Karl Maischen - Ostbahn - Head of Railway Traffic Department in Lublin
Interrogation - Worms, Germany 11 April 1960
Eisenbahnbetriebdirektion Offices in Lublin -
Karl Maischein worked for the Ostbahn (Eastern Railways) and was based in the Eisenbahnbetriebdirektion office on Finkstrasse (today Ul. Niecala)in Lublin. This was a branch office of Gedob whichstands for General Direction of the Ostbahn which had its headquarters in Krakow. There were branch offices in Warsaw, Krakow, Lublin, Radom. He was interviewed by officers of Sonderkommission “P” from Darmstadt
Question: What job did you have with the railway in Lublin?
KM: I was head of the railway traffic department.
Question: What do you know about the transport of Jews in the LublinDistrict?
KM: In the railway district of Lublin transports with Jews travelled to various stations. I was not informed of the origins of the transports because they were all trains that arrived from outside the area as sealed trains and also left again as sealed trains.
Question: Are such places as Treblinka, Sobibor and Belzec known to you?
KM: I only remember Belzec. It lay in the Russian border.
Question: Did transports of Jews go to Belzec?
KM: Yes. How big they were I cannot say.
Question: To the knowledge of the members of the Investigation Commission, transports of Jews were directed to from Lublin to the places mentioned. Altogether 1,550,000 Jews were transported to the places named.
KM: I can, as a matter of fact, only remember the name Belzec
Question: Did you, at any time, see transports with the code name ‘Aktion Reinhardt?’
KM: The concept is not known to me. I must add here, however, that all transport of operations-
Question: Did you, as Director of the railway traffic department, deal with the Gestapo or SS offices? If yes, who was your opposite number?
KM: I dealt mostly with SSPF Globocnik, in as far as I dealt with supply transports for the SS. I also had to deal with his subsidiary offices in this matter. I do not remember the names of these people. Of the names mentioned to me now, none arouse any memories. Globocnik was the man in authority on Jewish questions.
Sources:
ZSt Ludwigsburg 208 AR-
Dr. Max Freiherr Du Prel, Das General-
Photograph – Chris Webb Archive
© Holocaust Historical Society 2014
