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Otto Kretschmer
August Wilhelm Otto Kretschmer, Navy Commander, born May 1, 1912 in Heidenau/Liegnitz, commander U-23 and U-99, winner of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, Fleet Admiral in post-war German Navy, died August 5, 1998 in Straubing, Bavaria, said of his World War II service aboard submarines: “The comradeship of life aboard a submarine and the splendid corporate spirit with which it is imbued remains with me as one of the greatest things in my life.” (2,000 Quotes From Hitler’s 1,000-Year Reich)
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Dual gallows at Landsberg Military Prison, May 1946. Johann Reichhart hanged the condemned on the right gallows. Master Sergeant Woods used the left gallows.
Both hangmen at Landsberg this May 29, 1946, were hitting their stride now. The next SS man to face Woods was former SS-Hauptsturmführer Walter Adolf Langleist, who, wearing a cap and dark shirt and trousers, entered the courtyard with his guards about 1:45 p.m. Born in Dresden on August 5, 1893, Langleist had served at Buchenwald, Auschwitz, Majdanek and Dachau. His highest position was as commandant of the Kaufering #4 sub-camp; he also served as the guard battalion commander of the main Dachau camp. Langleist joined the Nazi Party in 1930; he was also an early member of the SS, joining in 1931, with SS number 8980. Master Sergeant Woods pushed the trap door lever about 1:55 p.m.; doctors pronounced Langleist dead at 2:07 p.m. His remains were transferred to Remsdorf, south of Leipzig. (American Hangman, MSgt. John C. Woods: The United States Army’s Notorious Executioner in World War II and Nürnberg)