Helmut Kapp
Encyclopedia
Helmut Kapp was a member of the Gestapo
and a war criminal. He was executed in Jędrzejów
for his crimes against Polish citizens in 1943.
Kapp was born in Polish part of Silesia
. After the outbreak of World War II
he signed the German Volksliste
and joined the Gestapo
. Initially a translator, with time he was promoted to the deputy commander of a Gestapo outpost in Jędrzejów
. Among his tasks were recruitment of collaborators and assisting in the arrest of people in the powiat
s of Jędrzejów and Włoszczowa. He was also one of the people to brutally interrogate and torture those arrested by the Germans. According to his own testimony, he personally murdered 452 Poles, including 365 Jews.
In the early months of 1943 Kapp was sentenced to death by the Special Courts
for the Jędrzejów area and the verdict was supported by the local command of the Armia Krajowa
. As a pre-war Polish citizen he was found guilty of high treason, murder and betrayal. After several initial attempts to execute the verdict by poisoning him, it was decided to create a death squad. In mid-May the Armia Krajowa was warned by an informer that Kapp was highly likely to leave Jędrzejów for Germany. Officials decided to create the death squad as soon as possible.
On May 31, 1943 the squad composed of 2nd Lt Zola, Cpr Ryszard and private Wituś. The squad, armed with pistols, notified that Kapp was having a meeting at the gardens near the Gestapo building in Jędrzejów. They reached the gardens and found Kapp returning home with a German Gestapo driver named Tierling and certain miss Erna Meyer. After a short fight, Tierling was killed, Kapp was heavily wounded and the woman was allowed to return to Gestapo. Kapp died the following day.
As a reprisal for this action, on June 9, 1943 the Germans killed 11 random civilians of Jędrzejów while additional 25 were arrested, tortured and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp
.
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
and a war criminal. He was executed in Jędrzejów
Jedrzejów
Jędrzejów is a town in Poland, located in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, about 35 km southwest of Kielce. It is the capital of Jędrzejów County. It has 18,069 inhabitants ....
for his crimes against Polish citizens in 1943.
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
. After the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he signed the German Volksliste
Volksliste
The Deutsche Volksliste was a Nazi institution whose purpose was the classification of inhabitants of German occupied territories into categories of desirability according to criteria systematized by Heinrich Himmler. The institution was first established in occupied western Poland...
and joined the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
. Initially a translator, with time he was promoted to the deputy commander of a Gestapo outpost in Jędrzejów
Jedrzejów
Jędrzejów is a town in Poland, located in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, about 35 km southwest of Kielce. It is the capital of Jędrzejów County. It has 18,069 inhabitants ....
. Among his tasks were recruitment of collaborators and assisting in the arrest of people in the powiat
Powiat
A powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries. The term powiat is most often translated into English as "county", although other terms are also sometimes used...
s of Jędrzejów and Włoszczowa. He was also one of the people to brutally interrogate and torture those arrested by the Germans. According to his own testimony, he personally murdered 452 Poles, including 365 Jews.
In the early months of 1943 Kapp was sentenced to death by the Special Courts
Special Courts
Special Courts were the underground courts organized by the Polish Government in Exile during World War II in occupied Poland. The courts determined punishments for the citizens of Poland who were subject to the Polish law before the war.-History:After the Polish Defense War of 1939...
for the Jędrzejów area and the verdict was supported by the local command of the Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
. As a pre-war Polish citizen he was found guilty of high treason, murder and betrayal. After several initial attempts to execute the verdict by poisoning him, it was decided to create a death squad. In mid-May the Armia Krajowa was warned by an informer that Kapp was highly likely to leave Jędrzejów for Germany. Officials decided to create the death squad as soon as possible.
On May 31, 1943 the squad composed of 2nd Lt Zola, Cpr Ryszard and private Wituś. The squad, armed with pistols, notified that Kapp was having a meeting at the gardens near the Gestapo building in Jędrzejów. They reached the gardens and found Kapp returning home with a German Gestapo driver named Tierling and certain miss Erna Meyer. After a short fight, Tierling was killed, Kapp was heavily wounded and the woman was allowed to return to Gestapo. Kapp died the following day.
As a reprisal for this action, on June 9, 1943 the Germans killed 11 random civilians of Jędrzejów while additional 25 were arrested, tortured and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
.