Beheadings in the Third Reich
Karl Hodac
Karl Hodac was guillotined in Vienna on 10 October 1942.
https://karl-hodac.zurerinnerung.at/?cemetery_view=1
Franz Hauer
Franz Hauer was guillotined in Vienna on 3 March 1944.
https://franz-hauer.zurerinnerung.at/?cemetery_view=1
Josef Lang
Josef Lang was guillotined in Vienna on 2 December 1942.
https://josef-lang.zurerinnerung.at/?cemetery_view=1
Franz Malik
Franz Malik was guillotined in Vienna on 9 January 1945.
https://franz-malik.zurerinnerung.at/?cemetery_view=1
Anton Buchalka
Anton Buchalka was guillotined in Ploetzensee prison on 10 July 1941 at the age of 28.
https://www.kpoe-steiermark.at/anton-bu ... tand.phtml
https://www.doew.at
Bruchsal prison courtyard
The town of Bruchsal was heavily bombed by the allies on 1 March 1945, and although Bruchsal Prison and Seilersbahn Prison were only lightly damaged, the guillotine was no longer functional — executions were performed henceforth by firing squad. Bruchsal was liberated with no resistance by the French Army on 2 April 1945. 13 Nazi war criminals were executed in Bruchsal after death sentences were issued by allied military tribunals between November 1945 and March 1946.
https://www.frankfallaarchive.org/priso ... al-prison/
Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich
interesting photo. is it of the execution building?
fallbeil "no longer functional" but where today???
fallbeil "no longer functional" but where today???
Re: Last guillotine executions in Hamburg
Here I found an interesting contribution to your articlePete26 wrote: ↑25 Jul 2019, 04:36The last guillotine executions in Hamburg were carried out on 9 May 1949. Robert Amelung (age 29) and Peter Steinhauer (age 39) were guillotined for the crime of murder. The murder victim was Peter Nikolitsch (age 34). Marie Mohr was also sentenced to death, but was later acquitted.
The executions were most likely carried out by Friedrich Hehr who continued guillotine executions in post war Germany in Wolfenbuettel and Hamburg until abolition of the death penalty in 1949. It is not clear what guillotine was used for these executions, as the Haumburg guillotine was shipped to Dierbergen-Butzow prison in late 1944. Was this guillotine shipped back to Hamburg after WW II ended? The old wooden guillotine previously used in Hamburg was not functional any more.
Robert Amelung.jpg
Peter Steinhauer.jpg
Marie Mohr.jpg
Peter Nikolitsch.jpg
https://www.mopo.de/hamburg/historisch/ ... n-32265134
https://www.msn.com/de-de/nachrichten/p ... ar-BBV8U6C
Matt
Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich
It is not a photo of the execution building, or one of the cell blocks which were multi story buildings, so it could be prison hospital, a dining hall with kitchen, or some workshop or something like that. This is the photo of Bruchsal execution shed which was posted several times:
www.dgb-rheine.de/archiv/duhme-luther/schuppen.JPG
As for the fate of Bruchsal fallbeil, it is a mystery. We do not know how badly it was damaged, but apparently badly enough so it was no longer usable in the damaged condition. We do not know if it was ever repaired or shipped to another location, or simply destroyed.
Re: Last guillotine executions in Hamburg
Thanks Matt, but this appears to be the same exact article I referenced in my original E mail, but under a different web address.Matti65 wrote: ↑02 Nov 2019, 22:21Here I found an interesting contribution to your articlePete26 wrote: ↑25 Jul 2019, 04:36The last guillotine executions in Hamburg were carried out on 9 May 1949. Robert Amelung (age 29) and Peter Steinhauer (age 39) were guillotined for the crime of murder. The murder victim was Peter Nikolitsch (age 34). Marie Mohr was also sentenced to death, but was later acquitted.
The executions were most likely carried out by Friedrich Hehr who continued guillotine executions in post war Germany in Wolfenbuettel and Hamburg until abolition of the death penalty in 1949. It is not clear what guillotine was used for these executions, as the Haumburg guillotine was shipped to Dierbergen-Butzow prison in late 1944. Was this guillotine shipped back to Hamburg after WW II ended? The old wooden guillotine previously used in Hamburg was not functional any more.
Robert Amelung.jpg
Peter Steinhauer.jpg
Marie Mohr.jpg
Peter Nikolitsch.jpg
https://www.mopo.de/hamburg/historisch/ ... n-32265134
https://www.msn.com/de-de/nachrichten/p ... ar-BBV8U6C
Matt
Execution of Hans Ziegler and Sally Epstein
Hans Ziegler and Sally Epstein were beheaded with an axe by the executioner Carl Gropler in Berlin Ploetzensee prison on 10 April 1935. See page 202 in the linked book for their photographs and also following pages, especially page 210 for description of Sally Epstein's beheading. It is somewhat odd that they mention leading the condemned man into an "execution room". This would be applicable if a guillotine was used, but this was an axe beheading and this was typically done outside in one of Ploetzensee prison courtyards. However, they mention placing the condemned on the bench, which was used and connected to the block, so this part of the execution is accurate.
They also state how long it took to carry out the axe beheading: 55 seconds from presentation of the convict to the end of pronouncement of the sentence, and 10 seconds from the time the convict was turned over to the executioner to the time the sentence was carried out.
https://books.google.com/books?id=ghCMD ... &q&f=false
They also state how long it took to carry out the axe beheading: 55 seconds from presentation of the convict to the end of pronouncement of the sentence, and 10 seconds from the time the convict was turned over to the executioner to the time the sentence was carried out.
https://books.google.com/books?id=ghCMD ... &q&f=false
Tegel fallbeil full size replica test
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uem1A8zk_t4
This is a full size replica of Tegel type fallbeill. You can see from the scale dial that the sliding frame with the blade weighs 60 kilograms or 132 lbs. A loaf of bread is cut in two by the blade. it is interesting to note that the cut part rotates clockwise and lands upside down in the basket.
The author estimates that the blade terminal velocity is 4.2 meters/sec and the beheading would take place in 3 hundreds of a second.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=35191&p=2061591&hil ... e#p2061591
This is a full size replica of Tegel type fallbeill. You can see from the scale dial that the sliding frame with the blade weighs 60 kilograms or 132 lbs. A loaf of bread is cut in two by the blade. it is interesting to note that the cut part rotates clockwise and lands upside down in the basket.
The author estimates that the blade terminal velocity is 4.2 meters/sec and the beheading would take place in 3 hundreds of a second.
These numbers are pretty close to my estimated numbers which I posted several years ago. I estimated the blade drop time to be about 1/2 of a second, terminal blade velocity to be about 4.5 meters/sec, and actual beheading time about 4/100 of a second. Howevere, I had no way to measure the actual blade drop height, so I only estimated it. And the actual beheading time depends on the size of an individual's neck. I assumed a rather thick neck.Tegel Fallbeil - funkční test.
Jednoduchý výpočet nám přiblíží parametry stroje. Nůž spadne volným pádem za 0,4 sekundy rychlostí 4,2 metru za sekundu. Odsouzencovo hrdlo tedy nůž přetnul za 0,03 sekundy. Vzhledem nepatrnému tření padajícího šedesátikilogramového nože a zanedbatelnému odporu vzduchu je tento výpočet jistě blízký skutečnosti.
Výkon trest smrti takovým zařízením se tedy mohl vzhledem k jeho rychlosti a spolehlivosti považovat za humánní.
Humánní ovšem nebyli zákeřní udavači, brutální vyšetřovatelé, bezcitní žalobci a nemilosrdní soudci, kteří se starali o nepřetržitý přísun odsouzenců…
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=35191&p=2061591&hil ... e#p2061591
And in this clip which I posted some time ago, you can see the Pankrac Tegel blade come down at 4:39 into the clip. The crashing sound inside the actual execution room is greatly amplified and gives one a good idea how loud it was. It takes only about 1/2 of a second for the blade to come all the way down from the moment the sledge is released. The actual beheading would only take about 4/100 of a second.
Re: Tegel fallbeil full size replica test
Excuse my ignorance, Pete, but wasn´t the belt in this metal basket not used to hold the human head down? So placing the bread onto the top seems to me rather not a good comparison.
Re: Tegel fallbeil full size replica test
The leather belt was designed to support the head and to prevent the victim form dropping his head into the bucket and to ensure clean cut through the neck. Hold down action was accomplished by the lunette which encircled the neck. I did not say anything about how a severed human head might land in the basket. The cut bread piece is much lighter than a human head and most likely would not react the same way as a result of slanted blade cutting action.
Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich
So the belt did prevent that the deliquent is bowing his/her head down? But wouldn´t lowering the head inot the bucket not mean that the neck is strained/tightened and support a clean cut?
You wrote " I did not say anything about how a severed human head might land in the basket. ".
I did not suggest such nor referr in any way. It was just an observation on my part.
You wrote " I did not say anything about how a severed human head might land in the basket. ".
I did not suggest such nor referr in any way. It was just an observation on my part.