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16-509: Falkenhayn and von Falkenhayn may refer to: Benita von Falkenhayn (1900–1935), a Swiss-born German baroness who was a spy for Poland Erich von Falkenhayn (1861–1922), Chief of the German general staff 1914–1916. Eugen von Falkenhayn (1853–1934), German General of the Cavalry [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with

32-471: A clergyman attending executions. Theodor Lessing nicknamed Gröpler (who had executed Fritz Haarmann in 1925) "the red judge". In April 1924 Gröpler signed a contract that made him the sole executioner in Northern Germany. In addition to a regular salary of 136 gold marks per month, he was paid 60 gold marks for every execution, and 50 gold marks were paid to each of his agents. At the end of

48-545: A stolid individual whose profession forces him to lead a rather unsocial existence, left his cosy home in Magdeburg last week with a bag of tools and a coil of new rope. He took the train to the Prussian State Prison at Klingelpuetz, near Cologne. In the prison yard he disappeared into a dusty, dilapidated shed. Prisoners tense in their cells heard him hammering, hammering, filing metal all day long." One of

64-573: A trial at the People's Court and sentenced to death. Two days later, after appeals for clemency had been turned down, they became two of the last people in Germany to be beheaded by axe , in the courtyard of Plötzensee Prison in Berlin. In 1936, Adolf Hitler decreed that future executions should be hanging or guillotine . Their executions were carried out by Carl Gröpler and were, however, not

80-531: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Benita von Falkenhayn Benita Ursula von Falkenhayn , maiden name von Zollikofer-Altenklingen (14 August 1900 – 18 February 1935) was a German baroness who served as a spy for the Second Polish Republic . Falkenhayn was born in Berlin to the noble Zollikofer family, which for centuries had held Altenklingen Castle in

96-614: The Weimar Republic , Gröpler had only a few execution orders. This only changed with the increasing number of executions since the takeover by the Nazis in 1933. Gröpler renewed his annual contract with a salary of 1,500 Reichsmarks per year and a fee of 50 Reichsmark per execution. That Gröpler performed the Nazi salute during the executions at each interim report earned him an admonition to refrain from such practices. On 2 July 1931

112-416: The surname Falkenhayn . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Falkenhayn&oldid=756244759 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description

128-577: The 48-year-old German serial killer Peter Kürten , who once described himself as the Vampire of Düsseldorf and as a wild animal , was executed in the Cologne prison, Klingelpütz, with the Fallbeil (guillotine). The execution was carried out by Carl Gröpler. The Fallbeil , that he had brought with him from Magdeburg, had not been used for five years. Time quoted on 13 July 1931: "Herr Groepler,

144-545: The Prussian executioner Alwin Engelhardt was dismissed in 1906, Gröpler took over his duties. Together with his successor Ernst Reindel  [ de ] , Gröpler was one of the last executioners in Germany performing executions by beheading with an axe. Depending on local circumstances he also operated the guillotine. Once Gröpler said before an execution to a prison officer: "Well, ... you passed an ugly night in

160-484: The Swiss Thurgau region. She first married retired Senior Lieutenant Müller-Eckhardt (1920–1922) and secondly her childhood friend, retired Senior Lieutenant Richard von Falkenhayn (1923–1930), a distant relative of World War I General Erich von Falkenhayn . She took on the name von Falkenhayn upon her second marriage. However, the couple divorced on 18 December 1930 by mutual agreement, and on 18 October 1932 she

176-450: The cell. Or don't you believe in God? I – yes! Otherwise I could not do that. Thou shalt not kill – who sheds blood, his blood shall be shed again – our laws are his (God's) laws –. In this knowledge I fulfill my duties." The prison officer had been on death watch with a man condemned to death in his last night, discussing with him, prior to his decapitation, whether there was any sense in having

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192-691: The horse races, and became his lover. He made her socialise with employees at the Ministry of the Reichswehr to obtain secret documents concerning the preparations for a German Invasion of Poland . At least from 1932, her activities were monitored by the Abwehr intelligence agency, and upon Sosnowki's exposure on 27 February 1934, Falkenhayn was arrested together with her friend Renate von Natzmer , his other lover. One year later, on 16 February 1935, both women were found guilty of espionage and treason in

208-407: The last by axe; the last legal manual beheading in Germany is believed to be that of Olga Bancic , in 1944 during the war. Falkenhayn's divorced husband Richard von Falkenhayn was also arrested but had to be released after no evidence of his participation could be found. His efforts to save his ex-wife from the chopping block were to no avail. Carl Gr%C3%B6pler Franz Friedrich Carl Gröpler

224-532: The last executions with the axe were the executions of the Baroness Benita von Falkenhayn and her friend Renate von Natzmer . The two had been sentenced by the People's Court on charges of espionage and were beheaded by Gröpler on 18 February 1935 in Plötzensee Prison . Carl Gröpler is credited with at least 144 executions in his 30 years of service. In 1937, he was forced to retire. He

240-430: Was a child of the railway worker and service man Heinrich Gröpler and his wife Auguste, born Anton, in Magdeburg. He was first a musician, then spent five years as a postal worker. Gröpler learned the horse butcher's trade and business and ran a laundry in Magdeburg named Aegir. He wore a traditional tailcoat, top hat, and white gloves. Gröpler was first assistant to the main Prussian executioner Lorenz Schwietz . When

256-460: Was married to the aircraft engineer Baron Josef von Berg, whereafter her name was actually Baroness Benita Ursula von Berg. This third marriage was annulled by a court on 19 October 1934, when she was already arrested, after which she re-adopted the name of her second husband. In the late 1920s, Falkenhayn became friends with the Polish intelligence agent Major Jerzy Sosnowski , whom she had met at

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