Reich treasures. Human trafficking
The leaders of the SS and the secret police actively used their powers for personal gain. The methods were different: the SS and Gestapo robbed Jews during anti-Semitic pogroms, forced them to pay indemnities, confiscated property, tortured those arrested, seeking information from them about their personal wealth, including foreign savings. They even engaged in human trafficking, demanding a ransom from their victims and promising to save their lives.
People who were driven to concentration camps and ghettos tried to take their most valuable things with them, not knowing about their future. This property was taken away. The Nazi marauders did not even hesitate to loot the bodies of the murdered prisoners.
Beginning with the plundering of individuals, the Nazis moved on to plunder entire countries and peoples. After the capture of a number of European countries, other people's treasures flowed into Germany.
Nazi counterfeiters (Operation Bernhard) only British pounds were printed for a total amount (according to various sources) from 132 million to 300 million pounds. For comparison, the entire gold reserve of Great Britain in 1933 was 137 million pounds sterling. It is clear that not all of the printed counterfeit banknotes were sold: many of the counterfeits were of poor quality. But on the whole it was about a huge amount.
Fanatics, robbers and marauders
The SS, the secret police and the Reich as a whole were headed by different people. There were fanatics devoted to the end of the Fuehrer, ideological people. There were just sadists, marauders and people seeking profit at any cost. They seized power, many were in the past representatives of the German bottom and sought to reward themselves for the years of poverty. Hitler and other high bosses of the Reich turned a blind eye to this, the main thing was that they were loyal to the Fuhrer.
In the summer of 1944, the top leadership of Germany concluded that victory was out of the question. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on the revival of "Greater Germany" in the future and its revenge. For this, research bureaus were secretly created, working in complete secrecy, organizations uniting former officials, party leaders, large industrialists, military and SS men, as well as a commercial and agent network abroad. It is obvious that the future "Fourth Reich" needed a powerful financial and material base. And Nazi Germany just had it.
Since 1938, Germany has occupied almost all of Europe. The Wehrmacht was followed by SS units, representatives of big business and ministries. As soon as the fighting was over, a large robbery began. In just four years of war, the Nazis seized valuables worth about 80 billion German marks in European countries.
The German elite, while the nation suffered millions of losses, enriched itself fabulously during the war. By the beginning of 1945, the Nazis held a huge treasure in their hands: tons of gold, jewelry, priceless works of art. About 10 billion marks in gold. Only a few initiates knew about this wealth and where it was.
There is still no exact data on the size of the "Reich gold" (including diamonds, works of art, such as the Amber Room, etc.) and its location. It is known that some of the gold and valuables were discovered by the Americans and the British. In particular, neutral Switzerland reported 5 tons of gold, Sweden - 7 tons.
Britain and the United States embezzled approximately 220 tons of gold.
But this is only part of the treasures of the Reich.
So, the Nazis took out of the besieged Budapest and hid the gold reserves of Hungary. Also, at the end of the war, the Nazis took them abroad, exchanged and deposited a large amount of jewelry, currency and securities into secret bank accounts. We are talking about billions of dollars. At the same time, the "black order" of the SS did everything to hide these operations, to cover up all traces.
Reich treasures
After the Nazis came to power in Germany, Jewish pogroms began. At the same time, the leaders of the SS and the Gestapo tried, first of all, to walk around wealthy Jews. On November 9-10, 1938, a series of pogroms took place in Germany and Austria - the so-called. "Kristallnacht" or "Night of Broken Glass".
In Berlin alone, 29 large shops and 7 shops belonging to Jews were plundered, destroyed and set on fire during the day in Berlin alone. Thousands of people were arrested, beaten and tortured, demanding to surrender all their wealth. Then the Nazis ordered the Jews to pay an indemnity of 500 billion marks. In December 1, they began to seize all property. Wealthy Jews were tortured under torture to give out account codes in foreign banks, in particular in Switzerland.
This is how the Hitlerite elite laid the foundation for their treasures.
Another source of treasures was the concentration camps, where Jews, all opponents of the Nazis, prisoners from the occupied countries were driven. The property of the people in the camps was immediately confiscated. And from the corpses of people who were shot, hanged, poisoned, they collected all the remains of valuables, including gold teeth.
Only in the concentration camp Auschwitz was accumulated daily about 12 kilograms of gold, or an average of 4,4 tons per year. And besides Auschwitz, there were also several large "death factories" and hundreds of small and medium-sized similar "enterprises".
Loot flowed into the cellars of the Reichsbank: precious metals, stamps, currency in banknotes and gold coins, and other valuables. Also goods that could be sold abroad and received currency.
Since 1942, the Reichsbank received jewelry, watches, spectacle frames, cigarette cases, gold teeth, crowns, rings of platinum and silver, cutlery and a large number of other valuable items that the SS had confiscated from Jews and persons of other nationalities - victims of concentration camps. Gold was melted into ingots, and it was not listed on the bank's balance sheet.
Then the State Secretary of the Reich Ministry of Economics von Jagwitz, who was the intermediary between the German treasury and foreign agents, made sure that the treasures of the Reich were promptly exported to safe places. Reich Minister V. Funk contributed to this cause.
There were also other sources of enrichment for both the Reich and its individual functionaries.
The Nazis plundered entire countries. 23 thousand kilograms of gold were removed from the National Bank in Prague. The State Bank of Belgium seized gold worth 550 million marks. Trading and speculative firms bought up values, works of art, currency and gold in France and allied Italy. They used devalued banknotes and counterfeit money (British pounds) for this. In Hungary in 1944, wealth and works of art from private collections of the country's richest people (Jews) were plundered, German marauders did not forget about the exhibits of the largest museums.
Soviet Russia was subjected to a terrible pogrom.
Alfred Rosenberg reported to the Fuehrer's office that in order to send only from Eastern Europe "the works of art and cultural property obtained there required 1 railway wagons, and 418 tons of the corresponding cargo were sent by waterways."
Jewish sellers
From the middle of 1944, the SS began to demand ransom from some of their victims, promising to save their lives. This made it possible to create an additional source of income for the leaders of the Reich. Thus, SS Sturmbannfuehrer Kurt Becher was engaged in the purchase of horses for the SS troops. Horse-drawn transport and horses for cavalry did not replace motor transport, especially in conditions of fuel shortage. In the spring of 1944, Becher arrived in Hungary to buy 20 horses.
However, he soon received a secret assignment from the head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler. Becher was instructed to begin cooperation with the Zionist leader and businessman Rudolf Kastner with the aim of selling Jewish prisoners. For one "head" Kastner offered 1 US dollars.
First, Kastner negotiated with SS Obersturmbannfuehrer Adolf Eichmann, who was guilty of the genocide of the Jews. A Budapest Jew offered to release some of the Jews to neutral countries and in return promised 10 trucks with food for the Wehrmacht, other goods and strategic raw materials (Operation Blood for Goods).
Eichmann refused and, at the suggestion of Himmler, offered to transfer currency and gold to Germany instead of provisions. In the summer of 1944, 1 Jews were transported in wagons to Switzerland. The transportation was organized by Becher. Kastner offered $ 670 per person, Becher asked for $ 1. They agreed on $ 2. The deposit in gems (average market price), gold and currency was transferred to Becher. The funds were transferred to Himmler.
Human trafficking seemed to the Nazi leadership to be a very profitable process.
Of course, many leaders of the Reich already foresaw defeat in the war and began to prepare alternate airfields. Starting a new life in other countries, most often outside Europe, was best with diamonds, gold and currency. "Deserved" wealth and calm old age in warm countries. In addition, some of the Nazis created the economic base of the future "Fourth Reich", which was supposed to take revenge on the opponents.
Business on the blood
Becher was appointed chief inspector of the concentration camps. He discussed with Kastner the sale of new shipments of Jews. The price has increased - not less than 2 thousand US dollars per person.
Many Jews were robbed many times: they extorted funds before being driven into a concentration camp, robbed in the camp itself, taking away the last valuables, and now demanded a ransom.
It is believed that about 15 thousand people were bought through Kastner. The total amount received by Kastner and Becher is unknown. However, A. Eichmann, who was kidnapped by Israeli agents in Argentina and put on trial, believed that this figure was greatly overestimated. Kastner embellished his accomplishments.
After the defeat and surrender of Germany, Becher was arrested and tried as a war criminal in Nuremberg. Kastner defended his fellow business. He stated that Becher was not a criminal and helped him rescue prisoners. As a result, Becher successfully escaped the punishment he deserved. The former SS man settled down perfectly. He became a representative of big business, one of the richest people in the new Germany (FRG). He died calmly and a deep old man.
Kastner soon left for a new Jewish state - Israel, was involved in politics and at first was considered a hero and a rescuer there.
But in 1953, journalists unearthed that Kastner was far from the true heroes of World War II. First of all, he rescued his relatives and friends, Zionist politicians and wealthy people from Auschwitz, took them to Switzerland and perfectly “warmed up” on deals with the Nazis. He received a good "commission" from every business project.
Other accusations were added: Kastner promised the Nazis to ensure that the freed Jews refused to participate in the Resistance and deliberately concealed information that the Nazis were planning to exterminate all Jews in Hungary.
From a hero, Kastner turned into a cynic and huckster who only cared about profit.
Eichmann later confirmed that Kastner had promised the SS leaders that "our people" would not resist deportation and would ensure peace and order in the concentration camps. In exchange, the Nazis released several thousand Jews who were to go to Palestine. According to a high-ranking SS man, “the best biological material” was exported to Switzerland - prominent Jews, young people, sacrificed “unnecessary old people”.
Kastner tried to sue, defending his "good name". But he did it in vain, as the court revealed new incriminating facts. It turned out that after the war the businessman not only "otmazy" Becher, but also other SS men. In particular, Hans Juttner and Dieter Wisliceny, who are responsible for thousands of innocent lives.
The judge said that Kastner "went to the service of Satan." He saved a few in exchange for the destruction of many others and thereby financed the "cannibal" regime. Kastner began to persecute in the press, they announced a "hunt" for him.
As a result, in March 1957 he was shot. He was killed by the radical Zeev Eckstein. He said that he had killed the "bastard collaborationist" and thereby avenged the parents who died in Auschwitz.
Part of the press attributed the murder of Kastner to the Israeli special services.
He really knew a lot about the ins and outs of the Zionists and their connections with the Nazis.
Interestingly, in 1958, Rudolf Kastner was suddenly acquitted. The journalistic investigation was declared libel.
There is still no consensus on the Kastner case. For some, he is a savior who did everything he could. For others, a traitor collaborator who made money out of people's blood.
- Alexander Samsonov
- https://ru.wikipedia.org/, http://waralbum.ru/
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