Beheadings in the Third Reich

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Paul53
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2566

Post by Paul53 » 18 May 2009, 19:03

Fine pictures Piotr.Was the bucket originally used?

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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2567

Post by Paul53 » 18 May 2009, 19:43

Also, Hehr from Hannover complained""I already made up the bill yesterday in Konigsberg prison ,for me and my assistants, following the new instructions for special fees which I will have to accept of course as I am unable to do anything about it.Yet, I wish to express, that our nerve-wrecking activity,that is influencing our psychological state of mind in the highest degree,will render us unable to perform any task in the future anymore,in the short or long term.The reduction of the wages for the second and following executions to half of the previous fees struck us very hard,and I would like to request to re introduce the former system when possible.""

Taxing the income of the Scharfrichter further reduced the pay of the executioners.On june 1st 1942, the Reich Financial Secretary saw to it,that insofar the income of the Scharfrichter and assistants was not already subjected to taxing,the income would be taxed from januari 1st 1942 on.At a following assesment by the officials of the tax revenue service,it was to be established which Scharfrichter had to pay income tax and which not.The Scharfrichter were informed of this_one of them, namely Reindel,who was operating,as the sole Scharfrichter,a profitable business as knacker_terminated his contract with the Reichs Justiz Department.From his income of his Scharfrichter activity of 26.050 RM in the year 1942, Reindel had to hand over to the tax Department 5757,63 RM.Some Scharfrichter handed over their cost bills immediately after execution to the leader of the Execution activity, sometimes even in the execution room.The reason for this was apparently the habit of the Execution Leader to leave the Institute immediately after execution, so that the Executioners were forced to present their bills in the shortest possible time.This was found to be undesirable by the Execution leaders.Is was decided therefore, that presenting the bill was to be done before or after the execution, preferrably outside the execution site.

From the point of view of the Scharfrichter,presenting the bill at the place of work was of course the easiest.



The bill of Reindel for example, given for an executiion of 14 death candidates, looked like this:


J.NO 1 Assignment Brandenburg,july 23th 1943
Preparation.
1. Cost for travel from Magdeburg to Brandenburg, D-train 3th class, 4 Mann 19.80 RM
2. From Brandenburg to Magdeburg 19.20
3. Fee for Ernst Rendel, contractually 1x at 60,00 Mark
13 x at 30,00 Mark 450,- RM

Wages for 4 assistants 1290,-RM

Total 1778,40 RM







At the back side of the bill, the names of all involved were mentioned.


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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2568

Post by Piotr1 » 18 May 2009, 19:54

Paul53 wrote:Fine pictures Piotr.Was the bucket originally used?
I guess the photo isn't staged...

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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2569

Post by gordon anderson » 18 May 2009, 20:18

THE BUCKET HAD NOTHING DO WITH THE EXECUTION . THE FALLBEIL, IS NOT IN THE ACTUAL SPOT THAT IT WAS USED. THE PHOTOGRAPPER PROBABLY JUST PULLED A BUCKET FORM THE CORNER AS HE THOUGHT THERE MUST BE A BASKET OF COURSE!! THAT IS AN ORDINARY TUB NOTHING SPECIAL.

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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2570

Post by Paul53 » 18 May 2009, 22:02

Not in the actual spot?

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fredric
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2571

Post by fredric » 18 May 2009, 22:05

gordon anderson wrote:THE BUCKET HAD NOTHING DO WITH THE EXECUTION . THE FALLBEIL, IS NOT IN THE ACTUAL SPOT THAT IT WAS USED. THE PHOTOGRAPPER PROBABLY JUST PULLED A BUCKET FORM THE CORNER AS HE THOUGHT THERE MUST BE A BASKET OF COURSE!! THAT IS AN ORDINARY TUB NOTHING SPECIAL.
I agree that the silly bucket is the photographer's spontaneous but erroneous choice. To me, the bucket looks like it should hold coal or milk, not heads. The fallbeil does have ferrules for attaching the splash guard which would have caught the head (it has a bottom with drain port) but this element has been removed, possibly supporting the idea the photo was staged. Also as Gordon says, the fallbeil is not located inside the execution building. This is strange because if outside, why is it almost fully assembled? For the photo? Also, the blade has been put in the "ready" position, hook removed, further supporting the idea the photo is staged. The puzzling part is what appears to be stains on the leather strap and the blood chute. Was it just used? Is the floor looks wet. Is that sawdust? What purpose does the barrel serve? This is a great documentary photo, one worth comparing to the other shot of a similar or the same fallbeil which can be accessed on the Wolfenbuettel Memorial site. My guess is that it was taken after the War just before the fallbeil was dismantled and put into storage.

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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2572

Post by Piotr1 » 18 May 2009, 22:31

This is the the photo of fallbeil USED in Wolfenbuttel. But the machine is old , possible even from XIX century.
Where and when (before or after the IIWW?) the photo was taken we don't know....

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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2573

Post by Piotr1 » 18 May 2009, 22:39

Another photo-but fallbeil has rather bench not bascule with footrest
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
http://www.vernetztes-gedaechtnis.de/la ... chtung.htm

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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2574

Post by gordon anderson » 19 May 2009, 00:03

Piotr1 wrote:This is the the photo of fallbeil USED in Wolfenbuttel. But the machine is old , possible even from XIX century.
Where and when (before or after the IIWW?) the photo was taken we don't know....
(RE: THE LARGER PICTURE) I MEANT IT IS NOT IN IT ORIGINAL POSITON WHERE THE EXECUTUIONS TOOK PLACE AT THE PRISON. IF IT WERE, THERE WOULD BE A DRAIN AND THE BASE WOULD BE BOLTED TO THE FLOOR. WHEN YOU DROP THE BLADE ON A MACHINE THAT IS NOT SECURELY FASTENED TO THE FLOOR ....... IT WILL BUCK/JUMPABOUT 5 INCHES !!! THIS IS INDEED AT WOLFENBUETTEL.

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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2575

Post by Pete26 » 19 May 2009, 02:21

Here is a 19 year old victim of the Wolfenbuttel fallbeil. She was sentenced to death and beheaded for the crime of taking some clothes and a small jewelry box from a bombed building and was labeled a "people's pest" by the court. Another young life wasted by Nazi tyranny.

http://www.vernetztes-gedaechtnis.de/warzinski.htm

Here is Erna Wazinski in summer of 1944, shortly before her arrest and execution:

Image
Last edited by Pete26 on 19 May 2009, 04:51, edited 5 times in total.

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fredric
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2576

Post by fredric » 19 May 2009, 04:36

Piotr1 wrote:This is the the photo of fallbeil USED in Wolfenbuttel. But the machine is old , possible even from XIX century.
Where and when (before or after the IIWW?) the photo was taken we don't know....
The fallbeil is late 19th century, similar to the ones at Plotzensee, Breslau, Stadelheim, etc. It does have a different footboard. The "bascule" must have been removed for the other photo (up to the executioner) but it can be seen in a third photo of the dismantled machine in a storage room which I have seen. It is my understanding the fallbeil is still at Wolfenbuettel but is not displayed in order to not upset relatives of the victims who created the memorial site. The fallbeil was, as Gordon says, in an interior room of the execution building but in the photo, looks to me like it is outside.
I think this is a post-War photo. Frederich Hehr executed war criminals for the Allies with this fallbeil.

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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2577

Post by Pete26 » 19 May 2009, 11:58

fredric wrote: Frederich Hehr executed war criminals for the Allies with this fallbeil.
That's an interesting revelation. Do you know approximately how many were beheaded?

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probably a few dozen...

#2578

Post by Piotr1 » 19 May 2009, 15:10

Pete26 wrote:
fredric wrote: Frederich Hehr executed war criminals for the Allies with this fallbeil.
That's an interesting revelation. Do you know approximately how many were beheaded?
http://sevres-pratique.com/DOCS/wolfenbuettel.html

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Another photo....

#2579

Post by Piotr1 » 19 May 2009, 16:16

Image

The photo is from(dutch?) book issued in 1947 ; found in dutch forum....
"Eens naar de rommelmarkt geweest.
Ik kon er voor een appel en een ei het boekje "Expositie-Trein der politieke gevangenen en weerstanders van 't Spoor" uit 1947 aankopen.
In dit boekje een bijna onvindbare foto van de guillotine waarmee André werd vermoord. "
http://gratisforums.com/smokingdevils/v ... d264e47fab

The next challenge for our translator Paul :D :D :wink:

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Paul53
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#2580

Post by Paul53 » 19 May 2009, 18:54

Hans,ga je gang.

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