The name Johann Reichhart might not be one synonymous with Nazi Germany but his ruthless killing streak made him one of the most feared members of the regime.
Reichhart was born into a line of German executioners dating back eight generations. He got his start as a judicial executioner in 1928.
Johann Reichhart took 3,165 lives during his time as Germany’s chief executioner. Ironically, after the collapse of the Third Reich , he would hang some of those he once served, Nazi war criminals, on behalf of the victorious Allies.
The beheadings of Sophie Scholl, her brother Hans and a third member of The White Rose, their student resistance group, were among 2,873 executions he carried out in the Second World War.
His career in killing began in earnest with the execution by guillotine of Rupert Fischer and Andreas Hutterer for murder.
The administration promised him 150 Goldmarks for each execution, and announced:…
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