German authorities investigate 105-year-old man in last-minute scramble to prosecute alleged Nazi war criminals

Prosecutors in Germany are investigating a 105-year-old man alleged to be an accessory to murder during World War II. According to the allegations, the suspect was a guard at Stalag 326 VI K, a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp, in Senne, Germany. Another case involving an alleged guard at Senne had previously been under way when the suspect died at the age of 99.

As of now, no further information has been released on either suspected guard. However, these cases emphasize the challenges those investigating Nazi-era crimes must face, as many suspects have already died, and those still living are of an advanced age.

Senne was one of the largest Nazi PoW camps in Germany

Over 5.3 million Soviet Red Army soldiers were held captive in Germany during World War II. Approximately half are believed to have died. While there were many PoW camps, Senne was among the largest. According to the memorial site, at least one in three Soviet PoWs who came into Germany from 1941 to 1945 went through Senne.

The conditions at these camps were appalling, and those held captive often faced malnutrition and horrific mistreatment. Many of the Soviet PoWs who went through Senne ended up being forced into labor around the region.

Anywhere from 180,000 to 200,000 Soviet PoWs were registered at Senne, and tens of thousands died and were buried there. Senne also held PoWs from Belgium, France, Serbia, and Poland. The 2nd Armored Division overtook the camp in 1945.

Authorities are scrambling to prosecute remaining Nazi criminals

According to The Guardian, the investigation into the 105-year-old man comes as authorities are rushing to prosecute any remaining suspected participants in Nazi war crimes before they pass away. While the rush is mostly due to the suspects’ ages, it also partially comes from recognizing that some suspects who were originally believed to have only a small role in implementing Hitler’s murderous goals have escaped accountability for the past 80 years. However, many of them were more involved than first believed.

One thing that has helped in these prosecutions was John Demjanjuk’s case, a guard in Poland at the Nazi Sobibór death camp. In 2011, he was convicted as an accomplice to over 28,000 murders that occurred when he worked as a guard. Though he died in 2012 and never went to prison, his case lessened what was required when it came to proof of complicity.

Since then, prosecutors have brought more cases against nonagenarians and centenarians. The most notable was the trial of Irmgard Furchner. Furchner was a secretary for a brief time to the camp commandant at Stutthof concentration camp. For her involvement as an accessory, she received a 2-year suspended sentence. Although it went against the normal rules, this trial was filmed for historical purposes.

The most current investigation, against the 105-year-old man, was brought by the Central Office for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes. If he is brought to trial, his case will help clarify the Stalag system and what occurred at Senne itself.

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