The Schutzstaffel (SS): Waffen-SS, Gestapo & Einsatzgruppen
The "God of Auschwitz" Who Tortured Thousands: Maximilian Grabner
13m
On 1 September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, beginning the Second World War. Within months, the Germans established Auschwitz concentration camp, where one of the most feared officials became Maximilian Grabner, head of the Political Department. Known among prisoners as the "God of Auschwitz," he oversaw interrogations, torture, executions, and the suppression of resistance inside the camp.
This documentary follows Grabner's path from Austrian police officer and Gestapo official to one of Auschwitz's most notorious perpetrators. It examines his role in the brutal operations of Block 11, the deception of victims before the gas chambers, the falsification of death records, and the terror that made prisoners fear his office more than death itself. It also tells the story of his arrest after the collapse of Nazi Germany, his trial before the Supreme National Tribunal in Kraków, and the justice he ultimately faced in 1948.
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