Oskar Gröning
Oskar Gröning | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 June 1921 |
| Died | 9 March 2018 (aged 96) |
| Known for | SS guard at Auschwitz concentration camp, denunciation of Holocaust denial |
Oskar Gröning (sometimes transliterated as Oscar Groening in English; 10 June 1921 – 9 March 2018) was a German former SS-Unterscharführe former member of the Waffen-SS. He was stationed at Auschwitz concentration camp.
Gröning was born on 10 June 1921,[1] in Lower Saxony, the son of a strict conservative and skilled textile worker. His mother died when he was four.[2]
Years at Auschwitz[change | change source]
His responsibilities included counting and sorting the money taken from prisoners, and he was in charge of the effects prisoners had arrived with. On a few occasions he witnessed the procedures of mass-killing in the camp. Gröning was captured by the British on 10 June 1945.
Upon his return to Germany he led a normal life, reluctant to talk about his time in Auschwitz. However, more than 40 years later, he decided to make his activities at Auschwitz public after learning about Holocaust denial. He has since openly criticised those who deny the events that he witnessed.
Trial[change | change source]
In September 2014, Gröning was charged by German prosecutors as an accessory to murder, in 300,000 cases, for his role at the Auschwitz concentration camp. His trial began in April 2015, after the court had ruled that, at the age of 93, he was still fit to stand trial. The trial was held in Lüneburg, Germany. On 15 July 2015 he was found guilty of facilitating mass murder and sentenced to four years imprisonment.[3]
Death[change | change source]
On 9 March 2018, Gröning died at hospital before he had to begin his sentence, aged 96.[4]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "The case against the 'accountant of Auschwitz'". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ↑ Geyer, Matthias (May 9, 2005). "An SS Officer Remembers: The Bookkeeper from Auschwitz". Der Spiegel. Archived from the original on 2 March 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ↑ "'Auschwitz book-keeper' Oskar Groening sentenced to four years - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ↑ "Früherer SS-Mann Oskar Gröning ist tot". Der Spiegel (in German). 12 March 2018.
Other websites[change | change source]
- Rees, Laurence (2005). Auschwitz: the Nazis & the 'final solution'. London: BBC Books. ISBN 0-563-52117-1. OCLC 57541764. Retrieved 2 February 2015.