Amon Göth
Amon Leopold Göth (German: [ˈɡøːt] ⓘ; alternative spelling Goeth; 11 December 1908 – 13 September 1946) was an Austrian SS functionary and war criminal. He served as the commandant of the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp in Płaszów in German-occupied Poland for most of the camp's existence during World War II.
Amon Göth | |
|---|---|
Göth's 1945 mugshot | |
| Born | Amon Leopold Göth 11 December 1908 Vienna, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 13 September 1946 (aged 37) Montelupich Prison, Kraków, Republic of Poland |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Known for | Commandant of Płaszów labour camp |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Spouses | Olga Janauschek
(m. 1934, divorced)Anny Geiger
(m. 1938; div. 1944) |
| Conviction(s) | Crimes against humanity |
| Trial | Supreme National Tribunal |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| SS career | |
| Nickname(s) | The Butcher of Płaszów |
| Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
| Service/ | Schutzstaffel |
| Years of service | 1930–1945 |
| Rank | Hauptsturmführer |
| Unit | SS-Totenkopfverbände |
| Commands held | Płaszów labour camp |
Göth was tried after the war by the Supreme National Tribunal of Poland at Kraków and was found guilty of personally ordering the imprisonment, torture, and extermination of individuals and groups of people. He was also convicted of homicide, the first such conviction at a war crimes trial, for "personally killing, maiming and torturing a substantial, albeit unidentified number of people."
Göth was executed by hanging not far from the former site of the Płaszów camp. The 1993 film Schindler's List, in which Göth is portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, depicts his running of the Płaszów concentration camp.