HANGING A WOMAN ON ROPES: the unspeakable torture of the “The Butcher of Lyon” | Klaus Barbie

In 1983 nearly four decades after the end of World War II the world was shocked by the arrest of Claus Barbie one of the most brutal Nazi criminals known as Butcher of Leon his name became a symbol of torture horror and mass murder committed in occupied friends but the most astonishing thing in Barbie’s story is not his cruelty during the war about which we will certainly also tell you but his further life after the defeat of the third rack how did a man sentence to death to wise Escape Justice what sophisticated torture method did he
devise and use and what connected the former Nazi with Pablo Escobar answers to these questions will reveal even darker pages of Claus Barbie’s history to you where past cruelty internes with the darkness of the present capitulation June 22nd 1940 the French government led by Marshall Philip Patton signed the capitulation of France to Germany ironically in the same campaign forest in the same famous carriage in November 1918 another French Marshal folk had accepted the capitulation of Germany in fact this Carriage was
specially delivered from the museum for this purpose in this way Hitler decided to humiliate France according to the terms of 1940 armest France was divided into two zones Germany occupied almost half the territory of France all the northern and western provinces Paris and the Atlantic coast France held onto the central eastern and southern regions of the country including the Mediterranean Coastline the French government headed by President LeBron and prime minister petton relocated to the provincial town of vishi where it remained almost until
the end of the war in Europe heart of FRS the city of Leon which remained in the France zone is sometimes called the heart of France the city was not only the geographical but also the cultural center of the country Leon had long been considered an important in industrial and transport Hub its strategic position making it critically important to any occupying Force however few people know that Leon was also an important religious center with the rich history of the Catholic church and during the war this city operated with both regular
clergy and those who supported their resistance by hiding underground Fighters and citizens wanted by the Nazis the Germany quickly understood the significance of Leon and as early as 1942 took control of the entire Leon Administration and police despite the fact that formerly the city was subordinated to the vishi government since the Autumn of 1941 the movement resistance began to gain strength in France the main center of the movement along with Paris became the above mentioned city of leyon this location
served as one of the primary headquarters of the French underground including free France and the National Council of resistance Leon gained a reputation as a rebellious city thank to hundreds of clandestine operations organized by the resistance there were not only acts of sabotage and attacks on German targets here but also underground newspapers that distributed information among the population despite all the horrors of the occupation the city became a symbol of resistance and the fight for freedom and it was here that
the person nicknamed The Butcher of Leon found an outlet for his unbaled cruelty two SS butchers in the spring of 1942 SS brigant ofur Carl orberg later nicknamed The Butcher of Paris was appointed chief of police and Security Services of Belgium and occupi territories of France himler demanded from his subordinate to restore order on the entrusted domain and suppress any resistance to the fascist occupation regime one of his first steps was the complete subordination of the French police to the German authorities which allowed him
to control the internal structures as well after a while the number of denunciations increased several times people were so frightened that they were even turned in their loved ones to avoid persecution or introduced the practice of mass arrest not only of active resistance members but also of ordinary citizens suspected of disloyalty he created a system of collective responsibility where dozens of hostages were executed for each killed German for each German Soldier killed in the territory of France from 50 to 100
people from the local population were executed such acts of intimidation ation covered entire regions causing fear and paralyzing potential protests this cruel tactic had far-reaching consequences one of the most famous cases was the shooting of hostages these executions were accompanied by public displays of violence the bodies were left on display to intimidate the local population the psychological effect was so powerful that some families permanently left their homes fearing further repression orber immediately got down to business
including the city of leyon in the SC of his activities nobody cared that under the Armistice agreement it was in the vishi government’s responsibility Zone the vites had no choice but to accept their fate once they became Nazi Collaborators in puppets of Hitler there was no turning back for them on the recommendation of orbert the head of the Gestapo in the city of Leon was appointed as s hamstrom fur Claus Barbie who had already established himself with repressions against Dutch Communists and Jews it was Barbie who arrested the
leader of the ddge Freemasons hermanus van Tarin and tortured him to death after which having summoned the last man’s daughter he coldly informed her of your father’s death from some kind of ear infection Claus Barbie nicknamed The Butcher of Leon became famous for his extreme cruelty under his leadership thousands of resistant members endured torture one of Barbie’s most notorious crimes was the arrest and subsequent torture of Jin Mulan one of the key leaders of the French Resistance Mulan was captured in 194 3 and subjected to
brutal interrogations that led to his death Barbie used special interrogation methods including beatings with iron rods and handing by the hands the death of Mulan was a heavy blow to the resistance movement Barbie gestapo’s Watchdog Nicola Barbie born in 1913 in the town of gburg now a suburb of Bon he was born in a very devout Catholic Family cla’s parents wanted the son to become a priest however after his father’s death Claus abandoned the boring study of Theology and took up mine camp and other Nazi literature at
the age of 20 Claus enlisted in the SS in 1934 and joined the nsdp in 1937 his Zeal in fighting the enemies of the Reich communist anti-fascist and Jews were noticed and appreciated by the leadership and Barbie quite successfully Advanced up the career lad the appointment as head of the sto in one of the largest city in France with another successful appointment in the career of the young SS officer Barbie worked tiously to earn the confidence of the Nazi leadership with his arrival the secret police service was significantly
strengthened by Personnel Claus took full control of the work of the French police in Leon which essentially became a branch of the German Gestapo contemporaries of Barbie noted that this Nazi punitive officer had abilities for operational work investigation quick search and neutral ization of enemies of the Reich with his arrival the life of French Resistance became significantly more complicated and the life of the Jews became unbearable believing that Jews were deeply ingrained enemies of the Reich Barbie sought to identify as
many of them as possible and send them to concentration camp he became the organizer of the deportation to concentration camp of thousands of Leons Jews including women the eldery and children the Nazi hunted for children with particular Zeal at the same time the Nazi did not shy away from interrogations and torture of children in April 1944 Barbie personally LED The Hunt of children hiding in the town of fizel not far from Leon gestapo blood hounds tracked down and captured 44 children SS men tossed them into the
truck like inanimate objects all the kids at Barbie’s Direction were sent to the transy Concentration Camp to suffer and certain death the headquarters of the Leon gapa was located in the building of the former School of military medicine there everything was arranged according to the wishes of the gapo chief first of all the prison with torture chambers everything there was arranged according to cla’s Choice iron hooks on the walls bathtubs filled with ice cold water vies tongs weeps and various other tools and devices for
torturing and tormenting datin do you know Max Claus Barbie took the most active part in the interrogation and torture of those arrested who fell into the hands of Leon Gustavo according to the Recollections of the few surviving prisoners and some of Barbie’s subordinates during interrogation he was tireless according to eyewitnesses he interrogated one prisoner for almost 2 days without a break after which he took a shower and went to have dinner at the nearest restaurant some witnesses report that after such interrogation Barbie
seemed to derive satisfaction he could return to the process with new energy after a short rest demonstrating cold calcul ation and complete lack of empathy he taunted his victims often continuing interrogation even after prisoners had lost Consciousness there is evidence that he even forced other prisoners to be present during the torture to increase psychological pressure and fear among those who were still alive Barbie used the tactic of collective punishments where the victims were forced to watch the torture of
their comrades in order to break their will and make them give up information this was not just an act of brutality it was a deliberate tactic of Terror and psychological warfare Barb cruy knew no bounds under his leadership more than 14,000 people were arrested in Leon of whom about 7,500 were deported to concentration camps his interrogation techniques included using electric shocks submerging the victim’s head in water driving nails under their fingernails and even beating them to death testimonies from prisoners at monl
prison indicated that he often observed torture with the expression of obvious pleasure in particular Barbie used torture methods such as the so-called robe Henning where the victim was died by the Hang pulled behind the back causing unbearable pain and often leading to shoulder dislocations this method was favored by Barbie for breaking the wheel of resistance activist and Witnesses recall that he personally oversaw the process relishing in the suffering of his victims one of the Barbie’s favorite torture was the
use of electricity he ordered to tie the the victims to metal chairs and run electric current through their bodies he also used choking handing the victims by the neck allowing them to hang on the Rope until unconsciousness and then revive them with water or blows to continue the torture Barbie personally Dro needles under the nails of Dy knes tore off the nails from their fingers of prisoners whipped those hung on a hook beat them kick them and used the entire torture Arsenal one of his favorite activities was to pinch the victim’s
fingers into the door frame he could do this operation several times in the testimonies of surviving prisoners it was also mentioned that Barbie used Blade weapons threatening his victims with a knife or bayonet increasing physical and psychological pressure some prisoners reported that he could rape his victims or threaten sexual violence as a way to suppress their resistance in addition to physical torture Barbie actively used psychological pressure he threatened not only the life of the the victim but also
their family members forcing witnesses to watch his comrades to be tortured women were often sexually assaulted one of the most famous cases was the beating of a 21-year-old girl who was associated with the French Resistance after severe torture she became paralyzed Barbie ordered her to be abandoned on the street believing that she would soon die from her injuries such actions were aimed at creating an atmosphere of Terror in Leon and other occupied areas here relied on open displays of his brutality to break the morale of the
local population and fragment the resistance women were subjected to particular cruelty there are known cases when Barbie personally gave orders for violence against women including rape and humiliation these methods were part of his strategy to destroy the spirit of the resistance using cruelty and humiliation as an instrument of Terror women who were tortured often described sexual violence as part of interrogations but Barbie and his subordinates used this as a means to break the will of the victims humiliate
them and deprive them of their human dignity women were often raped during or after interrogations in some cases Barbie used this violence as a way to put further pressure on relatives and loved ones threatening to continue the abuse if they did not give up information few of the prisoners survived after Barb’s interrogation torture another victim he always asked the same question do you know Max Max was the underground nickname of one of the leaders of the French Resistance Jee Mulan Barby hunted him with particular
Fury as if he was a personal enemy Milan made a significant contribution to the unification of the desperate groups of the French Resistance John Mulan was indeed one of the most Wanted resistance leaders by the Nazis his efforts to coordinate underground organizations such as the French free movement put him at the Forefront of Nazi lists Barbie Ed large scale race to locate Mulan and his associates this hunt became one of the largest gapo operation in the south of France eventually Barbie like a seasoned Hound got on the trial of the French
Patriot Mulan was betrayed by a traitor and was arrested in June 1943 sadis Claus personally interrogated and tortured Jin Mulan but the resistance hero betrayed no one after 10 days of almost endless torture Mulan was sent to a concentration camp a true son of France he died on the road unable to withstand the consequences of encountering the Nazi gapo dog Claus Barbie upon learning of the death of their leader the partisan Patriots Ved to avenge their senior comrade’s death on the fascist however the main culprit
for mulan’s death had to wait a long time for Revenge Barbie used torture such as beatings with iron rods Hing by their W and electric shocks but Johan Mulan remained adamant after his death the body could not be identified for a long time and the remains were returned to France only in 196 64 when they were reburied in the pantheon in recognition of his heroism Barbie despite of all his efforts was never able to destroy the resistance System created by Mulan which became one of the reasons for his hatred of the
leader bloody traces of the Butcher of Leon Claus Barbie was responsible for suffering and death of at least 14,000 people 7,000 Jews and 3,000 resistant Fighters were sent by him to cons conentration camps another 3,000 Jews and 1,000 communist and underground Fighters were tortured and killed by Barbie or on his orders in the Gestapo dungeons the Leon executioner fully earned his nickname The Butcher of leyon in addition to his crimes against the resistance and the Jewish population Barbie was also involved in the
destruction of entire Villages and local communities one of the most brutal actions under his command took place in June 1944 when by his order a village was destroyed about 30 children and adults were killed in the course of this massacre and this event remained hidden from the public for a long time later during the trial of Barbie surviving Witnesses recalled how their families were shot on the spot and their homes were burned to the ground however at the end of the war Barbie managed to escape punishment French courts in absentia
sentenced Barbie to death twice in 1947 and 1954 and it was like water off a duck’s back to him in the newspapers much was written about the notorious red lines along which Nazi criminals fled from retribution Barbie became one of the leading consultant of the Latin American dictatorial regimes in Bolivia Barbie and his family lived under the name Claus Alman here he trained the Bolivian police in techniques of tracing and combating the left underground interrogation techniques including the use of torture and provided other
valuable Services besides political success the Nazi also demonstrated considerable entrepreneurial abilities albe it with a Criminal band after all he was a Nazi Barbie set up an extensive network of illegal arms and drug trafficking they say that he was even connected with a famous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar Barbie became the link between Nazi fleeing to Latin America and dealers in illegal substances his knowledge of logistic connections with International smuggling networks and experience in organizing
underground activities made him a valuable partner for the cartels It is believed that Barbie established connection with Pablo Escobar and his Med in cartel in the late 1970s early 1980s through those connections Barbie helped organized supplies to Europe Barbie used his knowledge in organizing rat lines which Nazis used to escape after the war and to establish smuggling roots for substances Escobar and his accomplices used these channels to save transportation across borders Barbie also helped launder money earned from
the sale of substances using his connection with former Nazi criminals and corrupt regimes in Latin America America end of the Leon butcher everything comes to an end including for such likey Nazi as Claus Barbie it should be noted that having realized in 1950s 1970s France repeatedly demanded the extradition of the Nazi to Justice however as long as the dictatorship prevailed in Bolivia Barbie was safe everything changed with the coming to power of the leftist forces in Bolivia in 1984 Bolivia approved the extr of the Nazi criminal
Claus Barbie Alman to France at the time of extradition Barbie had already been living under the pseudonym Alman for a long time owning a large Transport company he advised believ in dictators on issue of repression and torture effectively expanding Nazi oppression to a new continent it was his experience that helped the government suppress political opponents in bivia at the trial which took place in 1987 in leyon Barbie was accused of crimes Against Humanity including participation in murders deportation and torture
witnesses to those of an who managed to survive spoke at the trial telling the terrible details of his actions however Barbie showed not the slightest remorse for the atrocities he committed according to the prosecutor he was a man whose cruelty knew no bounds finally the season Nazi with great delay appeared before the court and he had to answer for what he had done by that time European countri has abolished the death penalty and the fascist criminal Claus Barbie received a life sentence he died in prison in
1991 thus ended the path of one of the bloodiest executioners of the third r