Adolf Theuer (sometimes given as Teuer) (20 September 1920 in Henneberg-Bolatitz – 23 April 1947 in

Opava Opava (; german: Troppau, pl, Opawa) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Opava. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia. It was a historical capital of ...

) was an SS-''

Unterscharführer ''Unterscharführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives. That event caused an SS reorganisation and the creation of ...

'' at Auschwitz concentration camp. He was executed after the war as a war criminal.

Life

Previously a bricklayer by trade, Theuer's SS career began when he was deployed to Auschwitz in 1940 at the rank of SS-''

Rottenführer ''Rottenführer'' (, ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in the year 1932. The rank of ''Rottenführer'' was used by several Nazi paramilitary groups, among them the '' Sturmabteilung'' (SA), the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) a ...

''. On 1 August 1941 he was promoted to SS-''Unterscharführer''.Frei (2000), p. 61 He served as an SDG or ''Sanitätsdienstgefreiter''; a medical orderly as part of the Sanitätswesen, one of the five concentration camp departments involved in running such a facility. He was also a member of the ''Desinfektionskommando'' (disinfection squad), the unit of SS medics involved in the mass gassing of prisoners. One of Theuer's responsibilities was inserting the

Zyklon B Zyklon B (; translated Cyclone B) was the trade name of a cyanide-based pesticide invented in Germany in the early 1920s. It consisted of hydrogen cyanide (prussic acid), as well as a cautionary eye irritant and one of several adsorbents such ...

into the

gas chamber A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or other animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. Poisonous agents used include hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide. History ...

, a task shared by other SS orderlies such as SS-''Unterscharführer'' Hans Koch and SS-''

Oberscharführer __NOTOC__ ''Oberscharführer'' (, ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between 1932 and 1945. ''Oberscharführer'' was first used as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions ...

Josef Klehr Josef Klehr (17 October 1904 – 23 August 1988) was an SS-'' Oberscharführer'' (master sergeant), supervisor in several Nazi concentration camps and head of the SS disinfection commando at Auschwitz concentration camp. Life Klehr was born as ...

. During the

Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials The Frankfurt Auschwitz trials, known in German as ''der Auschwitz-Prozess'', or ''der zweite Auschwitz-Prozess,'' (the "second Auschwitz trial") was a series of trials running from 20 December 1963 to 19 August 1965, charging 22 defendants unde ...

, Klehr, the chief of the ''Desinfektionskommando'', testified that Theuer explained to him that he would insert the gas when ordered to do so by the accompanying SS doctor.Langbein (1995), p. 569 SS-''Unterscharführer'' Oswald Kaduk recalled an incident when Theuer, his fellow countryman, was reluctant to insert the gas. Kaduk stated that: Theuer remained at the camp until its evacuation in January 1945, when he was subsequently deployed in

Ohrdruf concentration camp Ohrdruf was a German forced labor and concentration camp located near Ohrdruf, south of Gotha, in Thuringia, Germany. It was part of the Buchenwald concentration camp network. Operation Created in November 1944 near the town of Ohrdruf, sout ...

, a subcamp of Buchenwald concentration camp.

Post-war

Although Theuer did not torture prisoners, he was still known in the camp as a butcher.Piper ''et al'' (1996), pg. 52 After the war he was put on trial along with Sofie Hanel (SS-Hilfsaufseherin, SS-Aufseherin, SS-Blockfuhrer) in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

; both were sentenced to death.Piper ''et al'' (1996), pg. 311 Theuer was

hanged Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

in Opava (Czechoslovakia) on 23 April 1947. Hanel was hanged on 12 January 1948.Hanel (married Nitsche), Sofie-Birthplace: Freiwaldau, Sudetenland (Jeseník, Olomouc Region, Czech Republic) Camp Service: Ravensbrück, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Unknown SS Positions: SS-Hilfsaufseherin, SS-Aufseherin, SS-Blockfuhrer Notes: The name 'HANEL, Sofie,' appeared as an 'SS woman Overseer,' in a file of the United Nations War Crimes Commission (UNWCC) dated March 20, 1947, 'Personnel of the Concentration Camp in Oswiecim-Auschwitz;' she was tried by a Czech court for war crimes at an unknown sub-camp, as well as on a death march at the closing of the war, and sentenced during the 'Prague Wardens' trial to death for murder and maltreatment of camp prisoners on October 7, 1948; she was hanged on January 12, 1948 in the Pankrac Prison in Prague.

References

Bibliography

*Dębski, Jerzy (1995). ''Death books from Auschwitz: remnants''. Volume 1.

Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum ( pl, Państwowe Muzeum Auschwitz-Birkenau) is a museum on the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Oświęcim (German: ''Auschwitz''), Poland. The site includes the main concentration camp at Auschwi ...

*Frei, Norbert (2000). ''Darstellungen und Quellen zur Geschichte von Auschwitz''. Volume 1.

K. G. Saur Verlag K. G. Saur Verlag is a German publisher that specializes in reference information for libraries. The publishing house, founded by Karl Saur, is owned by Walter de Gruyter and is based in Munich. In 1987, K. G. Saur was acquired by Reed Intern ...

. * Langbein, Hermann (1995). ''Der Auschwitz-Prozess: eine Dokumentation''. Volume 2. Verlag Neue Kritik. *Piper, Franciszek; Świebocka, Teresa; Czech, Danuta (1996). ''Auschwitz: Nazi death camp''. Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. {{DEFAULTSORT:Theuer, Adolf 1920 births 1947 deaths Holocaust perpetrators in Poland Auschwitz concentration camp personnel Executed German people Executed Nazi concentration camp personnel Nazis executed by Czechoslovakia by hanging SS non-commissioned officers Buchenwald concentration camp personnel Silesian-German people People from Opava District Nazis convicted of war crimes Waffen-SS personnel