Beheadings in the Third Reich

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Pete26
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Adele Stürzl

#6511

Post by Pete26 » 04 Jun 2018, 01:09

adele-stuerzl.jpg

Adele Stürzl was guillotined in Munich Stadelheim prison on 30 June 1944.

http://www.eduard-wallnoefer-platz.at/b ... Stürzl/105

Adele Stürzl
geboren 23.11.1892 in Wien
gestorben 30.6.1944 in München-Stadelheim
Adele Stürzl hatte eine schwere Kindheit erlebt, von der sie sich selbst schon als junges Mädchen emanzipierte. Im Mai 1918 kam sie frisch vermählt nach Kufstein, wo ihr revolutionärer Geist schnell zur Geltung kam, als sie eine Lohnerhöhung für die Arbeiterinnen in der Munitionsfabrik durchsetzte. Sie engagierte sich zunächst in der SPÖ, dann in der KPÖ. Auch nach dem Verbot der KPÖ durch die autoritäre Regierung arbeitete Stürzl weiter und wurde erstmals im Sommer 1933 für kurze Zeit verhaftet; 1934 bereits für ein halbes Jahr und 1935 nochmals für zwei Monate. Da sie in Kufstein als Kommunistin zu gut bekannt war, stellte sie die Parteiarbeit offenbar ein. Als Adele Stürzl Ende Juni 1942 festgenommen wurde, wurde ihr gleich ein ganzer Strauß von Widerstandshandlungen vorgeworfen – sie habe einen Deserteur außer Landes bringen, eine Hungerdemonstration am 1. Mai organisieren wollen und sei Mitglied einer kommunistischen Widerstandsgruppe. Tatsächlich hatte Stürzl bereits vor dem Auftreten Robert Uhrigs wieder Gelder für zurückgekehrte Spanienkämpfer gesammelt; illegale Tre en von Kommunisten fanden in ihrem Haus statt, wurden aber von ihrem Untermieter Georg Faé organisiert. Während Robert Uhrigs erstem Tirol-Aufenthalt wurde eine Zusammenkunft bei Stürzl organisiert. Während sich Stürzl von organisatorischen Aufgaben in dieser Gruppe zurückhielt, war sie aber an anderen Widerstandshandlungen führend beteiligt: So versuchte sie noch im April 1942 einem Deserteur zur Flucht in die Schweiz zu verhelfen, und schließlich versuchte sie für den 1. Mai 1942 eine «Hungerdemonstration» zu organisieren, bei der sich Hausfrauen mit leeren Einkaufskörben am Kufsteiner Stadtplatz versammeln sollten. Am 11. November 1942 verurteilte das Sondergericht Innsbruck Adele Stürzl wegen der versuchten Fluchthilfe für den Deserteur zu vier Jahren Zuchthaus; sie verblieb aber in der Innsbrucker Haftanstalt bis kurz vor Beginn des Prozesses gegen die Gruppe «Roby». Der Vorsitzende des 6. Senats des Volksgerichtshofes warf ihr, so ein Augenzeuge, vor, «sie sei eine alte, fanatische Kommunistin mit dem einzigen Bestreben, die Arbeiter aufzuhetzen und unzufrieden zu machen. Das Motiv ihrer politischen Tätigkeit sei der Haß gegen Ordnung und Eigentum.» Adele Stürzl verwies dagegen «auf ihre soziale Einstellung, denn ihr ganzes Trachten ging dahin, den Armen und Ärmsten zu helfen.» Der Volksgerichtshof verurteilte Adele Stürzl am 14. April 1944 zum Tod. Derselbe Augenzeuge berichtet weiter: «Das große Leid hat ihren Geist während der Kerkerzeit verdunkelt – trotzdem blieb ihr das Schafott in Stadelheim nicht erspart.» Sie wurde vermutlich am 30. Juni 1944 – andere Quellen nennen auch den 16. August 1944 – in München hingerichtet. Eine Straße in Kufstein erinnert heute an sie.

Translated by google:

https://translate.google.com/translate? ... edit-text=

Pete26
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Bernhard Schwentner

#6512

Post by Pete26 » 06 Jun 2018, 05:58

BernhardSchwentner.gif
BernhardSchwentner.gif (31.25 KiB) Viewed 7265 times
Catholic priest Bernhard Schwentner was guillotined in Grandenburg-Gorden prison on 30 October 1944.

http://www.wikiwand.com/de/Bernhard_Schwentner

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhard_Schwentner


Pete26
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Alfons Wachsmann

#6513

Post by Pete26 » 06 Jun 2018, 06:09

Alfons Wachsmann.jpg
Alfons Wachsmann.jpg (38.93 KiB) Viewed 7258 times

Catholic priest Alfons Wachsmann was guillotined in Brandenburg-Gorden prison on 21 February 1944.

https://www.gdw-berlin.de/vertiefung/bi ... no_cache=1

https://www.gdw-berlin.de/en/recess/bio ... no_cache=1

Pete26
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Eugen Bolz

#6514

Post by Pete26 » 07 Jun 2018, 04:52

On 23 January 1945 ten men were executed in Berlin Plötzensee prison. One of them was Eugen Boltz. Many sources state that he was beheaded, while all nine others were hanged. It seems odd that he was the only beheaded person in the group. Maybe he too was hanged?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugen_Bolz


The executed were:

Dr. Eugen Bolz

Reinhold Frank

Nikolaus Groß

Dr. Theodor Haubach

Hermann Kaiser

Helmuth James Graf von Moltke

Dr. Erwin Planck

Ludwig Schwamb

Franz Speer

Busso Thoma

enrico985
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#6515

Post by enrico985 » 07 Jun 2018, 14:12

Max Miller in “Eugen Bolz: Staatsmann und Bekenner”, Stuttgart 1951, p. 515 said “Als letzter von zehn Leidensgefährten starb Eugen Bolz am 23 Januar 1945 in Gefängnis Berlin-Plötzensee den Märtyrertod für die Freiheit seines Volkes und seines Gewissens. […] Bolz wurde nicht wie die übrigen erhängt, sondern mit dem Fallbeil zu Tode gebracht”.
Johannes Tuchel in his book “und ihrer aller wartete der Strick” (Berlin 2011 p. 162, note 484) said that the ten men were execute in only 16 minutes “Theodor Haubach um 15.30 Uhr, Helmuth James von Moltke um 15.32 Uhr, Franz Sperr um 15.34 Uhr, Nikolaus Groß um 15.36 Uhr, Reinhold Frank um 15.38 Uhr, Ludwig Schwamb um 15.40 Uhr, Hermann Kaiser um 15.42 Uhr, Busso Thoma um 15.44 Uhr, Erwin Planck um 15.45 Uhr, Eugen Bolz um 15.46 Uhr”.
But then it remains to resolve the problem how was it possible to carry ou 9 hangings with only 8 meat-hooks (see Brigitte Oleschinski's “Gedenkstätte Plötzensee”, Berlin 1997, p. 50) in just 15 minutes (first hanging at 15.30: Haubach, last hanging at 15.45: Planck).
There are some possibilities:
1.Haubach died very quickly and Planck replaced him in the same book;
2.Planck was executed at the same time with other condemned in the same hook;
3.Planck was executed a few hours later when the hooks were free;
4.Planck was guillotined with Bolz.

What do you think about it? What is the solution that seems most likely to you?

Pete26
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#6516

Post by Pete26 » 08 Jun 2018, 00:25

enrico985 wrote:Max Miller in “Eugen Bolz: Staatsmann und Bekenner”, Stuttgart 1951, p. 515 said “Als letzter von zehn Leidensgefährten starb Eugen Bolz am 23 Januar 1945 in Gefängnis Berlin-Plötzensee den Märtyrertod für die Freiheit seines Volkes und seines Gewissens. […] Bolz wurde nicht wie die übrigen erhängt, sondern mit dem Fallbeil zu Tode gebracht”.
Johannes Tuchel in his book “und ihrer aller wartete der Strick” (Berlin 2011 p. 162, note 484) said that the ten men were execute in only 16 minutes “Theodor Haubach um 15.30 Uhr, Helmuth James von Moltke um 15.32 Uhr, Franz Sperr um 15.34 Uhr, Nikolaus Groß um 15.36 Uhr, Reinhold Frank um 15.38 Uhr, Ludwig Schwamb um 15.40 Uhr, Hermann Kaiser um 15.42 Uhr, Busso Thoma um 15.44 Uhr, Erwin Planck um 15.45 Uhr, Eugen Bolz um 15.46 Uhr”.
But then it remains to resolve the problem how was it possible to carry ou 9 hangings with only 8 meat-hooks (see Brigitte Oleschinski's “Gedenkstätte Plötzensee”, Berlin 1997, p. 50) in just 15 minutes (first hanging at 15.30: Haubach, last hanging at 15.45: Planck).
There are some possibilities:
1.Haubach died very quickly and Planck replaced him in the same book;
2.Planck was executed at the same time with other condemned in the same hook;
3.Planck was executed a few hours later when the hooks were free;
4.Planck was guillotined with Bolz.

What do you think about it? What is the solution that seems most likely to you?

1,3, and 4 are possible. Number 2 is out. Hanging of two persons from the same suspension point would be highly unlikely.

They also could have added the ninth hook for this execution, but eight hooks seems to have been the practical limit due to narrowness of the execution chamber.

What did the hanging execution protocol require in terms of time leaving the condemned suspended by the neck? In England it was one hour, in some countries 20 minutes. 15 minutes would be in my opinion an absolute minimum.

Pete26
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Richtbeil photos

#6517

Post by Pete26 » 08 Jun 2018, 05:32


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von thoma
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#6518

Post by von thoma » 08 Jun 2018, 22:48

Reading about "Rote Kapelle";

"The trials were carried out in the strictest secrecy; there were 58 death sentences, man were hanged and women guillotined,
and many others to life imprisonment".

It's that true.....Did they really two ways for the executions ?
" The right to believe is the right of those who don't know "

Pete26
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#6519

Post by Pete26 » 09 Jun 2018, 02:49

von thoma wrote:Reading about "Rote Kapelle";

"The trials were carried out in the strictest secrecy; there were 58 death sentences, man were hanged and women guillotined,
and many others to life imprisonment".

It's that true.....Did they really two ways for the executions ?
I believe they executed all women in Plotzaensee by beheading with a guillotine. Prior to installation of the hanging beam in Ploetzensee execution building, beheading was used as an exclusive method of execution there. After installation of the hanging beam, a lot of condemned men were hanged, particularly Hitler assassination attempt conspirators. Some were guillotined. Hanging was considered to be a more humiliating form of execution by the Nazis. So yes, there were two execution methods, but not all execution sites were equipped with both a guillotine and a hanging beam.

Members of the military sentenced to death were usually executed by shooting, some were beheaded.

Here is some interesting information posted long time ago:


https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic ... e#p1560754

Pete26
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Pankrac fallbeil photo

#6520

Post by Pete26 » 11 Jun 2018, 06:05

Here is another photo of Pankrac fallbeil from the late 1940's:
Pankrac fallbeil.jpg
Pankrac fallbeil.jpg (159.76 KiB) Viewed 7015 times

https://www.info.cz/magazin/tady-nacist ... 29492.html

ploestahal
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#6521

Post by ploestahal » 12 Jun 2018, 22:15

My knowledgebase: There was not a hanging beam in every execution site; but the possibility of hanging people up from beginning the year 1943. In Wolfenbüttel for example there was just a metal ring, which was cutted off after 1945.
---
"Plotzensee execution room image is easy to generate as there are numerous photos availabe". First: You have to find a similiar angle to the vintage black and white photos. Second: This superimposes making some things more obvious to me: Did you know how the disappeared sink on the left side looked like before? Did you know that there was a big radiator in the room? Did you know that there was a double-lamp in the room; with a table in front (for the prosecution officials)?

Pete26
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Ploetzensee execution room

#6522

Post by Pete26 » 13 Jun 2018, 03:31

Ploetzensee.jpg
Some time ago, questions were asked about the purpose of the board with a cutout in it (left lower corner of the photo), and also the objects on the floor next to the guillotine. Also, there are what appear to be wooden steps next to the wall under the hanging beam.

Do you have a photo which shows the original sink?

Pete26
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Stadelheim victims

#6523

Post by Pete26 » 13 Jun 2018, 06:52

Stadelheim victims.jpg
memorialtablet.jpg
Perlacher Friedhof. Names of 94 victims guillotined in Stadelheim prison. There are many Czech names on the list. Hans Leipelt, a member of the White Rose, is also on this list.

Click on the pictures to make them larger.

The inscription on the memorial tablet reads:

"Here rest 94 victims of National Socialist tyranny. They were murdered in Stadelheim prison between 1942 and 1945 for political reasons".

Pete26
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Gerhard Liebold

#6524

Post by Pete26 » 14 Jun 2018, 04:01

GerhardLiebold.jpg
Jehova's Witness Gerhard Liebold was guillotined in Brandenburg-Gorden prison on 6 May 1943 at the age of 20.
Twenty-year-old Gerhard was beheaded on May 6, 1943, two years after his father had been beheaded in the same prison. He wrote in his farewell letter to his family and fiancée: “Without the power of the Lord, I would not have been able to walk this path.”
https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesse ... ion-camps/

Pete26
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Rudolf Auschner

#6525

Post by Pete26 » 14 Jun 2018, 04:08

RudolfAuschner.jpg
Jehova's Witness Rudolf Auschner was guillotined in Roter Ochse prison in Halle/Saale on 22 September 1944 at the age of 17. The executioner was most likely Alfred Roselieb.
Rudolf was just 17 years old when he was beheaded on September 22, 1944. In his farewell letter to his mother, he wrote: “Many brothers have walked this path, and so will I.
https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesse ... ion-camps/

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