Cold-blooded revenge
In July 1946, the dawn of the Starrakhov concentration camp came to score an extraordinarily cold color. The eastern sky was still a gray cloud, as if the earth was also uneasy about the punishment that was about to be staged. Wisps of morning mist lingered in the courtyard, obscuring the rows of makeshift gallows, making them even more chilly.
Eye-opening photographs of torturers executed in Nazi concentration camps
Long imprisoned SS and concentration camp guards who were escorted to the gallows, once in high spirits, are now forced to face the death penalty after a trial by an international tribunal. Some of them were scrawny and yellow-skinned, while others still maintained their hideous expressions, but without exception, they all showed panicked expressions in these last moments.
All this was watched not only by Allied soldiers who were responsible for maintaining order, but also by the residents of Starrakhov who came to watch. They were dressed in modest clothes and their faces were full of exhaustion, but there was nothing surprising in this war-torn town.
"I can't believe in humanity anymore. A gray-haired old man muttered to himself, his face covered in wrinkles and scars, "But I still feel a little relieved to see that these guys have finally paid for their crimes." "
To the surprise of many, there was no shortage of Starrakhov residents who were eager to witness the execution with their own eyes. They had endured so much in the concentration camp, and now they finally had a chance for revenge, and the hatred in their hearts was like a raging fire, and they only longed for a little solace from the death of the cool official.
At eight o'clock, the first convicts sentenced to death were put on the gallows, including the notorious Rudolf Hausner and Wilhelm Stein. Everyone held their breath and watched the rope around their necks, only to hear the sound of "pop", and their once strong bodies instantly collapsed and drooped.
There was a burst of cheers and curses at the scene, and this was the long-suppressed hatred that had finally been vented. Soon, however, a murderous silence reigned over the camp, and people began to reflect on the smudges that seeped from the ground......