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Herbert Krohn * 1912

Kreuzweg 7 (Hamburg-Mitte, St. Georg)

HIER WOHNTE
HERBERT KROHN
JG. 1912
DEPORTIERT 1942
AUSCHWITZ
ERMORDET 7.9.1942

Herbert Krohn, born 25 Feb. 1912, imprisoned 1937, died 7 Sep. 1942 in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp

Kreuzweg, next to house number 7 (formerly Kreuzweg 21)

Herbert Krohn was one of a small group of homosexuals who openly admitted his sexuality, even to the police. He was born in Hamburg in 1912. After an apprenticeship as a sales clerk, he switched to the hospitality business in 1932, and worked as a waiter at the Eilbeker Bürgersälen, an establishment which, at the time, was the epitome of liberality and entertainment. Homosexual men and women regularly held costume parties and masquerades there.

Since he was 18, Herbert Krohn had frequented well-known homosexual establishments like Moni’s Deutsche Porterstuben (Rostockerstraße 8), Goldene 13 (Koppel 13), and Tuskulum (Baumeisterstraße 17, on the corner of the Hansaplatz). He had also met sexual partners at the Bismarck Memorial and in the Wallanlagen. He first came to the attention of the police in 1929, but without repercussions. When Hitler came to power in 1933, the police banned him from "homosexual establishments, public toilets, public parks and train stations.” It was next to impossible for Herbert Krohn to comply with this ban without wholly abstaining from sexual activity. It was thus certain that he would eventually fall into the trap set by the Nazi persecutors. His first arrest was in 1937, and he was held in "protective custody” at the Fuhlsbüttel Concentration Camp from 28 August 1937 to 25 February 1938. On 26 February 1938 he was transferred to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, where he remained in "preventive custody” until 17 March 1939.

In his function as barracks clerk in Sachsenhausen, Herbert Krohn became friends with Martin Schneider, the barracks leader. They began a sexual relationship, which was discovered three months later. As a result of the discovery, Martin Schneider hanged himself. Herbert Krohn was tried, and other homosexual relationships were brought as evidence against him. His sentencing was further negatively influenced by the fact that a rent boy had named him as a sexual partner in a 1939 police interrogation.

Krohn was in prison in Hamburg from 17 March to 27 April 1939. His trial was on 24 April 1939. He was sentenced to one year in prison for the crime of homosexuality. A plea for pardon, submitted by his father, remained without consequence. When he was released on 16 March 1940, he was transferred into the custody of the Hamburg police and returned to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, probably via the Hütten prison. There is a record of his presence there dated 5 April 1940. One day later, on 6 April 1940, a group of 800 Sachsenhausen prisoners from various Nazi prisoner categories were transferred to the Flossenbürg Concentration Camp. Until then, most of the prisoners in Flossenbürg were Germans from the Reich and convicted criminals. Herbert Krohn was among this group transferred to Flossenbürg. He was given the prisoner number 1897 and assigned to the category of "BV§” (Berufsverbrecher, Homosexueller – repeat offender, homosexual), and quartered in Block 10. On 27 July 1942 he and 44 other Kapos (barracks leaders) were transferred to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. He died there on 7 September 1942.

Translator: Amy Lee

Kindly supported by the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung, Hamburg.

Stand: October 2016
© Bernhard Rosenkranz/Ulf Bollmann

Quellen: StaHH, 213-11 Staatsanwaltschaft Landgericht – Strafsachen, 3400/39; StaHH, 213-8 Staatsanwaltschaft Oberlandesgericht – Verwaltung, Ablieferung 2, 451 a E 1, 1 b; StaHH, 242-1II Gefängnisverwaltung II, Ablieferungen 13 und 16; Archiv des Internationen Suchdienstes Bad Arolsen, Totenbuch Auschwitz, Sterbeverzeichnis Nr. 28725/42. Joachim Müller/Andreas Sternweiler, Homosexuelle Männer im KZ Sachsenhausen, Berlin 2000, S. 40; E-Mail von Johannes Ibel, KZ-Gedenkstätte Flossenbürg an Dr. Beate Meyer, 15.1.2009.