Beheadings in the Third Reich

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fredric
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7066

Post by fredric » 20 Jan 2021, 00:16

Please post the photosgraphs of Landsberg hangings in 1947-48.
Films show US MP and Officers in charge.
I have not seen three US soldier/executioners on the scaffold. I have
seen Woods and Reichhart. I have the name of Woods' assistant. I know Reichhart used
his sons to assist him. Who were these guys?
No civilians as you say are visible. But please send me a photo or two. You
Could do this by private message if you wish.

wolfguy
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7067

Post by wolfguy » 20 Jan 2021, 16:24

Three photos of Landsberg Hangings, May and Sept. 1947, Mauthausen and Dachau defendants

collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1171485

collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1171483

gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/german-nazi-war-criminal-hermann-zisch-is-held-by-two-news-photo/141563654

You will be able to see that in all three photos the three personnel on the scaffold with the condemned are US Army personnel.

Wolfguy


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fredric
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7068

Post by fredric » 20 Jan 2021, 20:07

You are correct. All personnel I see are U.S. military.
No sign of Johann Reichhart.
The reason why would be speculation on my part.

The first photo does not show the executioner.
In the second, we can see a little bit of "portly" stomach of a soldier in the position a hangman would take.
In the third, two U.S. military (no insignia) hold the condemned. A third military person with rank possibly of
Master Sargent (could someone confirm?) ties the condemned's feet. Not the usual duty of the hangman but
would the others know how to do it. These condemned were hanged at 7 minute intervals. Time was short.

My conclusion is that signal corps still photos show various soldiers serving as assistants to the executioner.
Military of the same rank helped Reichhart. To find their names would be a challenge. Perhaps the author of the book you
cite got their names from records???

Based on seeing many photos of Woods, I would guess the executioner may be Master Sargent Woods.
The assistants may be MP's who handled the prisoner.
Woods used a military enlisted man named Joseph Malta. He is not present.
This execution team had a huge task over those two days.

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von thoma
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7069

Post by von thoma » 20 Jan 2021, 22:57

Where is this execution room ?
I never saw this photo before, although it's possible that it's collected here
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Piotr1
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7070

Post by Piotr1 » 21 Jan 2021, 00:28

Posen(Poznań) Poland Prison Mlyńska st.

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von thoma
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7071

Post by von thoma » 21 Jan 2021, 01:49

Thanks Piotr1
" The right to believe is the right of those who don't know "

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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7072

Post by marko10 » 21 Jan 2021, 15:41

von thoma wrote:
20 Jan 2021, 22:57
Where is this execution room ?
I never saw this photo before, although it's possible that it's collected here

what's that piece of furniture on the right?

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fredric
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7073

Post by fredric » 21 Jan 2021, 16:04

That is a small furnace for heating the room.
The RMJ, recommended that "hinrichtungssraum" (sp) be heated. In cold weather a fallbeills slides might freeze due to water from hosing the machine. The hose and water on the floor are also visible. The table to the left contained some tools for the fallbeil and autopsy tools. I have heard the the Posen room had shiny blue wall tile which is unusual. A short documentary film the room can be found online and there are post-war documentary photos of this room taken at the same time as well. I believe these were used as evidence during the Nuremberg Trials.

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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7074

Post by marko10 » 22 Jan 2021, 15:26

fredric wrote:
21 Jan 2021, 16:04
That is a small furnace for heating the room.
The RMJ, recommended that "hinrichtungssraum" (sp) be heated. In cold weather a fallbeills slides might freeze due to water from hosing the machine. The hose and water on the floor are also visible. The table to the left contained some tools for the fallbeil and autopsy tools. I have heard the the Posen room had shiny blue wall tile which is unusual. A short documentary film the room can be found online and there are post-war documentary photos of this room taken at the same time as well. I believe these were used as evidence during the Nuremberg Trials.
Are there any color photos of any execution chambers before the end of the war?

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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7075

Post by Hans1906 » 22 Jan 2021, 15:55

Quote: "The table to the left contained some tools for the fallbeil and autopsy tools."

fredric, with all respect, are you able to explain this a little bit further?

Thank you very much.


Hans1906
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wolfguy
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7076

Post by wolfguy » 22 Jan 2021, 19:41

Hi Frederic

The hangman in question could not have been Master Sgt. Woods.

According to the book "American Hangman" by French MacLean, Woods's hangman career ended with the hangings of the major criminals at Nuremberg, October 1946 (p. 223).

So hangings at Landsberg in 1947 and 1948 had to have been done by someone else.

Wolfguy

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fredric
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7077

Post by fredric » 23 Jan 2021, 01:24

wolfguy wrote:
22 Jan 2021, 19:41
Hi Frederic

The hangman in question could not have been Master Sgt. Woods.

According to the book "American Hangman" by French MacLean, Woods's hangman career ended with the hangings of the major criminals at Nuremberg, October 1946 (p. 223).

So hangings at Landsberg in 1947 and 1948 had to have been done by someone else.

Wolfguy
I had the honor of providing research to French MacLean for his book on Reichhart. French is a terrific researcher.
He writes well on a vast number of subjects.
Let's confirm the dates when Reichhart hanged at Landsberg.
He did hang about 150 war criminals. I thought he ended this "gig" in '49 and retired, dying in 1972.

Yes, the three executioners probably were US military.
Will be fun to research this.

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Tegel exposed in DHM Berlin 1953

#7078

Post by Piotr1 » 24 Jan 2021, 15:36


Piotr1
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Scharfrichter Friedrich Hehr

#7079

Post by Piotr1 » 24 Jan 2021, 17:16


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fredric
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Re: Beheadings in the Third Reich

#7080

Post by fredric » 24 Jan 2021, 19:34

Hans1906 wrote:
22 Jan 2021, 15:55
Quote: "The table to the left contained some tools for the fallbeil and autopsy tools."

fredric, with all respect, are you able to explain this a little bit further?

Thank you very much.


Hans1906
Okay. Please understand that I do not have the photos/film in front of me. With some research on your part, you
can find all on the Internet... I recommend starting with a search of Poznan execution room, guillotine. The entire film
was shown at the Nuremberg Trial by the Soviets. It also included shocking footage of the Danzig Anatomical Institute including
a basket of heads.
The still photos of Poznan are on the Forum site. These show the room after Posen (Poznan) fell to the Soviets. The room is a mess.
Photos of Posen Ex. Chamber can be found on pp.77-78 in the fine book "Zentrale Hinrichtungssstatten" by Waltenbacher. But I have seen other photos showing rubber gloves, autopsy instruments, etc. and the strangest of all, a large hammer which some of our learned
Forum members suggest was for assembling the fallbeil. BTW, this fallbeil I believe was dismantled, parts stolen perhaps at that time and its remains reassembled. It is part of an interesting exhibit at Fort 5? in Posen.
Now I am sure other Forum members will chime in...

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