Beheadings in the Third Reich

[fredric]

Thank you for your comments about beloved Germany. We share the sadness at actually seeing the faces of those who were murdered during the Hitler years. Pete deserves much credit for his research.

How could the country that brought us Beethoven and Bach, so many intellectuals, great writers, scientists and so many good and kind and innovative people in all fields, ever have been taken in by the NS State?

Unfortunately angry people (such as the impoverished German population after WW1) can be swayed by leaders who promise simple solutions to complex problems and present a "tough-guy" position as did Hitler and his Brown Shirt followers in the 1930's. They bought HIlter's bigotry and lies. It made them feel strong. Horrible laws followed as did the executions of those who dared to resist.

[Pete26]

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[Pete26]

A short video about history of beheadings in Hamm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... M37PNBOxJU

https://www.wa.de/hamm/gustav-luebcke-m ... 59454.html

[fredric]

Excellent video. Important. The richtbeil shown was used into the 1850's. I would
like to see if it has maker's marks or sharfrichter inscriptions, also how it was made.
Richtbeille like this continued to be used into the early Hitler years.
This one is of the type used by Carl Groppler to behead Falkenhayn and Natzmer. Also the Altoona group at Hamburg.
The beil would be replaced in Hamm by the fallbeil in just a few years.
BTW... the beil weighs around 13 lbs. The handle may be original.
The crack shows the weak point in the blade. Thank you because I will be communicating with this museum. I did not
know that had this beil. The block, btw, is familiar. Wonder if they have it?

[Peter]

Richtbeil. as above https://www.wa.de/hamm/gustav-luebcke-m ... 59454.html - just in case the website disappears at some stage in years to come.

[fredric]

I would like to study that beil. A significant "find"...
Never seen a fault (stress crack) like that. I has to have a history. Taken out of service?
Owned by Reindel? Older than that?
It is probably authentic. Surprised how smooth it appears. Maybe that is the coating?
The handle may not be of the age of the blade.
I have made richtbeille;this one is magnificent.
Got to write to these Museum people.
Beil has been coated?
It is similar to the Reindel/Krautz beil.
Could the maker be Grossmann?

[Pete26]

The narrator says that the Richtbeil was made in Berlin, so it is quite possible that it was made by Grossmann. She also says that it is quite heavy. It looks like an authentic old execution axe judging by pitting which is clearly visible through the coat of gray paint. Most likely the axe was quite rusty sitting in some damp basement of some building for many decades. They cleaned up the rust and coated the axe with paint to make it more presentable as a museum piece. You can notice that the blade edge is severely pitted in at least one spot, most likely as a result of deep rust damage. The same goes for the execution sword hanging on the wall next to the beil.

[Pete26]

Kurt Huber was guillotined in Stadelheim prison on 13 July 1943.

From the execution protocol:

Der Hinrichtungsvorgang vom Verlassen der Zelle an gerechnet 44 Secunden, von der Ubergabe an den Scharfrichter bis zum Fall des Beils 9 Secunden gedauert habe.

So it took 44 seconds from leaving the prison cell to presentation in the execution building and 9 seconds from being turned over to the executioner to the fall of the blade.

https://books.google.com/books?id=T_OtD ... te&f=false

[fredric]

The narrator says that the Richtbeil was made in Berlin, so it is quite possible that it was made by Grossmann. She also says that it is quite heavy. It looks like an authentic old execution axe judging by pitting which is clearly visible through the coat of gray paint. Most likely the axe was quite rusty sitting in some damp basement of some building for many decades. They cleaned up the rust and coated the axe with paint to make it more presentable as a museum piece. You can notice that the blade edge is severely pitted in at least one spot, most likely as a result of deep rust damage. The same goes for the execution sword hanging on the wall next to the beil.

I have been unable to track down the Grossmann company. Does anyone know anything about them?
All I know is that they are described as "zeugschmidt" J. Grossmann, Berlin
Their mark appears on two richtbeils pictured on the Internet. One is the authentic copy of Reindel's beil and the
other was bought by Steve, the gentleman who has a Canadian-based t.v. show about torture and execution equipment.

[Pete26]

Delete

[Pete26]

This looks like his photo from Pankrac prison archives, possibly the photo on his ID card while he held the position of Pankrac prison executioner.

http://www.ahaonline.cz/galerie/musite- ... aci?foto=9

[Pete26]

Last of the handwritten pages of Alois Weiss's execution book. Note that the last executed person is "Georg Bryna" (Jiri Bryna in Czech). The last five people were beheaded in Pankrac prison by Alois Weiss on 26 April 1945. Just four days later, late at night on 30 April 1945 the fallbeil was taken apart by German guards, its wooden parts burned and metal parts thrown into Vltava river where they were later recovered and the fallbeil reassembled.

The last five executed prisoners were:

Bozena Steidlova
Josef Pechman
Jan Liberda
Frantisek Navratil
Jiri Bryna

For some reason, Bozena Steidlova is not recorded in the execution book. She was the last woman guillotined in Pankrac prison. If you click on the photo, it appears larger so you can read the names.

http://www.ahaonline.cz/galerie/musite- ... ci?foto=10

[Pete26]

This photo shows how massive the blade is compared to an adult man's head. You can also see how tall the fallbeil is compared to an average sized adult male standing next to it.

http://www.ahaonline.cz/galerie/musite- ... aci?foto=5

[Pete26]

MoritzBrandt.jpg (128.36 KiB) Viewed 6025 times

Moritz Brandt guillotined Grete Beier on July 23, 1908.

https://www.oederan.de/tourismus-kultur ... d84b92d537

http://www.executedtoday.com/2015/07/23 ... airy-tale/

[fredric]

Good photo of Brandt. Sachsen scharfricter. Used the Weimar wooden fallbeil I believe.
I think I read long ago that Moritz also beheaded with the sword and that he was a pleasant man.
His descendents still live in his area. Thanks for this photo.
The photo is significant because it is the first time I have seen his autograph (?).
Now we must find a photograph of Wilhelm R. Roettger. He died after arrest by the Allies in Hannover.
He died in a Hannover hospital. Any thoughts on where a photo might be located?