Hans Frank and Otto von Wachter...admission of guilt as seen by their sons.

Discussion in 'The Holocaust' started by Harry Ree, Dec 28, 2016.

  1. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Saw this compelling documentary on Tuesday night BBC 4 2300-0030 where the guilt of the fathers is discussed by the two sons.Both fathers were career Nazis,one German and the other,Austrian.The third member of the documentary party was Philippe Sands QC, whose family,apart from his grandfather,some eighty strong were among the 3500 murdered in Galicia in 1942.Sands continually probed Horst von Wachter's reasoning of protecting his Austrian father throughout the documentary.Sands led the group to the memorial at the open neglected site where the 3500 murdered were shot and buried as they fell...very emotive coverage.

    One,Niklas Frank readily accepts his father's involvement in the atrocities that took place in the East....he remarks that his father Hans Frank,a father he clearly resents, the Governor General of Poland, loved Hitler more than his family.

    The other, Horst von Wachter,whose father Otto was the Governor of Galicea and who involvement is clear to see as validated by documentation, directing and implementing the Final Solution strives to establish that his father was a good man despite evidence to the contrary.His father,Horst claims was instrument in assisting the Ukrainians to wrest independence from the SU by forming in 1943, his "Ukrainian Division," designated by Himmler as the14th Waffen SS Galacia Division 1. Horst becomes upbeat when in the Lviv area (Galacia) now Ukraine,the party attend an SS commemoration where burials of the recovered dead are shown as being laid to rest.The participants are wearing Nazi uniforms and Horst seems to be more than content that his father is revered by this Ukrainian group.

    As regards the fate of the fathers,Frank was executed after the Nuremburg tribunal trials,while von Wachter,in Italy as his last posting escaped justice, being assisted to vanish within Italy by the Catholic church.Apparently he picked up an infection from swimming in the Tiber in 1949 and died from the effects...some claim that he was poisoned....taken to hospital he revealed his true identity but the Polish government may have been aware of his presence in Italy for they attempted to have him extradited without success.

    Nazi sons Niklas Frank and Horst von Wachter look back at ‘What Our Fathers Did’ | Daily Mail Online

    My father, the good Nazi

    An excellent documentary which revisits the events of the Final Solution on the Eastern Front.
     
  2. Ramiles

    Ramiles Researching 9th Lancers, 24th L and SRY

    Re. Otto Wachter

    This 10 part audio series - titled "Intrigue" - is currently running on BBC radio 4 at 1.45pm, in circa 15 min episodes, and is (currently) available on the Iplayer (after broadcast) - e.g. and etc.

    BBC Radio 4 - Intrigue, The Ratline, The Secrets in the Castle

    The Secrets in the Castle
    IntrigueThe Ratline

    Philippe Sands investigates the mysterious disappearance of senior Nazi Otto Wachter, who was indicted for mass murder. The Ratline is a story of a curious death, political intrigue, spies, Nazi hunters, shadowy forces in the Vatican and a son grappling with the sins of his father.

    Philippe begins by travelling to a castle outside Vienna to meet an old man who believes his father was murdered, while a voice from the past offers up clues to how it might have happened.

    Producer: Gemma Newby
    Sound design: Neil Churchill
    Research: James Everest and Lea Main-Klingst
    Original music by Catrin Finch and Sekou Keita

    BBC Radio 4 - Intrigue, The Ratline, Meet the Wachters

    Meet the Wachters
    IntrigueThe Ratline

    Otto and Charlotte Wachter climb to power, after Hitler annexes Austria, with Otto at his side. Otto's job takes the family to a palace in Krakow and on to Galicia, where his story collides with those of the family of presenter Philippe Sands. This is the continuing investigation into how a leading Nazi evaded justice.
    Producer: Gemma Newby
    Sound design: Neil Churchill
    Research: James Everest and Lea Main-Klingst
    Original music by Catrin Finch and Sekou Keita
    Otto Wachter: Stephen Fry
    Charlotte Wachter: Laura Linney
    Other parts by members of the BBC Radio Drama Company

    BBC Radio 4 - Intrigue, The Ratline, A lot going on in Lemberg

    A lot going on in Lemberg
    IntrigueThe Ratline

    The criminal charge sheet against senior Nazi Otto Wachter. Whilst Charlotte Wachter and her children were spending the summer in Zell am See, Otto was in Lemberg overseeing the 'Grosse Aktion' - the mass deportation of Jews to concentration camps. Philippe Sands interviews two Nazi hunters from the US Department of Justice to go through the evidence against Otto. Meanwhile Otto's son Horst continues to maintain his father's innocence.
    Producer: Gemma Newby
    Sound design: Neil Churchill
    Research: James Everest and Lea Main-Klingst
    Original music by Catrin Finch and Sekou Keita
    Otto Wachter: Stephen Fry
    Charlotte Wachter: Laura Linney
    Other parts by members of the BBC Radio Drama Company

    BBC Radio 4 - Intrigue, The Ratline, Where's Otto?

    Where's Otto?
    IntrigueThe Ratline

    The war is over and Otto Wachter has disappeared. Whilst his friends are committing suicide or being tried for mass murder Otto has escaped high into the mountains with the help of a young SS soldier. Meanwhile his wife Charlotte is working on getting him out of Austria. Barrister and author Philippe Sands continues his investigation into how a leading Nazi evaded justice.
    Producer: Gemma Newby
    Sound design: Neil Churchill
    Research: James Everest and Lea Main-Klingst
    Original music by Catrin Finch and Sekou Keita
    Otto Wachter: Stephen Fry
    Charlotte Wachter: Laura Linney
    Other parts by members of the BBC Radio Drama Company

     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2018
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  3. Ramiles

    Ramiles Researching 9th Lancers, 24th L and SRY

    BTW... I only "stumbled" across these when I was glancing back on the BBC site for what had been on the radio, though the BBC have also actually made longer versions of these episodes and released the whole bundle as podcasts: BBC Radio 4 - Intrigue - Downloads

    e.g. BBC Radio 4 - Intrigue, Intrigue: The Ratline, Episode 6 - The men who murdered Nazis

    (Next Monday's 1.45pm "episode" extended into a 22min version)

    Episode 6 - The men who murdered Nazis
    IntrigueIntrigue: The Ratline

    Otto contracts a strange illness and Charlotte rushes to Rome to be by his side. Philippe talks to an old friend* who was working for British intelligence in 1949 and explores who might have been after Otto and why.

    A story of life, love and a curious death told by writer and barrister, Philippe Sands. A cold war mystery that reveals shadowy forces at work and consequences that stretch across generations.

    Producer: Gemma Newby
    Sound Design: Neil Churchill

    * Edit -
    The author "John Le Carre"

    And includes a "features" section: BBC Radio 4 - Intrigue, Intrigue: The Ratline - How to be a Nazi hunter

    "How to be a Nazi hunter: After the Second World War, many members of the Nazi regime stood trial for their crimes, but some managed to escape justice and start new lives. With the outbreak of the Cold War, Nazi hunting slipped down the priority lists of Western governments and was largely left to individuals, with the Austrian Holocaust-survivor Simon Wiesenthal being a famous example."

    etc...

    To...

    6. Get started
    While working on the case of Otto Wächter, we turned up a number of leads that we didn’t get the chance to investigate as thoroughly as we’d have liked. If something strikes you as you listen to The Ratline – a place, a name, an organisation, or anything else that you think could help us complete the picture – please do be in touch.

    Please do email, me, James Everest with any exciting discoveries!
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2018
  4. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Ramiles likes this.
  5. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    I've been listening to it on Radio 4 but didn't realise there was a more full podcast ….so thanks for the tip off.
     
  6. Ramiles

    Ramiles Researching 9th Lancers, 24th L and SRY

    Philippe Sands and The Ratline from We Have Ways of Making You Talk | Podbay

    "Show notes
    Philippe Sands, author of East West Street and The Ratline, joins Al and James to discuss the extraordinary war time stories he unearthed in his research. In this first episode he talks about Hans Frank, the Nazi ruler of Poland, and Frank’s son Niklas, who once said: “I don’t agree with the death penalty, except for my father.” - "

    The Ratline by Philippe Sands | Waterstones


    & 2nd (next) podcast episode on this subject - Thursday 21st May 2020

    Philippe Sands - Part 2 from We Have Ways of Making You Talk | Podbay

    "Show notes
    In this second episode of our Philippe Sands interview we explore The Ratline and its central cast of characters. Otto Wächter, the Nazi on the run from justice; his wife Charlotte, avowed Nazi but loving wife and mother. And Horst Wächter, their son, still trying to prove his parents were innocent of the worst Nazi crimes."

    The Ratline by Philippe Sands | Waterstones
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2020
    Harry Ree likes this.

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