Posted Friday, May 28, 2010

 

After a long manhunt Rudolf Höss (right), former commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, was captured by British soldiers in March 1946, and after some severe manhandling interrogated. The early British interrogation reports are missing but may turn up over the years. Two are to be found in the Public Record Office in Kew, London, the war crimes investigators' files: WO.309/374. Höss has evidently been persuaded to finger the Waffen SS and various visiting Nazi ministers - coincidentaly the organisation and ministers on trial for their lives at that time in Nuremberg.

 

British Interrogation of Rudolf Höss, March 20, 1946

STATEMENT ---------   Made voluntarily at Minden Gaol by RUDOLF HOESS, former Commandant of AUSCHWITZ concentration Camp, on the 20th of March 1946. 1. I was Commandant of the Concentration camp AUSCHWITZ from 1 May 1940 to the first of December 1943. 2. When I took up my duties there were approximately 50 men Waffen SS as guard platoon and 12-15 men Waffen SS as HQ section. 3. At the time I relinquished my command there were 3000 men Waffen SS serv- ing as guards, 300 men Waffen SS as Camp staff, and another 200 men Waffen SS employed on other administrative duties, all told 3500 men Waffen SS at the Concentration camp AUSCHWITZ. 4. Out of those who served originally at the camp, approximately 2500 men Waffen SS were posted to field units and replaced by others, so that dur- ing my term of service all told 6000 men Waffen SS served at one time or another in AUSCHWITZ. After my departure this exchange of personnel con- tinued, and I should say another 1000 men Waffen SS were replaced up to the time of the evacuation of the Camp in 1945, so that all told approximately 7000 men Waffen SS have served at one time or another at the Concentration Camp AUSCHWITZ. 5. Once a man had been selected from the guard troops for service with the Camp staff, he remained with the staff, unless posted away from the Camp. Witnessed by me, Capt. A. Vollmar, [blue ink signature:] XXII Dragoons, an officer of the Rudolf Höß Judge Advocate General's Depart- ment, HQ, BAOR, at Minden Gaol in Germany on this the 20th day of March 1946. [Blue ink:] A. Vollmar Capt JAG Branch HQ B.A.O.R. I hereby certify that I have accurately translated this deposition from English into German to the said deponent Rudolf HOESS and that he fully agrees the contents thereof.      [in blue ink: "Rudolf HOESS"] [Signed in ink above deleted text: A Vollmar, Capt. JAG Branch HQ BAOR 20 [= written in blue ink] March 1946 [short line, probably the location, obliterated]

Now see his British interrogation, March 16, 1946