On the 4th July 1946, 200,000 people in Gdansk witnessed the executions of some of the most
evil concentration camp guards of the Second World War. A number of huge gallows had been
created to execute men and women in front of the large crowds, and these guards had
worked at Stutthof Concentration Camp. Stutthof was a site in which was known for its brutality
and horror, and it’s estimated that 65,000 of the 110,000 people who were held there
were killed. The guards of Stutthof were incredibly cruel, and they carried out executions and
slaughter on a daily basis and violent beatings would often result in further death. However
employed amongst the guards and the SS overseers were a number of Kapos, prisoner functionaries
who were actually held as inmates but they were given a small bit of power and responsibility.
These Kapos worked for the Germans and many were complicit in the executions and the crimes
of the concentration camps. At the end of the war, a number of Kapos would be turned
on as the camps were liberated and many were killed by prisoners. But on the huge hill
in front of thousands in Gdansk, a number of Kapos who worked at Stutthof were executed
amongst the guard staff. Join us today as we look at the executions of the capos of
stutthof concentration camp. As always to support our channel, please make sure to subscribe.
Stutthof Concentration Camp opened following the German Invasion of Poland, and as soon
as the war broke out in Europe the Germans were rounding up people to be imprisoned there.
The first prisoners had to make the camp, and over time it expanded to a huge scale
and dozens of barrack buildings were made to house the huge number of prisoners. The
camp staff was made up of German SS guards and later Ukrainian Auxiliaries that were
brought in, but also any women guards worked at Stutthof as women were imoprisoned at the
camp. The SS would search for women from the local area to work there, but Stutthof’s
prisoner population came from a number of different countries. The conditions of the
camp were very harsh, and tens of thousands of inmates would succumb to disease and starvation.
Lots died from typhus, and the disease would sweep through the camp a number of times,
but many who were deemed too weak or sick to work were sent to the gas chambers. Executions
at Stutthof were carried out by gunshot also, and gassing would take place later, with thousands
killed inside of the site there. Also execution using lethal injection occurred and prisoners
were clubbed and beaten to death and were drowned in mud.
The prisoners were forced to work in many different industries and lots of prisoners
worked in the armaments factories located next to the prisoner barracks. Other prisoners
worked in local businesses such as brickyards, but a huge network of forced labour camps
emerged around the main site. But amongst many of the guard staff as mentioned were
a number of Kapos or prisoners inside of the camp who were assigned jobs and tasks by the
SS to do. The Kapo system was designed to make victims turn against the other victims
and it was hoped that they would instil discipline and fear into the prisoners which would limit
the amount of work that the SS guards would have to do. Many Kapos were recruited from
violent criminals gangs that existed before the war, and some were known for their brutality
towards the other prisoners. The SS would tolerate the brutality of the Kapos, and these
men were spared the hard demanding labour and they were in charge of overseeing groups
of inmates.
The Kapos acted as a second hierarchy of power, and it made it easier for the nazis to control
the camps. It was usually between 5-10% of prisoners who were functionaries who were
given roles, and Kapos were often hated by the other prisoners. They were spat at by
other prisoners and were seen as henchmen for the Nazis. Some Kapos got extra food and
easier roles and others would take part for the fact they wanted an easier ride. But the
system of using prisoner guards was a key part of the domination in keeping prisoners
down. The rules of the concentration camps were horrific, and there were constant threats
barked out by the Kapos, as well as humiliating punishment ordeals. They would also be known
for punishing entire blocks and barracks for slight infringements of the rules, and they
became at times more hated than the SS guards. The Caps had a terrible reputation and many
experienced guilt after they were ultimately prisoners too. Himmler would state on the
roles of the Kapos that, ‘The moment he becomes a Kapo, he no longer sleeps with
them. He is held accountable for the performance of the work, that they are clean, that the
beds are well-built. [...] So, he must drive his men. The moment we become dissatisfied
with him, he is no longer Kapo, he's back to sleeping with his men. And he knows that
he will be beaten to death by them the first night.
They did get better barracks and also better food, and they could also prevent the gassings
of some prisoners at times, and could protect some prisoners from persecution. They would
at times see the transport lists, but there were some Kapos who became Oberkapos and more
senior, but if they did offend the SS then they would be sentenced to death and would
be deemed as a prisoner and would be therefore sent to the concentration camps. Kapos ran
a fine line between life and death, but at the end of the war they were seen as disgusting
power hungry collaborators. Many former capos were brought to trial and were later sentenced
to death and time imprison, but they tried to defend themselves saying they were following
orders. Of course many Kapos went power mad and would beat and brutalise workers on a
daily basis. There were many Kapos who worked inside of Stutthof and these would be responsible
for the oversight of prisoners as much as SS guards were at times. But stutthof became
known for its brutality and the Kapos there would regularly go too far.
In late January 1945, the evacuation of Stutthof began and the Kapos helped the SS enforce
this. Nearly 50,000 prisoners were evacuated, and many were marched towards the sea and
were then executed after being forced to walk into the sea when machine guns mowed them
down in the water. But at the end of the Second World War, the Stutthof Trials took place
and this was an attempt by the Polish authorities to bring some justice to those victims of
the camp by trying a number of people who worked at the camp. There were some men and
women guards who worked there and they were accused of crimes against humanity and war
crimes. But also there were many Kapos who were brought to the trial. These were Tadeusz
Kopczynski, Wallow Kozlowski, Josef Reiter, Franciszek Szopinski, Kazimierz Kowalski,
Jan Brajt, Aleksy Duzdal, Jann Preiss and Marian Zielkowski. Of these people who were
on trial, it’s important to remember that they were ultimately prisoners of the camp
who were given responsibility and roles by the SS. But it was known that many of these
Kapos took their roles too far and were known for their extreme brutality.
The courtroom heard each case and because of this they would issue different sentences
to the Kapos based on their actions inside of the camp. Kopcyzski, Kozlowki, Reiter,
Szopinski and Brajt were all condemned to death for their crimes. These were considered
Kapos who had taken the lives of other prisoners, and who had exhibited extreme brutality and
for this these 5 Kapos were sentenced to death. Another Kapo in the Second Stutthof Trial,
Nikolaysen would be executed. The other Kapos from the first trial were given time imprisonment,
and two were found not guilty, but one also died in prison from a heart attack.
Of those who were executed, the condemned were all held inside of a prison in Gdansk
for a short while until their execution date came. This was the 4th July 1946 and there
were a huge set of gallows which had been made on the Biskupia Gorka hill in Gdansk.
All of the guards and Kapos were executed in the same way in front of the 200,000 strong
crowd and they were one by one loaded onto the back of vehicles and trucks with an open
back. These trucks were then backed up under the gallows, and on the vehicles were officials
and executions who would carry out the death sentences and also read the proclamations
of death. The condemned would sit on a stool until they were told to stand, and then a
noose was thrown over the gallows and they then had the noose secured around their necks.
Whilst stood on a stool, the vehicles they would on would then slowly drive away and
the noose would go tight and the former guards and Kapos of Stutthof concentration camp were
all left swinging on the huge gallows, and they were left for some time before they were
cut down.
Kapos were seen inside of the concentration camps as brutal people who were despite prisoners
often power mad and they would carry out beatings and executions themselves. Some Kapos would
hang rule breakers and they would perform the jobs that the SS guards became notorious
for, taking the lives of inmates on a daily basis. But they were prisoners who had been
given power, and they were the second hierarchy of power within the camps, and they were spared
hard labour and because of this many inmates turned against them. Kapos were beaten to
death as camps were liberated as they were seen as disgraces and collaborators with those
SS members who inflicted such horror and torture.
Thanks for watching
To support our channel please make sure to subscribe
Thanks for watching