After the German defeat at Stalingrad shattered Hitler’s dreams of conquest, the war turned into a brutal retreat—but the suffering in the Nazi camps only intensified. Max Koegel, an ambitious SS officer, rose from humble origins to command some of the deadliest camps in history, including Majdanek and Flossenbürg. He installed gas chambers, ordered executions, and oversaw extermination by starvation, labor, and disease. This is the untold story of one of the most ruthless camp commandants of the Third Reich.
Up Next in Season 1
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Commandant of Cruelty: Hermann Florst...
In the shadow of Nazi Germany’s collapse, the crimes of the concentration camp system come to light. Among the perpetrators stands Hermann Florstedt—SS officer, camp commandant, and one of the most feared figures in Majdanek. Once described as “tough and energetic” by his superiors, Florstedt’s a...
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Theresienstadt’s Illusion and Death: ...
In November 1941, Reinhard Heydrich establishes the Theresienstadt Ghetto — a fortress town turned into a façade of “model Jewish life” that hides the machinery of extermination. Behind this cruel deception stands Siegfried Seidl, the camp’s first commandant, whose cold efficiency and brutality c...
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The Butcher of Treblinka – Inside the...
In 1942, the Nazis built Treblinka, one of the most efficient killing centers of the Holocaust, where nearly a million Jews were murdered. At its helm stood Kurt Franz — the camp’s last commandant, known for his cold cruelty, sadistic games, and a dog trained to maul prisoners on command. Behind ...