Hans Hegenscheidt

Hans Hegenscheidt (* 1905 ; † May 27, 1947 in Landsberg ) was SS-Unterscharfuhrer and member of the guards of the Mauthausen concentration camp .

biography

Hegenscheidt joined the SS on October 1, 1940 , became Unterscharführer and worked as an employee for the food supply in Mauthausen. From November 1943 he was responsible for food distribution in the depot.

After the end of the war, Hegenscheidt was indicted in an American military court in the main Mauthausen trial , part of the Dachau trials . He was accused of mistreating prisoners on multiple occasions. Witnesses said he spoke of a "rabbit hunt" while searching for Russian inmates who had fled. Another eyewitness testified that Hegenscheidt was present at executions of Russian prisoners, during which the prisoners had to undress completely in order to be killed in front of the next victims. Another witness also confirmed having seen Hegenscheidt performing executions .

Hegenscheidt contradicted the accusations and stated that he had always maintained a friendly relationship with the prisoners. It is true that he once witnessed an execution of eight prisoners. However, this would not have been done voluntarily, but on the orders of his superior.

The court found Hegenscheidt guilty and sentenced him to death by hanging . The reasons for the judgment stated that the establishment and operation of the Mauthausen concentration camp had been a criminal act. Everyone who worked there was able to recognize this criminal character. The concentration camp staff were particularly aware of the numerous types of murder by shooting, gassing , hanging , willful death from starvation and other types of killing . Hegenscheidt was executed on May 27, 1947 in the Landsberg War Crimes Prison .

Web links

Review and Recommendations of the Deputy Judge Advocate for War Crimes (pdf) on the Mauthausen main process at www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org (13.16 MB)

Individual evidence

↑ For the reasons for the judgment, see: Robert Sigl: In the interest of justice. The Dachau war crimes trials 1945–1948. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt 1992, ISBN 3-593-34641-9 , pp. 105f.

personal data
SURNAME	Hegenscheidt, Hans
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German concentration camp guards in Mauthausen concentration camp
DATE OF BIRTH	1905
DATE OF DEATH	May 27, 1947
Place of death	Landsberg

[1] For the reasons for the judgment, see: Robert Sigl: In the interest of justice. The Dachau war crimes trials 1945–1948. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt 1992, ISBN 3-593-34641-9 , pp. 105f.