Karl Fritzsch Former deputy commandant of Auschwitz, member of the SS Date of Birth: 10.07.1903 Country: Germany

1. Life Before Auschwitz
2. Nazi Career
3. Terror Reign at Auschwitz
4. "Gift" of Prisoners
5. Experimentation with Zyklon B
6. Later Career and Fate

Life Before Auschwitz

Karl Fritzsch was born into a working-class family in Bohemia, where his father's construction business kept the family on the move. Despite his disrupted education, Fritzsch served on Danube riverboats for several years. He married in 1928, fathered three children, and divorced in 1942.

Nazi Career

Fritzsch joined the Nazi Party and SS (Schutzstaffel) in 1930, seeking a career in the organization. He began his service at Dachau concentration camp in 1934, rising to become the first deputy commandant (Schutzhaftlagerführer) of Auschwitz under Rudolf Höss in May 1940.

Terror Reign at Auschwitz

Fritzsch garnered a fearsome reputation at Auschwitz, rivaling Höss's own terror tactics. He was responsible for selecting prisoners for starvation to death in the bunker when their comrades escaped. Fritzsch also employed psychological torture, including a macabre Christmas Eve celebration in 1940, where corpses were displayed under a Christmas tree while Polish carols were forbidden.

"Gift" of Prisoners

On July 29, 1941, Fritzsch selected 10 prisoners to die by starvation for an escape attempt, but spared one, Polish sergeant Franciszek Gajowniczek. Franciscan priest Maximilian Kolbe volunteered to take his place, and Gajowniczek survived to liberation in 1945. Kolbe was later recognized as a saint for his ultimate sacrifice.

Experimentation with Zyklon B

Fritzsch suggested using Zyklon B gas for mass murder and, in August 1941, conducted the first experiments on Soviet POWs in Höss's absence. Impressed by the results, Höss oversaw subsequent gas experiments with Fritzsch.

Later Career and Fate

Fritzsch was transferred to Flossenbürg concentration camp on January 15, 1942, serving as deputy commandant and briefly as commandant from August to October 1942. He was arrested for financial irregularities in October 1943, demoted, and sent to an SS penal battalion. His fate remains uncertain, with speculation that he died in the Battle of Berlin. Soviet sources claim he was captured in Norway by British intelligence in 1945.