Beheadings in the Third Reich

[TheCrow68]

Greetings to all,

On behalf of TheCrow, I was asked to post this message on this forum:

Dear friends of the Beheading in the Third Reich forum,

As I am formulating this text, I am in a hospital bed recovering from a severe car accident I had a few weeks ago. The injuries I suffered as a result of this accident are bad enough to render me powerless for the coming months, possibly longer. Amongst things, my arms and hands suffered multiple fractures which needed an operation to set things straight again, so to speak. A dear friend of mine is writing down what I am saying as I can't do much with my arms and hands right now, let alone writing or anything more than slight moves. In other words, I am afraid that I cannot keep my promise to translate the Scharfrichters book with Paul at this point. The doctors cannot ensure me for how long the revalidation process will take, they urge me not to hasten anything as it will compromise the healing process.

So you can see, I'm banged up pretty badly and am lucky and grateful to be alive, the accident itself was severe enough, it could have easily killed me.

I asked my friend to post this message on the forum using my account, I entrust him with my account name and password so he will post this and, if necessary, coming messages from me to you all.

I am deeply sorry that I cannot keep my promise, usually I am a man of my word...

If there are any things of importance to announce to you all, I'll ask my friend again to take note and post it on the forum or, if needed, PM or mail it to individual members.

I wish you all well, we'll keep in touch and I'll be the luckiest man on earth once I can get out of this damn bed...it drives me crazy to lie on my back all day doing not very much......

Greetings from TheCrow

[Pete26]

Sorry to hear about your mishap Crow. Get well quick.

[enrico schiavo lena]

Is there any news about about Goerdeler's execution?

[Paul53]

We have laid this Forum to rest for a while, as circumstances dictated.Soon, I will recommence the translations from Blazeks"Scharfrichter in Preußen". Mathias Blazek is the author of another book, about the Reindel family,which was published recently.I"l try and translate-there is a terrible amount of translation waiting for me,hopefully Crow will recover soon, so that we can split tasks.I will keep everyone informed. Paul

[htk]

als je nog wat hulp nodig hebt .....

[David Thompson]

htk -- Please post in English, so the non-Dutch portion of our international readership can understand your message.

[htk]

sorry .. i thought that dutch was a universally understood language
just asked if paul needed some help

[von thoma]

Is there any news about about Goerdeler's execution?

Carl Gördeler was hanged,with a piano string they say.Nothing new.


(A quick recovery for TheCrow68 member )

[Deliverance]

This thread seems to have gone to sleep. Deliverance hopes everyone who's contributed such interesting information is alive and well! I wish I had something to add but am just a humble reader of other's efforts I'm afraid.

[fredric]

This thread seems to have gone to sleep. Deliverance hopes everyone who's contributed such interesting information is alive and well! I wish I had something to add but am just a humble reader of other's efforts I'm afraid.

The translations of the Blazek books were driving this thread. Crow is getting better but will not be up to the task for some time. The two Blazek books (Prussian sharfrichters and Reindel brothers) offer some interesting historical information but we need someone who can do the translations. If we can't get translations, then I suggest readers of the thread post questions, even elementary ones, as a means of stimulating contributions/answers/discussion.
Here is one: How much money, in today's dollars, did Willi Rottger or Johann Reichhart make in their careers as Sharfrichters? Or even in a given year such as 1943?

The new Reindel book by Blazek is really good. He provides excellent documentation and bibliography and some photos including the two rare pictures of an axe execution (authentic photos) and the "Petit Parisean" cover illustration of "Vater Reindel" at work. If you have the book, what do you think of the way the artist shows Reindel holding the richtbeil?

[Paul53]

This forum just had a sort of time-out.Everyday life just interferedTopic is still alive and well. Promised to do the Blazek translations soon, but someting just kept coming up.And do not underestimate the 255 pages of Waltenbacher info that was translated-this forum gathered a massive amound of combined information on this topic, info contributed by each and every member. Will recommence the translations-well, why not today?

First executioner that is important for us is Julius Krautz(september 11th 1843 in Zehden Kreis Königsmark im Neumark-april 24th 1921 in Rüdersdorf Hospital near Berlin)whose name was known to almost everybody in the years of the establishment of Berlin as the Reich capital.He had a knackers" business in Berlin-Charlottenburg and Spandau.Connected with that was the activity as executioner untill 1888.He dragged 55 convicts to the block, among them the Kaiser-attacker Hödel.He did not exactly had an aversion towards white beer and women and was reguarly guest in various distilleries.He spoke seldom about his bloody handiwork.Alle the more the fictional sensational roman"The executioner of Berlin"was purchased.In this 3118 pages work(13 goldmark,a substantial amount of money in that time)his life, his victims,his loves and his sleepless nights were combined into a horrifying-sentimental moral picure.

Julius Anton Alexander Krautz(also written as Krauts)was regarded as the most inportant executioner in German history.He was the initiator of the dress that was usually associated with the job:Black costume,white gloves and highhat.Moreover, Krautz was the first executioner that had to perform his duties in the general Prussian Empire.Before his time, the responsabilities of the executioners were limited by counties borders .

[Deliverance]

Thanks Fred and Paul! Good to hear Crow is on the mend!

[Pete26]

Delete

[Paul53]

-Julius Krautz was the 16th child of a Wachtmeister(something of a sergeant) who returned after his military duties to the profession of his parents by renting a knackers yard.The mother of the family died young so that Julius Krautz ended up in the military orphanages of Berlin and Stettin from 1847 onwards.

First, he begun in 1857 as an apprentice at a confectioners shop,but did not conclude his term. It is said that after a two years period of learning ,he stumbled with a tray full of cakes, after which the cakes were messed up together with shards of the Chinaware.He is then said to have fled to familymembers,from where his father ordered him to a befriended Scharfrichter in Jerichow near Tangermünde.

Krautz learned for the following two years the knackers business and worked for the next years in various knackers yards.He went to Leipzig and walked(..) or roamed around,through Saksen and Bayern(Bavaria) till he ended up with executioner August Reindel in Braunschweig,whose brother,Friedrich Wilhelm,was the local acting Scharfrichter.He there assisted with an execution,that was his first.After that, he went to Sangershausen, to executioner Emanuel Hamel,whom he assisted on the 21th of october 1864 in Greiz at the publc execution of the death candidate Marie Strauß.After that, he was invited to a affiliated executioners family in Thorn,tho whom he went to foot.

In 1866, after one more year of "floating around"(meant is something like going around without purpose)Krautz came to Berlin,where he was employed in the fiscal knackers business of Kommisionsrat(honorary title)W.Vilter,Joachimstraße 4, whose predecessor had been executioner Kraft.The Berlin adressbook of 1866 shows up the following adress:Vilter,W,merchant,renter of an executioners business,owner of a factory,Joachimstraße 4 E,executioner and knackersyard in Wedding,Triftstr.und Amende u. Vilter, 9-12.

In the "Berlin Criminal Studies" from 1886 the knackers yard assistant Krautz is mentioned at page 172:" Krautz reported ,as mentioned by himself a knackers yard assistant, whose main occupation was to catch unmuzzeled dogs and to hand them over to the knacker"

[Paul53]

I would like to request from the members some patience as it takes some time to get accustomed to the translating business once again.But, as before I like doing it once doing it.