Image MAZAL LIBRARY


. EXECUTIONER PIERREPOINT
An Introduction
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War Criminals Hanged at Hameln
The Belsen Trial held at No. 30 Lindentrasse, Lünburg, Germany from September 17, through November 17, 1945. The appalling crimes that were committed by the Nazi SS in Bergen-Belsen are amply described in:
The Trial of Josef Kramer and Forty-Four Others
Edited by Raymond Phillips, M.C., M.A. B.C.L. (Oxon)
1949, William Hodge and Company (London)
Death sentences were handed down to eight male war criminals on the fifty-fourth day of the trial:
The PRESIDENT — No. 1 Kramer, 2 Klein, 3 Weingartner, 5 Hoessler, 16 Francioh, 22 Pichen, 25 Stofel, 27 Dorr. The sentences of this Court on each one of you whom I have just named is that you suffer death by being hanged.
Similarly three female war criminals received the maximum penalty:
The PRESIDENT — No. 6 Bormann, 7 Volkenrath, 9 Grese. The sentence of this court is that you suffer death by being hanged.
Holocaust deniers, who liken themselves to "Revisionists," have often made bizarre and unfounded statements about many of the perpetrators named above; but none more incredible than the fallacious statements made about Irma Grese and her British executioner Albert Pierrepoint. Quite apart from an attempt to sanctify the woman otherwise known as "The Beautiful Beast," Holocaust deniers assure their readers that Irma Grese showed exceptional bravery at the moment of her death, made statements about her innocence before being hanged, put up a struggle, and a host of other allegations based on nothing else than their fevered minds.

One extraordinary claim is that Albert Pierrepoint, a professional executioner who hanged many hundreds of men and women throughout his career, was in love with, attracted by, or even terribly fond of Irma Grese. To substantiate their absurd claims, Holocaust deniers consistently (mis)quote from his obscure autobiography. The book is rare enough that many historians have never seen it. By taking bits and pieces out of context from Pierrepoint's dry (and very British) description of his unusual occupation, Holocaust deniers attempt to hoodwink the innocent.

The truth is that Pierrepoint, who spoke no German, never talked to Irma Grese except through a translator (in the presence of many British and German witnesses); crossed no more than a few words to ascertain her height, weight and age; was only present for 32 hours in the prison where Grese was held; and had no other opportunity to see her except on the 12th of December when he weighed her, and on the 13th when he pinioned her, guided her to the scaffold and proceeded to hang her.

To put an end to some of the falsehoods spewed by Holocaust deniers, eight pages of Pierrepoint's book are presented both as text files and as scanned pages of the original book. These pages cover his activities immediately previous to and throughout the execution process of the SS criminals in the prison at Hameln.


To view the original scanned pages, simply click on the small book icon at the top of each page.

Ref:

Executioner: Pierrepoint
Albert Pierrepoint
1974, George C. Harrap & Co.Ltd.
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