The Terrible Execution Of Ruth Closius For Her Evil Deed

The Terrible Execution Of Ruth Closius For Her Evil Deed.

She was one of the two women who were acquitted, two received prison terms but Ruth Closius was condemned to death on the 26th of April 1948,

having confessed to the torture and murder of men, women and children and of selecting prisoners for the gas chambers. 

Ruth Closius was born in Breslau in Germany on the 5th of July 1920. She married a man named Neudeck and in some accounts is called Ruth Closius-Neudeck.

She had belonged to the SS guard staff of Ravensbrück and had worked there in various capacities from the 3rd of July 1944, including work in the punishment barracks in late 1944. She was promoted to Oberaufseherin (senior supervisor), at Uckermark in early 1945 and worked there until the camp was liberated.

The third Ravensbrück trial, also called the "Uckermark trial", was held at the British Military Court in Hamburg between April 14th and April 26th 1948 to hear the cases of five women officials from the Uckermark concentration camp and extermination complex. 

 This was a satellite camp that housed girls aged 16 – 21.  Two of the women were acquitted, two received prison terms but Ruth Closius was condemned to death on the 26th of April 1948, having confessed to the torture and murder of men, women and children and of selecting prisoners for the gas chambers. 

She was quoted as saying, "As I took over the Uckermark Camp, there were approximately 4,000 prisoners of all nationalities present. When I was reposted approximately six weeks later, only 1,000 prisoners were remaining. During my activity, approximately 3,000 women were selected for the gas chamber accordingly." 

She hanged at 9.00 am. on the 29th of July 1948 by Albert Pierrepoint who had arrived in the British Zone by air on the 26th of July 1948 and left again by air on the 29th of July 1948.

In his memoirs, the assistant executioner, Edwin Roper, recalls that Ruth weighed 161 lbs. and was 5’ 7 1/2” tall.  Prior to her execution a female warder helped her to don the rubberised pants required for female prisoners after the Edith Thompson debacle.  He recorded that she was “smartly turned out” and “gave absolutely no trouble.”  Two men followed her to the gallows at 9.21 am.  They were Luis Schmidt and Jerzy Trawinski.

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