Beheadings in the Third Reich

[billolsen89]

Have been researching the SS Bremen and SS Normandy lately. It looks like Kurt Walter Schmidt was the youngest person to be executed by beheading in the Nazi era. Schmidt was arrested for arson of the SS Bremen, which was a German ocean liner launched in 1926 and was, 19 months into WWII, berthed in the port of Bremerhaven on March 16, 1941 after the ship caught fire. Schmidt confessed that he had set the fire out of spite after being beaten by a ship's officer for failure to complete a task. The SS Bremen was being retrofitted as a troop ship for the Wehrmacht at the time, but the fire destroyed the ship's hull. Schmidt was 14 years old at the time of his offense and had turned 15 at the time of his conviction and later beheading by guillotine at Plötzensee prison.

[marko10]

I ask how is the ritual regarding a person sentenced to death by guillotine in the previous 24 hours in nazy Germany?

[Hans1906]

Probably of some interest in this context, about the last person to be executed in West Germany after 1945.

Richard Schuh https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Schuh

ZDF website on this topic: Spektakuläre Kriminalfälle der Nachkriegszeit

Part 1: Der Osten (45 Minutes)
Part 2: Der Westen (46 Minutes)

Small warning, some scenes are hard to bear, not suitable for children and sensitive people!

Link to the ZDF Mediathek https://www.zdf.de/dokumentation/zdfinf ... n-100.html


Hans

P.S. Of course I do not allow myself here in the forum any evaluation of the two documentations above, only so much.
The German television is peppered with these topics, one hardly comes past all this.
Sometimes it really becomes too much, but I think these thousandfold repetitions are just as important, let each of us form his own judgment...

[marko10]

how many fallbeils are currently on display in Germany and how many are hidden underground from public view?

[Hans1906]

marko10,

I don't know, it's not a topic I deal with every day either, for good reasons.

This link may be helpful, I myself do not want, and do not have to know everything, in this sense you a greeting.

Zentrale Hinrichtungsstätte (E: Central execution site) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zentrale_ ... ungsstätte
(Only av. in the german language)

Everything is easily translatable online, the sources are known to you...

I'll be careful not to pad the above post with pictures, there are their many, also documentaries, and clips from German feature films that do not belong here.
One may smile about it, but personal decency forbids me to do so, out of respect for the many innocent victims.


Hans

[fredric]

By my count, unsubstantiated by personal viewing, we might have:
Mannhardts: Brandenburg Memorial, Great Patriotic War Museum, Kiev, Barvarian History Museum, Munich, Wolfenbuttel Prison,
possibly two more. Herr Mannhardt's company under orders, produced six beheading machines. These are the finest ever made in
my opinion. I must hope that the other two Mannhardts will be found, even if in pieces.
Tegels: Many. Archivists say 20, some 20 "ordered by Hitler". He directed uniform executionary practice thoughout the Reich and Greater Reich. The head of the RMJ, I believe Gertner, ordered the 20 but not after a lot of quibbling among lawyers on whether the axe or other methods should be considered. The discussion was cut short (perhaps a joke here). Fallbeil was the dictate. Formation of execution sites, some 12, followed. Thus more Tegels (see Waltenburger for details). I believe from my contacts there are many
still to be found.

[fredric]

I ask how is the ritual regarding a person sentenced to death by guillotine in the previous 24 hours in nazy Germany?

I could provide the typical steps prior to execution at a State authorized execution prison.
The execution procedure did vary at other sites. This is an awful "business". Although the RMJ would have liked to
believe, my research shows no consistent protocol was followed.
Please send me by private message specific questions. I enjoy your questions which are good.
Danke

[von thoma]

Dismantled guillotine in Wolfenbüttel.

96196.jpg

Marguerite Bervoets, Belgian resistance, executed 7 Aug 1944, Wolfenbüttel.

Marguerite Bervoets.jpg

Fernande Volral, Belgian resistance, executed 7 Aug 1944, Wolfenbüttel.

Fernande_Volral.jpg

Charleroi_-_plaque_Fernande_Volral_-_boulevard_des_Alliées.jpg

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=35191&p=1644758&hil ... l#p1644758

[Jmlopez]

Good morning.
Does any member of this forum have a digital copy of the following publication?
“Die Guillotinierten: Namensliste der durch das Fallbeil im Wiener Landesgericht durch die Nazihenker Ermordeten." Wien, KPÖ, 1946.
I would be very grateful,

[fredric]

Unfortunately I do not have this document. Peter26 might have the list; he certainly does for many victims.
Another avenue to contact is The German Resistance Center, Stauffenbergstrasse 13-14, 10785 Tiergarten, Berlin
They have been quite helpful to me. Have you contacted the Vienna historical site?
I bet they have a list of some of the victims.
Wish I could help you.

[Hans1906]

Die Guillotinierten. Namensliste der durch das Fallbeil im Wiener Landesgericht durch die Nazihenker Ermordeten. Herausgegeben von der Kommunistischen Partei Österreichs. (Wien 1946)

Link: https://www.zvab.com/Guillotinierten-Na ... 7204270/bd

The third scanned page of the book on ZVAB is creepy, a more than scary document, just very hard to look at.
I hope this document is somewhere publicly viewable, that would be desirable.

Digitized as a *.pdf file probably not available.


Hans

[hmtk1964]

Hans

Question, what is creepy about the 3rd page. I only could read a sad list of people (most are blue-collar workers)

Cheers
Hans

[fredric]

jah Hans,
sad. reality of the time. let it not return.
beheadings in wein are well document as those in Czechsovakia.
yes, most are 'middle layer workers" who joined an antinazi gruppe.'
Paul26 is the better source than
In other contexts and languages, I would say Jah, I can help you.
But it is Christmas. We all need this now.
Best
c

[hmtk1964]

Hi Frederic, sad times indeed, and looks like they are coming back.

The jobs mentioned are not middle class, but mostly lower class (hence explaining the high degree of communists and socialists)

Stay safe

[Hans1906]

Question, what is creepy about the 3rd page. I only could read a sad list of people (most are blue-collar workers)

My reference was the list on the ZVAB site posted there, monstrous.
Having the entire book in hand, I'm afraid I can not think of anything, a deeply disturbing and terrible document.


Hans