William Otto Bauer

William Otto Bauer (born July 14, 1886 in Niedermeisa , † September 9, 1943 in the Plötzensee prison ) was a German traveling salesman and a victim of National Socialism .

The Causa Bauer

Bauer, who earned his living as a traveler in cooling machines, visited the master baker Rudi Tillig, known to him since 1934, in his shop in Glaubitz, Saxony, during a business trip on June 2, 1942 . After the business part had been dealt with, he turned to political matters and asked Tillig and his wife, who was also present, what they would think of the situation. In response to a general answer from Tillig, Bauer indicated that he saw the war as lost for Germany and declared: “There are only two options, Hitler will kill us or we will kill Hitler .” When asked how he did it Bauer referred to reports from officers in Oschatz, with whom he had spoken a while ago, and went on to explain that the dismissal of Army Chief Walther von Brauchitsch by Hitler a few months earlier was due to Brauchitsch's will to conclude a separate peace with the Soviet Union. He added that, in his opinion, such a separate peace would have been correct, since the war was obviously not winnable. In response to Tillig's objections, Bauer then declared that Russia would never have waged war with Germany if it had not been attacked by Germany, and repeated that the war was pointless and could not be won.

After the Tillig couple denounced him, Bauer was taken into custody. He was charged with violating the Special War Criminal Law Ordinance - decomposition of military strength - before the 6th Senate of the People's Court in Berlin, in a session on March 31, 1943 under the chairmanship of the People's Court Council Robert Hartmann (assessor: Regional Court Director Lorenz, SA Brigade Leader Daniel Hauer , SA- Group leader Felix Aumüller and district leader Heinrich Reinecke ) found guilty and sentenced to death and loss of civil rights.

The sentence was carried out in the Berlin-Plötzensee prison by executioner Wilhelm Röttger with the guillotine. Bauer's body was given to the Medical Institute of the City of Berlin for teaching and research purposes. The release of the corpse to relatives and the provision of any information to them was prohibited.

literature

• Victor von Gostomski, Walter Loch: The death of Plötzensee: memories, events, documents, 1942–1944. P. 253.
• Alphonse Kahn, Walter H. Seiter: Hitler's blood justice. A chapter of the German past that has yet to be mastered. 1981, p. 22.
• Berlin Information Center, Stauffenbergstrasse Memorial and Educational Center: Forever Dishonorable: from the practice of the People's Court. 1981, pp. 33-39.