Josef Kramer: Difference between revisions

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Kramer was an infamous member of the Nazi Party of Germany. He was known by the nickname "Beast of Berlin". He died on 1945 and was convicted of war crimes.

==Auschwitz==

Kramer was promoted to the rank of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauptsturmf%C3%BChrer Hauptsturmführer] (Captain) in 1942 and, in May 1944, was put in charge of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chamber#Nazi_Germany gas chambers] in [~~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp~~ Auschwitz concentration camp]. He was to hold that position until December 1944, when he was transferred out and appointed as Commandant of Belsen.

Kramer was promoted to the rank of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauptsturmf%C3%BChrer Hauptsturmführer] (Captain) in 1942 and, in May 1944, was put in charge of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chamber#Nazi_Germany gas chambers] in [[Auschwitz Birkenau|Auschwitz concentration camp]]. He was to hold that position until December 1944, when he was transferred out and appointed as Commandant of Belsen.

At Auschwitz, Kramer soon became notorious among his subordinates as a harsh taskmaster. One of the defendants at the Frankfurt Trial, Dr. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Lucas Franz Lucas], testified that he tried to avoid assignments given him by Kramer by pleading stomach and intestinal disorders. When Dr. Lucas saw that his name had been added to the list of selecting physicians for a large group of inmates transferred from Hungary, he objected strenuously. Kramer reacted sharply: "I know you are being investigated for favouring prisoners. I am now ordering you to go to the ramp, and if you fail to obey an order, I shall have you arrested on the spot".

==Belsen==

In December 1944, Kramer was transferred from [[Auschwitz Birkenau|Birkenau]] to [[Bergen Belsen]], near the village of Bergen. Belsen had originally served as a temporary camp for those leaving Germany, but during the war had been expanded to serve as a convalescent depot for the ill and displaced people from across north-west Europe. Although it had no gas chambers, Kramer's rule was so harsh that he became known as the 'Beast of Belsen'. As Germany collapsed, administration of the camp broke down, but Kramer remained devoted to bureaucracy. On March 1, 1945, he filed a report asking for help and resources, stating that of the 42,000 inmates in his camp, 250-300 died each day from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemic_typhus typhus]. On March 19, the number of inmates rose to 60,000 as the Germans continued to evacuate camps that were soon to be liberated by the Allies. As late as the week of April 13, some 28,000 additional prisoners were brought in.

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 Kramer was an infamous member of the Nazi Party of Germany. He was known by the nickname "Beast of Berlin". He died on 1945 and was convicted of war crimes.
 ==Auschwitz==
-Kramer was promoted to the rank of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauptsturmf%C3%BChrer Hauptsturmführer] (Captain) in 1942 and, in May 1944, was put in charge of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chamber#Nazi_Germany gas chambers] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp Auschwitz concentration camp]. He was to hold that position until December 1944, when he was transferred out and appointed as Commandant of Belsen.
+Kramer was promoted to the rank of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauptsturmf%C3%BChrer Hauptsturmführer] (Captain) in 1942 and, in May 1944, was put in charge of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chamber#Nazi_Germany gas chambers] in [[Auschwitz Birkenau|Auschwitz concentration camp]]. He was to hold that position until December 1944, when he was transferred out and appointed as Commandant of Belsen.
 At Auschwitz, Kramer soon became notorious among his subordinates as a harsh taskmaster. One of the defendants at the Frankfurt Trial, Dr. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Lucas Franz Lucas], testified that he tried to avoid assignments given him by Kramer by pleading stomach and intestinal disorders. When Dr. Lucas saw that his name had been added to the list of selecting physicians for a large group of inmates transferred from Hungary, he objected strenuously. Kramer reacted sharply: "I know you are being investigated for favouring prisoners. I am now ordering you to go to the ramp, and if you fail to obey an order, I shall have you arrested on the spot".
 ==Belsen==
 In December 1944, Kramer was transferred from [[Auschwitz Birkenau|Birkenau]] to [[Bergen Belsen]], near the village of Bergen. Belsen had originally served as a temporary camp for those leaving Germany, but during the war had been expanded to serve as a convalescent depot for the ill and displaced people from across north-west Europe. Although it had no gas chambers, Kramer's rule was so harsh that he became known as the 'Beast of Belsen'. As Germany collapsed, administration of the camp broke down, but Kramer remained devoted to bureaucracy. On March 1, 1945, he filed a report asking for help and resources, stating that of the 42,000 inmates in his camp, 250-300 died each day from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemic_typhus typhus]. On March 19, the number of inmates rose to 60,000 as the Germans continued to evacuate camps that were soon to be liberated by the Allies. As late as the week of April 13, some 28,000 additional prisoners were brought in.