--- title: "Life and Death of Karl Fritzsch" description: "Discover the life and death of Karl Fritzsch, Auschwitz deputy commandant, SS officer, and key figure in the first Zyklon B gassing experiments." url: "https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-karl-fritzsch" date: "2026-07-27T20:08:53+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- ![Life and Death of Karl Fritzsch](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/commanders/german/d-day-normandy-beyond-commanders-Karl-Fritzsch-bw.jpg) # Karl Fritzsch ## SS-Hauptsturmführer Country of origin: Germany - [ Karl Fritzsch](#) Commanders ## Who was Karl Fritzsch? **Karl Fritzsch** (10 July 1903 – probably May 1945) was an SS-Hauptsturmführer and one of the most notorious officers at [**Auschwitz Concentration Camp**](https://www.normandy1944.info/holocaust/concentrationcamps/auschwitz). Serving as deputy commandant under [**Rudolf Höss**](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-karl-fritzsch), Fritzsch became infamous for his extreme brutality towards prisoners and played a central role in establishing the camp's reign of terror. He is best remembered for supervising the first experimental use of **Zyklon B** on Soviet prisoners of war and Polish inmates in **Block 11** in **September 1941**, an event that marked the beginning of the systematic use of poison gas for mass murder at Auschwitz. Although his ultimate fate remains uncertain, Fritzsch is believed to have died during the final months of the **Second World War**, leaving behind a legacy of cruelty, violence and one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Holocaust. ### Quick Facts **Full name:** Karl Fritzsch **Born:** 10 July 1903, Nassengrub, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary **Died:** 2 May 1945, Berlin, Germany **Age at death:** 41 **Nationality:** German **Political party:** National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) **NSDAP number:** 728.522 **SS number:** 2.987 **Highest rank:** SS-Hauptsturmführer **Known for:** Deputy commandant of Auschwitz, role in the death of Maximilian Kolbe and the first Zyklon B gassing experiments. ### Early Life and Radicalization **Karl Fritzsch** was born on **10 July 1903** in **Nassengrub, Bohemia**, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Due to the frequent relocation of his family, he received only a limited formal education and spent much of his youth working as a laborer. During the 1920s he worked on riverboats operating along the **Danube River**. Like many future National Socialists, Fritzsch became attracted to extremist political movements during the economic and political instability that followed the First World War. > In **July 1930** he joined both the **National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP)** and the **Schutzstaffel (SS)**. His loyalty to the Nazi movement quickly earned him a full-time career within the expanding SS apparatus. ### Dachau Concentration Camp Following the Nazi seizure of power, Fritzsch became involved in the rapidly growing concentration camp system. In **1934** he received an assignment to the newly established [**Dachau concentration camp**](https://www.normandy1944.info/holocaust/concentrationcamps/dachau), the first permanent concentration camp created by the Nazi regime. At Dachau he gained extensive administrative experience and developed a reputation for strict discipline and brutality. By **September 1939** he had risen to supervise the camp's postal censorship office within the commandant's headquarters. His years at Dachau provided him with valuable experience in prisoner administration, surveillance, punishment procedures and camp operations, qualifications that would soon lead to promotion. ### Transfer to Auschwitz In **May 1940**, Fritzsch was transferred to the newly established [**Auschwitz concentration camp**](https://www.normandy1944.info/holocaust/concentrationcamps/auschwitz), where he became the first deputy of Commandant [**Rudolf Höss**](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-rudolf-hoess). His official position was that of **Schutzhaftlagerführer**, making him responsible for prisoner discipline and daily camp administration. Prisoners quickly came to fear Fritzsch. Numerous survivor testimonies describe him as one of the most brutal and unpredictable SS officers in Auschwitz. He frequently imposed collective punishments, arbitrary executions and severe disciplinary measures. > Fritzsch was particularly known for introducing starvation punishments within the standing cells of **Block 11**, the camp prison. Under his authority, entire groups of prisoners could be punished for the actions of a single inmate. ### Karl Fritzsch and Maximilian Kolbe One of the most infamous events associated with Fritzsch occurred in **July 1941** following the escape of a prisoner from Auschwitz. As retaliation, Fritzsch selected **ten prisoners** to be starved to death in the underground cells of **Block 11**. One of those chosen, Polish sergeant **Franciszek Gajowniczek**, broke down and cried that he would never see his wife and children again.At that moment the Franciscan priest [**Maximilian Kolbe**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_Kolbe) stepped forward and volunteered to take the man's place. Fritzsch accepted the request. Kolbe and the other prisoners were locked inside the starvation bunker where they remained without food or water. After approximately two weeks, Kolbe was still alive. On **14 August 1941**, camp personnel ended his suffering through a lethal injection of carbolic acid. Following the war, **Maximilian Kolbe** became one of the most famous victims of Auschwitz and was canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in **1982**. ### The Zyklon B Experiments According to the post-war testimony of [**Rudolf Höss**](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-rudolf-hoess), Fritzsch played a decisive role in the development of mass gassing at Auschwitz. In late **August 1941**, while Höss was absent on official business, Fritzsch proposed the use of the insecticide [**Zyklon B**](https://www.normandy1944.info/holocaust/concentrationcamps) as a killing agent. Zyklon B had previously been used as a pesticide and disinfectant throughout the German Reich. Fritzsch ordered a group of Soviet prisoners of war and several sick inmates confined inside the basement cells of **Block 11**. He then introduced Zyklon B pellets into the sealed chambers. > The victims died from exposure to hydrogen cyanide gas released by the chemical compound. Upon his return, Höss witnessed additional experiments and concluded that Zyklon B was more efficient than previous killing methods. These experiments demonstrated that the substance could be used for large-scale killing and contributed significantly to the later development of the extermination facilities at **Auschwitz-Birkenau**. > The tests conducted under Fritzsch's supervision marked a critical step in the evolution of industrialized mass murder during the Holocaust. ### Reputation Among Prisoners Fritzsch became notorious throughout Auschwitz for his cruelty and psychological terror. Former prisoners recalled his frequent threats, public beatings and arbitrary punishments. He often appeared during roll calls and selections, creating an atmosphere of constant fear. Survivors described him as one of the camp's most feared SS officers. Many testimonies portray him as an individual who actively embraced violence rather than merely carrying out orders. > His actions contributed significantly to the culture of terror that characterized Auschwitz during its formative years. ### Investigation and Removal In **1943**, Fritzsch was transferred from Auschwitz to [**Flossenbürg concentration camp**](https://www.normandy1944.info/holocaust/concentrationcamps/flossenbuerg). His career within the concentration camp system ended abruptly in **1944** when an internal SS investigation uncovered widespread corruption among camp officials. Fritzsch was accused of unauthorized killings and other irregularities. Although many concentration camp officials committed similar crimes without punishment, the SS judiciary decided to remove him from his position. > As a disciplinary measure, he was transferred to frontline military service with an **SS-Panzergrenadier** unit. ### Death During the Battle of Berlin For many years Karl Fritzsch's fate remained uncertain. The mystery was largely resolved after investigators discovered a forgotten 1966 witness statement preserved in the files of the **Central Office for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes** in **Ludwigsburg**. In her testimony, Berlin resident **Gertrud Berendes** stated that Fritzsch committed suicide on 2 May 1945 in the cellar of a residential building at Sächsische Straße 42 in Berlin. According to Berendes, he shot himself while seated on an iron bed. Local residents subsequently buried his body in nearby **Preußenpark**, bringing an end to decades of speculation regarding his fate. ### Legacy **Karl Fritzsch** occupies a notorious place in Holocaust history. Although less well known than figures such as [**Heinrich Himmler**](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-heinrich-himmler), [**Reinhard Heydrich**](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-reinhard-heydrich) or [**Rudolf Höss**](https://www.normandy1944.info/home/commanders/life-and-death-of-rudolf-hoess), his influence on the early development of Auschwitz was substantial. His role in the starvation bunker of **Maximilian Kolbe** and the first successful experiments with [**Zyklon B**](https://www.normandy1944.info/holocaust/concentrationcamps) link him directly to two of the most significant events in the history of Auschwitz. Today Fritzsch is remembered as one of the most feared SS officers in the camp system and as an important contributor to the mechanisms of mass murder employed during the Holocaust. ![Life and Death of Karl Fritzsch](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/commanders/german/D-Day-Normandy-Beyond-Commanders-Karl-_Fritzsch-2026.jpg) Personal information - Karl Fritzsch - Born: 10 July 1903 - Nassengrub, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary - Died: 2 May 1945 - Berlin, Germany --- Highest achievement: SS-Hauptsturmführer --- --- [ More info can be found here ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Fritzsch) Page updated on: 17 July 2026 --- Karl Fritzsch's medals and awards Below are some of the primary medals and awards associated with this biography, illustrated in part by identical, period-original examples from my personal collection. ![Honour Roll Clasp of the Army and Armed SS](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/medals/germany/WH-Heer-Honor-Roll-Clasp.png) Honour Roll Clasp of the Army and Armed SS Awarded for acts of bravery in combat beyond the call of duty but below the level required for the German Cross or Knight's Cross. ![Iron Cross 2nd Class](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/medals/germany/1939-Eisenkreuz-2-Klasse.png) Iron Cross 2nd Class Awarded for bravery in combat or outstanding military leadership during wartime. ![Iron Cross 1st Class](https://www.normandy1944.info/images/medals/germany/1939-Eisenkreuz-1-Klasse.png) Iron Cross 1st Class Awarded for repeated acts of bravery in combat or outstanding military leadership. #### Cite this historical page I aim to provide accurate, open-access accurate historical records. 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