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Auction: 22102 - Orders, Decorations and Medals e-Auction VI - e-Auction
Lot: 463

'The executioner, his assistant and the guard commander apparently stood routinely surveying the scene as they smoked cigarettes. After death Frederic Harold Habgood's body was unceremoniously bundled into the crematoria and incinerated by Berg, another in a long line of murders with the most damning evidence completely disposed of.'

Brave Service and a Life Foully taken, refers.

Three: Sergeant F. H. Habgood, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, executed by a member of the S.S. in Natzweiler Concentration Camp after his Lancaster was brought down near Niederhaslach, Alsace in late July 1944

1939-45 (Sgt. F. H. Habgood R.A.F.); France and Germany Star (Sgt. F. H. Habgood R.A.F.); British War Medal 1939-45, unnamed as issued, the first two privately engraved, in named box of issue, some pitting and contact wear, sometime cleaned (3)

Frederic Harold Habgood was born at Wandsworth, London in October 1922, the son of Harold and Gwynne Habgood of 91 Granville Road, Wandsworth. Enlisting Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in March 1942 and volunteering to serve as aircrew Habgood was stationed at North Killingholme, Lincolnshire with No. 550 Squadron, at this time he was serving as Bomb Aimer with the rank of Sergeant. Flying a night raid against Stuttgart on the night of 20-21 July Habgood's Lancaster was shot down by a night fighter pilot by Luftwaffe veteran Leutnant Otto Fries. Five members of the crew managed to bail out while two others were killed in the crash, these being Pilot Officer Harry Jones and Sergeant Idwal Evens, the Rear Gunner.

Of this group all but Habgood were to be made prisoners, taken by local troops and passed over to the Luftwaffe who treated them decently. Unfortunately for the young Sergeant he managed to evade the net and escaped into a far worse fate. He was captured the next day by an officer of the SS und Polizei Kommandostab, Schirmeck and, after being beaten, was taken to a cell near Schirmeck Prisoner. Under the supervision of Oberwachtmeister Muth he was again beaten. At this stage they should have handed their prisoner over to the Luftwaffe however the commander, SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer Buck telephoned his superior the Kommandant of the local Concentration Camp at Natzweiler who despatched his favoured executor Peter Straub to fetch the Sergeant. Habgood was taken by Straub, SS-Hauptscharfuhrer Giegling and Franz Berg (a prisoner who aided in Straub's killings) to Natzweiler.

Habgood was driven straight to the crematorium, Straub's domain within the camp, here Giegling's account takes over:

'traub and Berg then tied the hands of the prisoner who by now was standing naked behind his back; he remained quiet and did not say anything but I noticed that sweat was breaking out of his body. Next the prisoner was made to stand on a wooden board raised from the floor at both ends by supports and Berg placed the noose around his neck. The other end of the rope was fastened to a hook in the ceiling. Peter Straub then kicked the board away from under the prisoner's feet but as the rope was already tight he could not have dropped more than a few centimetres'

Habgood came to a poor end by every account however his killers were to follow him. Their trails took places in Summer 1946 at Wuppertal Zoo, the main purpose of the trail was to ascertain the guilt of several men charged with the murder of S.A.S., Commando and S.O.E. agents (including four of female agents). Straub, who had served as an executioner at Auschwitz, was implicated in their deaths and with him Buck, Hartjenstein, Giegling and Berg. All turned upon each other and soon their joint guilt was exposed, Straub and Berg were hanged on 11 October 1946, Hartjenstein and Giegling were both given prison time, although the former died in custody on 20 October 1954. Buck was hanged for the murder of captured S.A.S. troopers in the summer of 1944. Habgood is commemorated upon the Runnymede Memorial; sold together with transcripts of Peter Straub's trail, Commonwealth War Graves details and Air Force lists as well as a copy of Brave service and a life foully taken and an extract of The Secret Hunters along with an original picture, a letter from the family and a note from the recipient's cousin confirming provenance together with copies of Peter Straub's records and the details of the recipient's missions flown.

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Sold for
£1,200

Starting price
£130