Herta Kasparova

[Vedderman]

This series of images isn't especially new or fresh. Some of them have been seen on the site before. Every year, however, a whole handful of new WWII photos find their way out of someone's archives and onto the internet. When I first found it about ten years ago, this set contained 2 or 3 photos. The rest have appeared gradually over the years. One of them, I just found this morning while reading about an entirely unrelated aspect of the war. Anyway, they have never been grouped together in their entirety on DR before and I think there are enough of them now to give her her own thread.

Herta Kasparova was a Czech citizen who spoke both Czech and German. She was partially disabled from birth-an infirmity in her right leg caused her to walk with a pronounced limp. It was mentioned in a few of the records that her handicap resulted in her being tormented and mocked by her peers as a child and adolescent.

During the war, her bilingual skills made her an admirable candidate to act as a translator for the Gestapo in Třešť. Reports seemed to differ on exactly what level of support she gave the Germans. That she translated documents and conversations for them is likely. She was also alleged to have worked for them as an 'investigator', reporting on the movements of possible dissidents in her town.

What is undisputed, however, is that near the end of the war, she directly brought about the deaths of four young men with whom she had grown up. She reported their actions to the Gestapo and all four were summarily executed by firing squad on the same day. The idea was posited by more than one source that at least two of the young men she had executed were former tormenters during her youth, among those who gave her the hardest time about her limp. This was not verified at any point, however, and was nothing more than hearsay from witnesses to their deaths. If she had a different motive than that, it was not clearly disclosed. She stated only that she acted 'out of revenge', but was not specific as to what.

In any event, the war didn't go well for the Germans, as we all know. Consequently, neither did it go well for young Herta. When the war was over, she was arrested for 'multiple crimes against humanity', specifically the deaths of the four young dissidents she fingered in 1945. She was sentenced to be hanged to death for her crimes in 1946, at the age of 23.

According to her execution documents, she was 'pole hanged' on the device pictured below. It measured 3 meters in length, 60 cm in width, and 5 cm in thickness. She was attached to the main pole by rope serving as a sort of webbing and made to stand on a makeshift plank. The noose was attached to the pole via a hook and was fed through an eyelet to the executioner who stood behind her. When the plank was removed, the executioner and his assistant pulled on the noose by hand, effectively strangling her against the pole. As you can see, it wasn't likely a particularly nice death.

The photos below show her before her arrest, during the trial, and with the priest immediately before her execution. The image of her holding the kerchief and weeping was taken immediately after the pronouncement of her execution sentence. It was mentioned in the report that she had stated that she didn't expect execution and had assumed she would be imprisoned instead.

A statement from one of the witnesses to her death stated that the execution ground was fenced off and the only people allowed to be present for her hanging were family members of the four men who had been executed due to her actions. The witness also stated that when Herta saw the pole for the first time, she was so terrified that her knees gave out and she fell down; had to be lifted by the guards. She was wincing and visibly frightened as they tied the ropes.


The remaining images are all immediately subsequent to her death. The first and second are the doctor checking her pulse to confirm no signs of life. She had been dead only a few moments at that point. The final image is after they have pulled up the wooden box they would use to transport her body.

[Kelseecat65]

Very interesting! Seems so brutal, yet I'm sure the deaths of those men were equally as such. Awesome thread!!

[K53]

The ugly side of war

[Victorian_Hangman]

I'd never seen the first hanging picture before. It looks as if the rope around her neck is attached to a hook at the top of the pole. There's also a hole in the pole just below the level of her feet, which leads me to wonder if that was where whatever she stood on was placed.

Pole hangings were carried out in several different ways, including being pulled up by the rope, then dropped, and being suspended, then having their legs pulled. I did once see a c. WWI showing a mass pole hanging, which purports to show the executioner dislocating the neck of a victim who has just been hanged. Apparently, there are a lot of variations possible.

[kellyhound]

interesting read and images.

[Victorian_Hangman]

If you look closely at the first hanging photo, her legs are together and there appear to be ropes around her ankles. Meanwhile, the man on the right who is checking her pulse has some sort of cords or ropes in his hand. I wonder if she was pulled down after whatever she was standing on was removed? That would explain the hole in the post--it appears as if the cords around her ankles run through it.

[Vedderman]

Originally Posted by Victorian_Hangman

If you look closely at the first hanging photo, her legs are together and there appear to be ropes around her ankles. Meanwhile, the man on the right who is checking her pulse has some sort of cords or ropes in his hand. I wonder if she was pulled down after whatever she was standing on was removed? That would explain the hole in the post--it appears as if the cords around her ankles run through it.

Whatever plank she was standing on was removed just before they strangled her, according to the document I read.

Like I mentioned, I think that the first hanging image was taken very shortly after they actually executed her. Probably within moments. Her feet are still tied as opposed to freed like they are in the other two images, the man holding her left arm is still holding some of the restraining cords, and the ground underneath her feet is still wet from her bladder release. The images are obviously progressive. For many years I had only seen the last two, with the second one always being cropped at her waist. The first hanged photo (which is in surprisingly good resolution as well) and uncropped second were both first seen this year. I suspect that there are probably several more images of the process out there somewhere, waiting to be found when someone's grandfather or great-uncle dies and the their attic is opened up.

[Kelseecat65]

I didn't realize her feet were tied.

[Victorian_Hangman]

Her hands could have been tied also. The guy holding her left arm appears to be holding several cords. It seems odd that she would be tied for hanging and then untied after death (perhaps this was done just before she was taken down?). Mind, I have seen several photos of another Austrian hanging (from World War I) which shows two women hanging side by side. In some photos, their wrists are bound, in others, they are free. Saving the restraints for "next time"?

[Vedderman]

Originally Posted by Kelseecat65

I didn't realize her feet were tied.

Yeah, but only in the first of the three photos. No idea why. Maybe they didn't want her to kick too much? I haven't seen many (any?) Czech hangings before and very few 'pole hangings.' Maybe tying the feet is a standard there. Certainly not something I've seen anywhere else though.

Her wrists appear to be tied in the photo with the priest, which was taken immediately before her execution. But they seem to have untied them for the hanging. Or at least in the postmortem images presented here.