As the Second World War came to an end, the Allies came across a number of Concentration
Camps that had been established, and within the barbed wire fences, the true horrors of
the Third Reich were uncovered. Because of this a number of war crimes trials were held
after the conflict to bring the perpetrators of the crimes against humanity to justice.
One of the largest concentration camps and one of the most infamous was Dachau, which
was opened in 1933. The prisoners of dachau lived in constant fear of their imminent deaths,
with executions being common, torture and also other barbaric practices occurred at
the camp to strike fear into the hearts of those inmates. When it was liberated, the
sites of Dachau shocked many of the liberators, and after the war the Dachau Trials took place
to bring those who were responsible for the estimated over 40,000 deaths to justice. Today
we look at the Justified Executions of the Guards of Dachau. Remember to support our
channel, please make sure to subscribe.
Dachau was opened on the 22nd March 1933, and it acted as the prototype camp within
Germany. It was used firstly to hold political prisoners, but as the persecution of the Jews
continued and became more severe, many other prisoners found themselves inside of Dachau.
It was firstly opened by Heinrich Himmler and was establieshed as a place of forced
labour. Over its life, it grew to become a huge camp having around 100 sub camps serving
Dachau. During its first year, it had around 5000 prisoners, and these were mostly made
up of German communists, and those who were considered political opponents of Hitler’s
Nazi party. However other groups such as Jehovah’s witnesses, gypsies and jews were deported
there.
Following Kristalnacht, around 11000 jewish men were imprisoned at Dachau. They were forced
to work in the munitions factory, and as the camp got bigger the forced labour element
grew too. The prisoners were kept a very close eye on, and the guards treated them awfully.
In some cases they actively goaded the prisoners, stealing their caps and throwing them near
to the perimeter fence. When they went to retrieve them, the guards in the towers would
often then shoot the prisoners, thinking they were trying to escape. Some prisoners even
decided to end their lives walking near to the fence, to just be shot dead by the guards.
Beatings were also very common, and prisoners were beaten to death in cold blood. Torture
was also used a lot, with the SS guards stringing the prisoners up to trees by their arms, which
were then held behind their back, making them suffer the manacles like a medieval torture
device. Executions also occurred in public, with the guards hanging any prisoner who committed
an indiscretion, and these often took place in the roll call yard with everyone to see.
Prisoners were forced to stand there for hours, and a crematoria was also established in 1942.
These ovens were used to hid the evidence of many of the deaths that occurred at Dachau,
gas chambers were present at the camp too. There was a firing range where many were executed
who were not fit enough to work, or had even stolen just a small amount of food to save
their lives.
As the Second World War was turning against the Germans, the conditions inside of the
camps began to deteriorate massively. Many camps within Germany began to become overcrowded,
as prisoners from camps closer to the front lines were force marched on death marches
back to other camps. This caused a huge strain on resources, and this happened at Dachau.
There was a severe lack of food there, and disease was becoming a huge issue, as the
overcrowding helped to spread typhus epidemics that caused a huge number of deaths in the
final days of the camp. There was often no space to sleep, and in the final 6 months
before liberation, its estimated that 15,000 prisoners died at dachau because of the conditions,
and also 500 soviet POWs were shot dead.
The prisoners kept coming, and the final group were sent on the 19th April 1945. In this
month, the US Army were driving deep into Germany, into Bavaria. With this, it was proposed
to Himmler that he should pass over the camp to the Allies in an attempt to save more lives.
He refused saying, ‘No prisoner shall be allowed to fall into the hands of the enemy
alive,’ refusing to hand over Dahcua. Just before the Allies arrived there, the Commandant
and the SS guards had sent 7000 prisoners on a death march, with anyone unable to keep
up being shot. Many died from the exhaustion, and mass graves housing hundreds of prisoners
were found with the SS shooting them. By April 1945, 200 were dying a day, but on the 29th
April soldiers from the 3rd Battalion 157th Infantry Regiment and the 45th Infantry Division
approached Dachau.
What they found was hell on earth, as even before entering the camp they found 29 railway
boxcars which had bodies dumped inside them, around 2000 corpses. They were greeted by
death everywhere, the sight of emaciated bodies and desperation filled the air. Many of the
corpses had been left and were dead for days, and some huts and horses had bodies piled
from floor to ceiling. One liberator commented that, ‘The stench of death was overpowering.’
At the time the camps commandant Martin Weiss had fled the camp along with many of the SS
guards responsible for the crimes at Dachau, and an Untersturmfuhrer Heinrich Wicket was
placed in charge with over 500 personnel. Whilst inside of the camp, it was claimed
that many of the SS guards still had their weapons, and despite a large number being
seized there was further bloodshed.
There was a Swiss Red Cross representative who met the US Army, and they planned to liberate
the camp. Some American soldiers disgusted with what they saw decided to take justice
into their own hands, and instead they executed many of the guards there and then, carrying
out instant bloody reprisals. This resulted in the shooting of dozens of guards, however
following the clean up operations post war trials with regards to the crimes at Dachau
were carried out.
The Dachau Camp Trials took place from the 15th November to the 15th December 1945 with
the purpose of bringing justice for the crimes committed. 40 people were charged with war
crimes specifically relating to Dachau and the sub camps. The official name of the trial
was United States of America vs Martin Gottfriend Weiss et al. Investigations had taken place
to find those responsible and many of the guards and leadership of Dachau were captured.
The charges were war crimes committed against Allied civilians and prisoners of war in dachau,
and they were accused of participating in the mistreatment and killing of civilians
and POWs. The court opened on the 15th November at 10am, with the prosecution outlining the
allegations against those accused.
The judges then outlined the lawfulness of the court, and what would occur. There were
motions issued by the defence to challenge the legality of the court but this was dismissed.
When the defendants were asked how they pleaded, they all answered not guilty. Evidence was
heard from both sides, and the prosecution used many images and artefacts obtained from
he camp, including the book documenting those who had died. They also used former prisoners
to testify against the guards, and what they told was truly horrific. The courtroom heard
countless stories of beatings, disease, poor sanitation and a lack of food, public executions,
killings and medical experiments. The defence replied with 93 witnesses including those
who stood trial, and cross examinations took place.
Those who worked at the camp were accused of mistreatment and killing prisoners, and
others were accused of taking part in exeecutions. The camp doctors were charged with taking
part in executions by declaring the death of the condemned, and also in taking part
in selections which would result in the killing of prisoners. Those who worked with the commandant
were accused of overall being responsible for the conditions and the crimes that occurred
in the camp.
The 40 who were on trial varied in their roles in the camp. The most senior figure was the
camps commandant, Martin Weiss who oversaw the conditions in the camp. Joined with him
on the dock was his adjutant, and many other guards and members of staff who worked at
Dachau. There were leaders of other sub camps, and one intriguing defendant was Claus Schilling
an elderly 74 year old doctor who tried to justify his human experiments to the courtroom,
saying it was done as a matter of medical interest. This was dismissed of course.
Also other guards and Capo’s who worked in the crematorium were on trial, and with
the verdicts in the Dachau Camp Trial there were a large number of death sentences issues.
36 death sentences were handed out to those who worked at Dachau, with them due to be
executed for their crimes. A number of these death sentences for the less senior members
of staff that worked there. Amongst those executed were Claus Schilling, Otto Moll who
participated in the death marches, Friedrich Ruppert and the commandant Martin Weiss.
All of the condemned who did not have their sentences changed were transported to Landsberg
Prison, which was the site of their executions. These were carried out on the 28th and 29th
1946. So many people were condemned to death that two days were needed to carry out the
punishments. In the courtyard of the prison, a gallows had been created and it was staffed
by members of the US Military who would be the ones who would carry out the executions.
There were many other officials there to oversee the proceedings. Each of the condemned were
brought out from their cells by a number of guards, and before they made their way up
to the gallows, they had their identity confirmed.
The death sentence was also read out at the bottom of the stairs, and there were a large
number of guards flanked around them. A priest was also provided who was there to attend
on the condemned until their final moments. They were asked for any final words, and then
these were recorded. Each of the condemned were then led up the steep stairs to face
their executioner.
Each of the men were then handed over to the executioner, who then placed a black hood
over their heads. They were faced by their priest who remained with them, and then the
executioner fastened the noose tightly around the necks of the condemned dachau staff. The
knots were checked and then standing there with the noose around their necks for a number
of seconds everything was prepared. The priest then said a final few words before the trapdoor
was released by the executioner, and the men were executed. A short while later, the bodies
of the men were then cut down and they were placed into a coffin which had their names
written on it, along with a wooden cross.
The doctors underneath the trapdoor confirmed death rather quickly, and morosely the condemned
would have seen their coffins as they walked to the steps of the gallows with their names
etched onto the wooden box. Many of the executions were performed in front of a small crowd of
Us Army soldiers and officials inside the courtyard of the prison. After each execution,
the officials would collect the next prisoner, with only the executioner remaining on the
scaffold.
The executions of the Dachau Camp Trials were huge in their number. 28 of the former guards
and staff that worked there were executed at the gallows, but the trials resulted in
many more court trials that took place bringing other guards to justice. It was followed by
121 side proceedings with around 500 others placed in front of a judge, with other death
sentences and prison sentences given out to those who worked at the large camp. The executions
at Landsberg Prison continued for those who worked at Dachau until 1951, 6 years after
the initial ones were carried out. For those victims of the camp, and for those who suffered
at the hands of the staff and guards, these death sentences acted as some sort of penance
for the horror that was carried out there.
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