Amon Göth

11 December 1908

Vienna

1932

1940

Cieszyn, Kattowice

Lublin

1942

Lublin

Belzyce

Belzec

Krasnik

Budzyn

Hermann Höfle

Lublin

Krakow

Scherner

Krakow-Plaszow

July 1943

Mieczyslaw Pemper

Plaszow

Globocnik

Lublin

Belzec, Sobibor

Treblinka

Willi Haase

Krakow

13 March 1943

Kunde

Neumann

Haase

Plaszow

February 1943 to September 1944

Plaszow

Göth, Camp in the Background

Göth's House *

Henryk Bloch

1946

Göth ordered his deputy to start beating us. He went away to have his lunch. We were then taken to the back, next to the house he lived in. Two tables were brought, also buckets of water, and they started beating us directly on naked flesh. Göth ordered that everyone should receive 100 times each, but everyone received more than 200 and even 300. Every prisoner had to count every strike loudly, if a mistake was made in the count by him, the beating started afresh from number one. We were not beaten by one person, they were taking turns, as one man would tire very quickly, having to hit someone 100 times

Living Room, in 2004 with full strength. The whip would be passed to another SS man there. It was impossible, being hit so many times, to count properly, people were making mistakes, and the beatings were starting afresh. And so the beatings went on and on, the tables were covered in blood, as every hit meant a fresh cut in someones flesh. As anyone went off the table, he was virtually one bloody mass of cut flesh.

Everyone getting off the table was ordered to report standing to attention, I report humbly that I have received my sentence. In the course of all this, one man screamed terribly. Göth shouted at him to calm down, to count. The man did not calm down... Göth approached him, picked up half a brick off the ground, went to the table on which the man was being beaten, and from a very close distance struck him on the head with the brick, splitting his head. The beating of that man continued uninterrupted, then pouring of water and beating again. Covered in blood, with a split head, he went off the table, approaching Göth, he reported he had received his penalty. He was ordered to go away, and as the man turned, he pulled out his revolver, firing into the back of the mans head.

Mr Meitlis

Henryk Mandel

When all were beaten, which took from 12 until 3 p.m., we were all taken to the police station, and there Göth ordered doctors from the camp hospital to come to us. He did not allow anyone to be taken to the hospital. Practically all of this group died in Plaszow , the wounds would not heal, the flesh was continually infected, it was rotting on us whilst we were still alive.

Tarnow

Belzec

June 1942

September 1942

September 1943

Leon Leser

Göth, at his House

Ruth Irene Kalder, "Majola"

There was "Ghetto A" for those working, and "Ghetto B" for those that were unemployed. Göth ordered everyone employed from "Ghetto A" to go to "Ghetto B", and assemble there in groups, according to their employer. Every group had a board indicating the name of the employer. Then Göth selected a group of 300 persons as a Säuberungskolonne (clearing column). The Jews assembled once again separately. At that point a fiancée of one of the Jewish men approached Göth, her name was Batista , begging him to allow her to stay with her fiancée, who was remaining. He refused, she begged him once again, he ordered her to turn around and fired into her head. She fell dead, and after that he separated all the people again, he took out those that should go to Plaszow , and those that were left behind remained on the Magdeburger Square .

Plaszow

Plaszow

September 1943 to February 1944

Szebnie

Jaslo

21 September 1943

Tarnowiec

Grzymek

Kellermann

Göth on his Way

to the Courthouse *

Brünnlitz

Ruth Irene Kalder

Majola

13 September 1944

Tarnow

Krakow

Szebnie

Plaszow

Krakow

5 September 1946

13 September 1946

Hitler

*

Amon Göth was born onin. He worked as an author and was divorced with two children. Göth joined the NSDAP in(NSDAP number 510764). Inhe became an SS-man (SS number 43673). His final rank wasFollowing the outbreak of WW2 Göth served inand. He was assigned to the, as part of. Duringhe directed brutal clearances of small ghettos in thedistrict, for example during the deportations from theghetto 700 Jews were deported to thedeath camp. He organised the selections in this ghetto and around 500 people who bribed him, were selected for work in the Budzyn labour camp , near. Göth was responsible for the construction works in. Because of his corruption, he was in a personal conflict with, the chief staff officer of. So Göth was ordered fromtoin February 1943 where he was nominated byto command theforced labour camp. There he was promoted toin, who worked in thecamp office, testified during Göths trial that he had managed to look at Göths personal files and had found a letter from, commander of theregion, addressed to the commanders ofand. The letter authorised Göth to have access to all areas of those extermination camps, for administration or possibly construction inspections. Under the direction of, Göth conducted the final liquidation of theghetto, which began on. SS officersandalso assisted with the ghetto clearance, during which mass murders were committed. On the orders of, 75 persons were killed in one place.Göths reign of terror atlasted from, when he was arrested by the SS for misappropriation of funds. Göth governed the camp in a calculatedly brutal manner. For the slightest offence he fired at prisoners or ordered others to do, and public hangings were frequent. Göth had two dogs called Ralf and Rolf, both trained to attack and savage prisoners. Many people lost their lives after being attacked by these dogs.When children were being removed from, Göth ordered the camp orchestra to play nursery songs such as "Mami kauf mir ein Pferdchen" (Mum, buy me a little horse), while their mothers were forced to stand on the parade ground and witness their children being transported to their deaths.Former prisonertestified at Göths trial inThis mans name was(testimony from).Following two actions in, 6,000 Jews were deported todeath camp in. Ina second resettlement action took place. During the first days of, Goeth was in charge of the final liquidation of the ghetto, with a force of 200 SS-men. He personally killed dozens of people, with shots from his revolver., a mechanic, testified at Göths trial:The total number killed during the clearance was 4,000, including many women and children. Around 10,000 people were taken to. During theGöth completely liquidated "Ghetto B". For a whole day after thelorries collected the remains of those killed in the streets and buildings and took them tofor burial in a mass grave.FromGöth conducted the progressive liquidation of the forced labour camp innear. The liquidation began onwith the killing of 700 Jewish prisoners who were driven in lorries to a forest in, 3 km from the camp, where they were shot. This "action" was carried out byand supervised by the commander, acting on orders from Göth.During these ghetto liquidations Göth took every opportunity to enrich himself with furniture, furs, clothing, jewellery, tobacco and alcohol. Thefound the stored goods in(Czechoslovakia), together with Göth's mistress("").Göth was accused of larceny of Jewish property (which of course was regarded as property of the German), and arrested on. That was the end of his career.After the war he was extradited to Poland at the request of the Polish authorities and tried before the Polish Supreme Court on charges of committing mass murder during the liquidations of the ghettos atand, the camp atand thecamp. He was sentenced to death inonand hung there on, defiantly saluting to. Göth's body was cremated and his ashes scattered into the river.Photos:Robin O'Neil CollectionGFHSources:The trial of Goeth - From the Robin ONeil CollectionThe Encyclopaedia of The HolocaustThe Final Solution - G. Reitlinger