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Nazi Hunter

How it began for Simon Wiesenthal

Read  more about Simon Wiesenthal [here]

 

 

 

 

To the U.S. Camp Commander

 

Camp Mauthausen  

 

May 25 1945

 

Sir,

 

Simon Wiesenthal after his liberation from Mauthausen

Having spent a number of years in thirteen Nazi Concentration Camps, including Mauthausen from which I was liberated by the American forces on May 5th and where I still am staying at the present, and desirous to be of help to the U.S. authorities in their effort to bring the Nazi criminals to account, I take the liberty of submitting the following:

 

1. As all of the camps where I was confined are located in the zones taken by the Soviet armies, it is my conviction that those responsible for the atrocities committed therein by the SS men are not to be found in the eastern parts of Europe but should be sought in Southern or Western Germany.

 

2. I am enclosing a brief list of those whom I have seen in these various camps and whom I can recognise on sight. Many of these have caused incalculable sufferings to myself as well as to my fellow inmates. Many of these I have personally seen commit murder fantastic both in number and method. As shown, some of them had either their homes or relatives living in localities now under Allied occupation.

 

3. With all of the members of my family and of my nearest relatives killed by the Nazis, I am asking of your kindness to place me at the disposal of the U.S. authorities investigating war crimes. Although I am a Polish citizen and would like to return to my homeland, I feel that the crimes of these men are of such magnitude, that no effort can be spared to apprehend them. I also feel that it is my duty to offer my services either for the purpose of furnishing the description of their misdeeds or as an eyewitness in case identification is needed.

 

4. To furnish you with the personal data regarding my person, a brief curriculum vitae is attached.

 

Respectfully,

 

/s/ Ing. Wiesenthal Szymon

 

Szymon Wiesenthal

 

 

(Camp Mauthausen, 127371) 

 

The following is a brief list of SS men and Gestapo agents as well as Nazi Party members whom I had the opportunity of seeing to partake in murder and other crimes against human life.

 

They are classified in this list into two groups, those who were in the general district of Galicia, and those of Camp Cracow- Plaszow. Where known their home addresses are given.

 

District Galicia (Lemberg)

 

 

1

  

 

Heinrich Himmler on an official tour of the Janowska concentration camp. Fritz Katzmann (second from the left with his hand on his belt).

Katzmann

Gen.Maj SS. Responsible for death of at least 1,000,000 people.

 

2

Krieger

Maj.Gen SS. Killed personally. On Aug 18 1941 finished personally 13,000 people by shooting

 

3 &4

Lehnert

Werke

Both UnterStfr and aides to Gen Katzmann. Both killers

 

5

Engels

Gestapokommissar. Timekeeper and schedule maker for mass killings throughout Galicia

 

6

Leitmeier

OBStfr Chief of Lacki prison, worst because of the tortures practiced there

 

 

 

His lieutenants

 

7

Waltke

All UntshFrs. Murderers making tours through various camps under his command

 

8

Neumann 

Ditto

 

9

Sellmann

Ditto

 

10

Grocholski

Ditto

 

11

Martens

Terror of Gestapo prison in Cracow

 

12

Manser

Gestapo agent (home Linz)

 

13

Voraberger

Gestapo agent (home Linz)

 

14

Corradini

Gestapo agent home Linz, his wife’s father a baker there

 

15

Laduner, Karl

Gestapo agent from Innsbruck, a merchant

 

16

Hauser, Karl

Gestapo agent. Both from Karlsruhe where they were grocers

 

17

Hauser, Leo

 

 

18

Hahn, Herbert

Gestapo agent from Danzig. merchant

 

19

Friese

Gestapo agent woman, home Konigsberg

 

 

 

All above persons “worked” mainly in Litzmannstadt and Lemberg territory. By killing made fortunes appropriating property of victims.

 

20

Gross, Georg

Chief of Lemberg railroad shops – home Eberswalde, Herrengasse 22. His wife Hilda G was from Schoneiche near Berlin. Killed 1,200 Jews in his shop. Lemberg

 

21

Post, Wilhelm

From Munster. Lemberg shop official. Maltreated the prisoners and caused hundreds of deaths.

 

22

Lindner

From Dresden. Ditto

 

23

Poshetzki

From Stargard. Ditto   Strmfr

 

24

Steinbach

From Stargard. Ditto  

 

25

Wilhaus

UntStfr Camp Commander in Lemberg. Tortured and killed many thousands

 

26

Rokita

UntStfr Wilhaus assistant. a musician from Kattowitz. Killed 8,000 Jews in Tarnopol alone.

 

27

Hasse 

Responsible for several thousands of deaths

 

28

Kipko

UntStfr Ditto

 

29

Warzok 

HptStfr Beast who liquidated at least 60,000 Jews and used to burn prisoners alive in their barracks (camps Lacki, Jaryczow, Grodek)

 

30

Schulze 

ObStFr Camp Commander in Mosty Wielkie.1,500 deaths

 

31

Hildebrand  

ObStFr from Breslau. Commander of camp Drohobycz who finished that camp with 3,500 deaths

 

32

Schonbach

 

 

 

 

33

Kolanko, Adolf    

From Kattowitz

 

 

34

Dyga     

 

 

35

Kalis    

From Litzmannstadt 

 

 

36

Kauser     

 

 

37

Heine    

SS Leibstandarte Hitler Div. Worst sadist and killer using axe only.

 

 

 

His lieutenants

 

38

Wurz     

From Batschka Hungary  

 

39

Blum    

A mass murderer. From Batschka Hungary  

 

40

Marz     

From Batschka Hungary  

 

41

Voeske       

UntStFr  

 

42

Biermann     

UntStFr from Kattowitz, a butcher   

 

43

Brumbauer     

UntStFr from Kattowitz, a butcher

 

The Last two specialised in hanging and chopping men alive.   

 

44

Gebauer     

HptStFr   

 

 

 

His lieutenants

 

45

Milka     

Killed 7,000 on Nov 18 1943 in Lwow   

 

46

Krumbach    

Ditto

 

47

Crambow

Ditto  

 

48

Gurten, Eduard

UntStFr from Wiesbaden, Robert Kochstrasse, a butcher. Finished people in their sickness. About 700 – 800 victims in Lemberg and Auschwitz  

 

 

 

Camp Cracow – Plaszow  

  

 

49

      

 

Goeth, Amon

 

HptStFr Vienna, parents own big publishing house. Greatest killer of all. His victims run into thousands. Master of cruelties   

 

50 

Grimm       

Goeth’s deputy. Introduced keenest sadism

 

51 

Zdrajewski     

ObScFr  From Karlsruhe, mother Lotti Z. Killer of first magnitude.   

 

52 

John, Leo     

UntStFr from Kattowitz, owner of a restaurant opposite Railway station there. Specialty: killing women and children. Victims run into thousands

 

53

Behr, Otto  

From Breslau. Cruel Arbeitskommandofuhrer  

 

54

Neschell, Otto

UntStFr from Vienna ditto    

 

55

Landsderfer

HptStFr Liquidated Camp Szebnia. 3000 deaths   

 

56

Scheid

UntStFr From Breslau. Conducted killing of about 4,500 Jews in transit to ghetto   

 

 

57

Scherner

Killed sick in the hospital    

 

 

58

Ludolf

HptStFr From Hamburg     

 

59

Hujar

UntStFr Winner of numerous wagers by sending one bullet through two heads at a time.

 

60

Korner

HptStFr      

 

61

Koch 

UntStFr from Vienna       

 

62

Kunde 

HptStFr from Haburg. A Gestapo agent for liquidation of Jewish camps      

    

 

63

Heinrich 

HptStFr Medical student from Kattowitz. Well known sportsman. Kunde’s assistant      

    

64

Pilarczyk 

HptStFr From Kattowitz. Liquidated the Cracow Ghetto

      

    

65

Von Malutky  

HptStFr From Vienna. Pilarczyk’s deputy      

    

66

Eckert  

HptStFr Camp’s recorder. Many cruelties      

    

67

Schupke  

HptStFr Liquidated Reichshof Camp killing thousands  of victims. Finished in Cracow several contingents, where American lives were lost. I saw 13 men with American passports killed by him on August 1944

    

68

Muller Franz  

HptStFr From Bad-Essen an upholsterer caused 50,000 deaths in Bosnia

    

69

Unterbrucher

HptSchFr From Dachau city not camp. Sadist in Camp Szebnia

    

70

Lied

UntSchFr Degenerate collector of his victims skulls 

    

71

Bauerokse

UntSchFr Killer

    

72

Becher 

ObStFr Killer of sick in hospitals 

    

 

 

His lieutenants

 

73

Majer, Heinrich  

Gestapo agents. Sadist cruelties against Jews

 

   

74

Dreier, Willi

Gestapo agents. Sadist cruelties against Jews

 

75

Thomke, Otto

Gestapo agents. Sadist cruelties against Jews

 

76

Fromer

Gestapo agent. Worked in Bosnia. Specialising in killing of children

 

77

Tank, Karl

ObWchtm from Schleswig, Busdorfstrasse Torturing people to death

 

78

Rittig, Alfred

ObWchtm also from Schleswig, Dolfusstrase ditto 

 

79

Luy

Wchtm former teacher worked in Bohemia  

 

80

Rosenbaum 

HptStFr. Nephew of wholesale killer General Krieger. Liquidated all of the 900 Jews in Camp Rabka   

 

81

Schmidt 

HptSchFr. Finished 1200 in Zakopane

 

   

 

82

Haman  

HptSchFr. Well known hangman in Neu-Sandez. 4000

   

 

83

Schonburg  

UntSchFr  Had hand in destroying 4000 Jews in Bosnia   

 

84

Michalski  

UntSchFr  From Kattowitz Sadist from Camp Cracow 

 

85

Kalfus   

Sadist from Camp Cracow 

 

86

Kunke    

Sadist from Camp Cracow 

 

87 

Grun    

RottFr Responsible for many cruelties

 

88 

Oder     

RottFr Responsible for many cruelties

 

89 

Herzog     

Woman SS. Caused sufferings to women and children in Women’s Camp Wennusberg

 

90

Heise, Gertrude

From Holland ditto

91

Meinel, Anna

Also from Holland ditto

 

 

Additional Information

 

1. General

 

a. The following totals of local Jews killed in Galicia are given here, according to my information:

  

Camp Cracow

Ab 70,000

Camp Lemberg

148,000

District Galicia

850,000

District Cracow

350,000

 

 

Also in Camp Jaroslau about 360,000 Russian war prisoners were put to death in 1941.

 

b. Particularly infamous in their deeds are to be considered the SS Brigade “1005” and the SS Brigade “Breslau” which were assigned as special “Vernichtungsbrigaden.

 

 

2. Personalia 

 

Of the persons among the Nazi administration, the following two men are to be considered as potentially useful source of further information:

 

Schmidt, Werner:  An engineer from Halle a.d. Saale

 

Kohlraus, Adolf:    A Reichsbahn inspector from Osnabruck 

 

These two men our friends and were of great assistance in preventing many cruelties, while stationed at the railroad workshops at Lemberg.

 

Mauthausen, 25 May 1945

 

/s/ Ing. Wiesenthal, Szymon

Szymon Wiesenthal, Ing. Arch

 

 


 

Sources:

UK National Archives KEW WO 309/374

NARA Archives - Wiesenthal File

Holocaust Historical Society
Associated Press

 

 

Copyright. Chris Webb H.E.A.R.T 2010

 

 

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