something like this "Facts don't matter in this court, If we think your guilty you are". I believe it was attributed to Roland Freisler. Does this sound familiar to any one?

Thanks

Pitino
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Re: Roland Freisler

#22

Post by Pitino » 29 Sep 2009, 04:09

slick321 wrote:I was watching the history channel and I heard a statement while they were talking about the Peoples Court and it went something like this "Facts don't matter in this court, If we think your guilty you are". I believe it was attributed to Roland Freisler. Does this sound familiar to any one?

Thanks
slick321,
-I think that I have watched the same show. I believe it comes from Freisler's questioning of the July 20th conspirators. To be specific, I think Freisler stated that to Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben.

Pitino

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R.M. Schultz
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Re: Roland Freisler

#23

Post by R.M. Schultz » 29 Sep 2009, 09:36

Just picked up a book on Nazi justice in general and Freisler in particular:

"In the Name of the Volk: Political Justice in Hitler's Germany," by H.W. Koch, St. Martin's Press, N.Y.C., 1989

Igor Karpov
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Re: Roland Freisler

#24

Post by Igor Karpov » 07 Feb 2012, 11:53

Freisler also was Major d.R.

Regards,
Igor

VanillaNuns
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Re: Roland Freisler

#25

Post by VanillaNuns » 28 Jul 2021, 15:45

J. Duncan wrote:
20 Dec 2008, 22:24
From what I've read on the man and what i've seen of footage of the trials, I think Freisler is mentally unhinged.
He looks somewhat deranged to me in the photo above, like someone who has been on prozac for 20 years. Freisler was influenced by the Bolsheviks as a WWI POW and probably studied the Stalinist techniques of Andrei Vyshinsky.
I'm currently reading "Hitler's Executioner" by Helmut Ortner and that's certainly the impression he gives too. Freisler's behaviour in the courtroom, his written judgements and personal correspondence with colleagues all became more bizarre and erratic as the war progressed.

Yes, he was a "show man" who played to the gallery and who enjoyed verbal sparring with lawyers and defendants.

But some of his statements and the way he conducted himself in court were truly embarrassing to the Nazi leadership.

Goebbels and Bormann complained about his conduct during the 20 July hearings and there were frequent concerns raised with the Reich Minister of Justice, Otto Thierack, who believed Freisler was completely unsuitable for the role.

According to Ortner, his decisions were often inconsistent. Freisler would occasionally charm defendants and act friendly towards them. Some of those on serious charges were either acquitted on a whim or else given lenient sentences.

Whilst others convicted of relatively minor offences were given unduly harsh death sentences.

These inconsistent judgements also drew criticism from many senior figures and led to more complaints landing on Thierack's desk.

He was tolerated. Obviously, after Stalingrad, punishments became more severe and his erratic behaviour seems to get worse from then onwards. Perhaps he embraced his job with a little too much zeal?

It's an excellent book by the way. No photographs and the final chapter about the circumstances of his death is disappointing. The sole few paragraphs are lazily copied from an article in Der Spiegel. No attempts at original research whatsoever so far as I can see.

There's a wealth of translated letters, documents, judgements and court transcripts though which make this book enjoyable though.

For sure, Freisler was a complicated person who seems to have had a Jekyll and Hyde personality.

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