Newly uncovered letters written by Nazi war criminal Franz Reichleitner in the days leading up to his execution reveal a shocking lack of remorse for his atrocities during the Holocaust.
The correspondence, kept secret for eight decades, shows the SS officer remained defiant until his death in 1944 for crimes committed at Sobibor extermination camp where approximately 250,000 Jews were murdered.
The Final Writings of a Killer
In his last messages, Reichleitner bizarrely complained about his treatment in prison while showing no sympathy for his victims. "I am being held like a dangerous animal," he wrote, ignoring the fact he had personally overseen the systematic slaughter of innocent men, women and children.
A Chilling Insight
Historians describe the letters as providing disturbing insight into the mindset of Nazi perpetrators:
- Complete absence of guilt for mass murder
- Self-pity about his imprisonment
- Continued belief in Nazi ideology
The documents were discovered in private collections and are being made public for the first time as part of efforts to preserve Holocaust evidence.
The Sobibor Horror
As deputy commandant of Sobibor, Reichleitner played a key role in one of history's most efficient killing machines:
- The camp operated between 1942-1943
- Victims were gassed within hours of arrival
- Only a handful of prisoners survived
Historians emphasize the importance of these documents in understanding how ordinary men became capable of extraordinary evil during the Nazi regime.
