Beheadings in the Third Reich

[fredric]

Of course we know Jehovah Witnesses were a Nazi target.

I have assisted others in their search for Nazi victims. Some Jehovah Witnesses.
Last year research librarian in Czechoslovakia asked if could her about what were the likely
last days her uncle waited before beheading and about the executionary protocol at Plotzensee.
The Plotzensee Memorial Center is an excellent place to start.

It is possible they may have a list showing your relatives' exact execution dates and burial locations.
Have you been to Plotzensee"?
One thing for sure, Germans love to keep precise records.

Books about Nazi doctors are easily available and I recommend you find the best in a library.
Look for books backed by solid research scary stuff. Saving blood from the beheaded right at fallbeil is a horrible
fact which I and others on the Forum have investigated. Brrrr
Some people ask about the executioners... who were they? were they executed after the War?

Another scary truth is that blood from the beheaded was collected right on the Fallbeil and recycled for wounded German
soldiers. This was done for sure at Brandenburg and Plotzensee.

[TEOL_PR]

As a hisorian focusing on the history of Nazi Germany's executioners and their craft, I have looked for Rottger's home or shop on the Waldstrasse to no avail and wonder if he left any legacy of his cruel work. Anyone having information about Rottger or other state executioners working during the NZ era is asked to please contact me.[/u]

Have you considered contacting the Berlin Archives? Here is the link. You can also change the language to English. Maybe you find some valuable information there. I am working with them to gather more information about Wolfgang Kusserow, who was beheaded at Plötzensee, Berlin. He was only 20 yrs old.

[TEOL_PR]

I live about 8 hrs from Berlin. However, I will contact them per e-mail and try to gather some more information. I am working with someone on the Berlin Archives, but it never hurt to contact that memorial in Plötzensee, too.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[fredric]

Good luck.
You should get a copy of their fine brochure *n
German) and a copy of Der Tod von Plotzenee by Victor Gostomski (prisoner at the Plotz who witnesses a lot) and
Herr Doctor Walter Loch. Both books are in German and the brochure has been translated into English.
I am happy to help you.

[TEOL_PR]

Thanks again, Fredric. Once I gather more information, I will happily share my findings with y'all.

[offizier1916]

i come back to this thread from time to time to remember those 10thousands of innocent civilians murdered by the the nazis. Everyone knows the Stauffenbergs etc....but we should never forget all those "unknown" persons who tried to fight with their limited opportunities against the nazis and were murdered for that.
RIP!

[fredric]

I agree. Germany lost so man of its creators, physicists, doctors etc. at over Trump's
single minded bigotry. Let us pray this never again happens.
For the purpose of our Forum, I have some subject-specific info. will share with anyone on this
fine Forum. And I have associates who could and do the same.
I'm like to turn the tables with this question: Why do you follow this Forum?
Respects to all.

[von thoma]

Hello y'all

No, Herr aka "you'all" (I don't talk that way!!!) But my wife, Polish and
me 2nd generation Deutch.

Isn't this a form of greeting used in Texas ?

[fredric]

In Texas? Nien!
Hoping alles gutte fur zee.
Keeping in touch.
BTW... not my favorite place. I did a concert in Houston years ago
with John Williams.. I don't like Texas you'all.
Let's get some focused questions to share with our Forum.
I am old... my research library is huge. Only one other I know has more
information than I.
Write..

[TEOL_PR]

For all of you who are wondering about my "y'all" greeting. I lived in TN for many years, where I picked-up that lovely greeting.

Now going back to the thread and my dilemma. Many years ago, the older sister from Mr. Kusserow was interviewed. She mentioned that her parents were able to collect the body and buried him. I am still seeking more information from the archives.

As I mentioned before, once I know more, I will be more than happy to share that information here.

[LineDoggie]

I agree. Germany lost so man of its creators, physicists, doctors etc. at over Trump's
single minded bigotry. Let us pray this never again happens.

Well Done Propaganda

[LineDoggie]

i come back to this thread from time to time to remember those 10thousands of innocent civilians murdered by the the nazis. Everyone knows the Stauffenbergs etc....but we should never forget all those "unknown" persons who tried to fight with their limited opportunities against the nazis and were murdered for that.
RIP!

i'd rather remember those from the first who opposed Nazism in the Wehrmacht

Stauffenberg was OK with the Nazi policies in Poland only becoming anti Hitler once the Wehrmacht started to lose the war

"It is essential that we begin a systemic colonization in Poland. But I have no fear that this will not occur"-Claus von Stauffenberg

[TEOL_PR]

As a hisorian focusing on the history of Nazi Germany's executioners and their craft, I have looked for Rottger's home or shop on the Waldstrasse to no avail and wonder if he left any legacy of his cruel work. Anyone having information about Rottger or other state executioners working during the NZ era is asked to please contact me.[/u]

Have you considered contacting the Berlin Archives? Here is the link: https://landesarchiv-berlin.de/die-einw ... von-berlin

Alternative: although a creepy suggestions, but it might be worth pursuing it. Have you considered contacting the current NSPD and inquiry information about him? Maybe there is somebody who knows somebody....

[Pete26]

But we know fallbeille were in operaton: at Plotzensee, Stadelheim, Breslau, Dresden, Frankfurt/Main, Hamburg, Halle, Koln, Hamburg, Kattowitz, Posen,Sttugart, Weimer, Konigsburg, Wolfenbuettel and Wein. The idea was to have functioning fabeille at many sites thus
reducing transportation issues.

And of course, Pankrac prison in Prague with its 1075 beheaded victims. Also, it is important to note that in Pankrac prison the exclusive method of disposal of bodies of guillotined victims was to transport them to Strasnice crematorium where they were cremated at night following their execution, under supervision of Nazi authorities. According to the testimony given by the son of Frantisek Suchy, the crematorium director at the time, blood still dripped from wooden crates as they were carried into the crematorium.

Also, additional fallbeil execution sites were in Dortmund, Hannover, Butzbach, Danzig, Brandenburg-Gorden, Graz, and Dierbergen-Butzow.

This past month I had an opportunity to visit the Vienna Criminal Museum. I was hoping to see the Vienna fallbeil which was one of the main exhibits at the museum. Unfortunately i was told that the fallbeil was moved to some other museum in Germany early in 2023. They could not tell me which museum. Maybe someone can find out where the Vienna fallbeil is displayed now. The fallbeil beheaded almost1200 people.

Here is the list of fallbeil execution sites in the third Reich and number of people executed at each site:


Berlin Plotzensee: at least 2500 (1933-1945)

Brandenburg Gorden: 2743 (1940-1945)

Breslau(Wroclaw): at least 775 (1939-1944)

Bruchsal: 64 (1944-1945)

Butzbach: 7 (1933-1937)

Danzig: at least 4 (1944-1945)

Dortmund: 305 (1934-36) and (1943-1945)

Dreibergen-Butzow: 53 (1942 and 1945)

Dresden: 1356 (1934-1945)

Frankfurt-Preungesheim: at least 345 (1938-1945)

Graz: at least 156 (1943-1945)

Halle: 546 (1942-1945)

Hamburg: 468 (1933-1944)

Hannover: 3 (1933-1937)

Kattowitz (Katowice): 552 (1941-1945)

Koln: at least 1000 (1933-1945)

Konigsberg: no data (1936-1945)

Munchen Stadelheim: 1381 (1934-1945)

Posen (Poznan): at least 1680 (1939-1945)

Prague Pankrac: 1079 (1943-1945)

Stuttgart: 454 (1933-1944)

Weimar: 197 (1933-1945)

Wien: 1187 (1938-1945)

Wolfenbuttel: at least 516 (1937-1945)


Total executions for all 24 Central Execution Sites: at least 17336 (1933-1945)

Source: Hinrichtungen in Hamburg und Altona 1933-1944 by Andreas Seeger and Fritz Treichel

[TEOL_PR]

During my research, I found out the following information.

The bodies of those beheaded in Berlin Plötzensee (Ploetzensee) and Brandenburg Görden (Goerden) 'til Summer 1942 were either (1) sent to Berlin for Anatomy studies; (2) Cremated (most of them) at the "Baumschulenweg" or "Wedding" crematoriums and the Urnas were either given to the families or buried in Berlin; (3) Rarely exceptions were made and the bodies were given to the family for proper burial. After the war, the unrecognized Urnas were buried at a Memorial Center in Berlin.

The cremarioum Wedding is called today "Silent Green". However they do guided tours of the former crematorium. https://www.silent-green.net/haus/histo ... fuehrungen

I am still researching the other one: https://architectuul.com/architecture/c ... schulenweg

Need to contact them to find out were are the archives of the cremated during the Nazi Era.

However,all documents related to Third Reich Military Court are located at the Military History Museum in Prag. https://www.vuapraha.cz/

Hope this information is useful.