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The Murderers and their Accessories
W/Cdr Wilfred "Freddie" Bowes, F/Lt (later
S/Ldr) Francis McKenna, F/Lt (later S/Ldr) "Dickie" Lyon, F/Lt Stephen Courtney,
F/Lt Harold Harrison and W/O H J Williams, of the Royal Air Force Special
Investigation Branch, painstakingly travelled Europe and gradually pieced together
enough evidence to identify the culprits. Lt. Col. A P Scotland, an Army
Intelligence expert, interrogated many suspects at the London Cage.
The Court President at the resulting trials was Maj-General
H L Longden; the Judge Advocate was Mr C L Stirling, with a panel of six senior military
officers - three Army Colonels, two RAF Wing Commanders and an RAF Air Commodore. Ten
German lawyers - one a woman, Dr Anna Oehlert - formed the defence team. The Court
pronounced its verdict on September 3rd 1947, and in early February 1948,
thirteen of the perpetrators were hanged at Hamelin Gaol, Hamburg.
A short while after this, a second trial took place for
three more of the accused.
(W/Cdr Bowes and S/Ldr McKenna were later both awarded the
OBE for their work in bringing the culprits to justice. Lt Col Scotland also received the
OBE for this, and other, duties.)
German
Luftwaffe
General Grosch was the Luftwaffe officer directly
responsible for the security and welfare of prisoners of war. He and his deputy, Colonel
Waelde, were Interrogated by Lt.Col. Scotland at the London Cage. A German civilian, Peter
Mohr, who worked in the Kriminalpolizei and who was outraged at the murders, provided key
information to the interrogators.
Breslau Gestapo
Standartenfuhrer Seetzen was involved with the
Breslau Sicherheitsdienst, and arrested in Hamburg on September 28th 1945, after
identification by former colleagues. He bit on a cyanide capsule whilst being taken for
interrogation, and died within minutes.
Obersturmbannfuhrer Max Wielen, Breslau Gestapo
Chief, was sentenced to life imprisonment on 3-Sep-47 but only served a few years before
being released.
Gestapo Chief Dr Wilhelm Scharpwinkel was
masquerading as a Lt Hagamann in the No 6 Hospital at Breslau when Frau Gerda Zembrodt,
corroborated by Klaus Lonsky, saw Russian officers remove him at gunpoint. During the
enquiry into the murders, the Russians refused to co-operate with the Allied
investigation, although after much prodding they allowed Scharpwinkel to make a statement,
in Moscow, during August and September 1946. Soon afterwards, Scharpwinkel disappeared and
although reported dead by the Russians on 17-Oct-47, was believed to have found a high
position in the Soviet administration.
He and his associate Lux murdered Cross, Casey,
Wiley, Leigh, Pohe and Hake. The next day Lux executed Humphries, McGill, Swain, Hall,
Langford, Evans, Valenta, Kolanowski, Stewart and Birkland. The day after that, he
executed Kiewnarski, Pawluk, Wernham and Skanzikas. On April 6th, Lux murdered Grisman, J
E Williams, Milford, Street and McGarr. Long followed soon after. Lux is also believed to
have killed Tobolski and Krol, who vanished in the same area as the others. Lux, with at
least twenty-seven murders on his soul, died in the fighting around Breslau at the
end of the war. Gunn, killed at Breslau, is likely to have been another of their victims.
Krimilalkommissar Dr Gunther Absalon investigated
the escape and poked around at Sagan for some weeks. He chaired the German enquiry into
the Escape and collected evidence. It is not clear what happened to him or whether or not
he was involved in the murder conspiracy. Absalon, seen alive and well in Breslau
in May 1946, was reported to me as (a) being hanged and (b) having died in a Russian
prison in May 1948.
Soon after 1948 the investigators caught up with Erwin
Wieczorek had been involved with the killing of Cross, Casey, Leigh, Wiley, Poole and
Hake. He was sentenced to death but later the sentence was quashed.
Richard Haensel was acquitted on 6-Nov-48; Dankert
and Kreuzer disappeared. Kiske, Knappe, Kuhnel, Pattke and Lang were
killed in the Breslau fighting. Lauffer committed suicide. Prosse died in
1944 after an unsuccessful stomach operation. Hampel was not tried, and Schroeder
was a material witness.
Brno/Zlin Gestapo
Brno Gestapo Chief Hugo Romer, believed to have
given instructions for the murders of Kirby-Green and Kidder, disappeared. Kriminalrat Hans
Ziegler, Gestapo Chief of Moravia, arranged the killing of S/L Tim Kirby-Green and F/O
Kidder, which was done by Erich Zacharias (arrested in Fallersleben, also after
having been given away by his deserted wife) and Adolf Knippelberg (arrested in
Czechoslovakia), with drivers Friedrich Kiowsky (arrested in Prague by the Czechs)
and Schwartzer. Knippelberg, Hauptsturmfuhrer Franz Schauschutz (arrested in
Austria) and Zacharias were recognised from a painted mural in a dubious wartime
Gestapo night club. The Czechs executed Schwarzer and Kiowski in 1947. Ziegler
committed suicide in the London Cage (Cockfosters) on 3-Feb-48. Zacharias,
described by Lt. Col. Scotland as "without doubt the most uncivilised, brutal, and
morally indecent character in the entire story" was hanged at Hamelin on 27-Feb-48. Knippelberg
was captured by the Russians; released in 1945, he disappeared.
Wilhelm Nolle was arrested 10-Jun-48 but was not
tried; Otto Koslowsky was executed by the Czechs in 1947.
Danzig Gestapo
Danzig Gestapo Chief Dr Venediger ordered many of
the killings and received 2 years on 17-Dec-57. The deaths of Henri Picard, Tim Walenn,
Edward Brettell and Romas Marcinkus were believed to have been at the hands of Hauptmann Reinholt
Bruchardt, who was traced in 1948 and sentenced to death but later commuted to life
imprisonment (in Germany, this meant 21 years). Max Kilpe, Harry Witt and Herbert
Wenzler were not prosecuted; Walter Sasse, Walter Voelz and Julius Hug
disappeared.
Karlsruhe Gestapo
Oberregierungsrat Josef Gmeiner, who with
Kriminalsekretar Otto Preiss shot Cochran, aided by his driver Heinrich Boschert.
The latter was arrested in Karlsruhe, the French handed over Gmeiner, and all three were
sentenced to death, although Boschert's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
Gmeiner, Preiss and Walter Herberg were hanged at Hamelin on 27-Feb-48.
Otto Gannicher committed suicide 26-Apr-46; Magnus
Wochner given 10 years.
Kiel Gestapo
Chief Friedrich Schmidt and his deputy
Sturmbannfuhrer Johannes Post were being eagerly sought by the RAF SIB. Post,
living with his mistress Marianne Heydt, was arrested at Minden under a false name after
being given away by the wife he had deserted. Arrogant to the last, he admitted the murder
of Catenach, Christiansen, Espelid and Fugelsgang, under the orders and assistance of
Danzig Gestapo Chief Dr Venediger, and aided by Hans Kaehler and his
associate at Danzig. Post, Oskar Schmidt, Walter Jacobs and Kaehler were hanged at
Hamelin on 27-Feb-48; Friedrich Schmidt escaped prosecution until May 1968 when he was
sentenced to 2 years in prison. Drivers Arthur Denkman and Wilhelm Struve
were each given 10 years on 3-Sep-47.
Franz Schmidt committed suicide 27-Oct-46
Munich Gestapo
Gestapo agents Johan Schneider, Emil Weil and Eduard
Geith shot Gouws and Stevens; all were hanged at Hamelin on 27-Feb-48. Charges against
Oswald Schafer were dismissed on 11-Dec-68; Martin Schermer committed
suicide on 25-Mar-45.
Reichenburg Gestapo
Gestapo Chief Bernhard Baatz, Robert Weyland and Robert
Weissman of Bruex arranged the killing of W Williams, Bull, Kierath and Mondschein.
Baatz disappeared after being released by the Russians; Weyland stayed living in the
Russian Zone. The French later captured Weissman, but his fate is unknown.
Saarbrucken Gestapo
Oberleutnant Dr Leopold Spann (killed 25-Apr-45 in
an air raid on Linz), Gestapo Chief at Saarbrucken, Kriminalsekretar Emil Schulz (found
to be custody at Saarbrucken under a false identity) and driver Walter Breithaupt
(arrested in Frankfurt) were responsible for the deaths of Roger Bushell and Bernard
Scheidhauer. Schulz was hanged at Hamelin 27-Feb-48, Breithaupt given life on 3-Sep-47.
Strasburg Gestapo
The portly Alfred Schimmel, a former solicitor, and
another unidentified Gestapo man took Hayter from Strasburg jail on April 6th 1944, and
killed him near Breslau. Schimmel was hanged at Hamelin, 27-Feb-48,
Max Dissner committed suicide 11-May-45; Heinrich
Hilker acquitted and died 11-Apr-48; Erich Isslhorst executed for other crimes.
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