Klaas-Carel Faber, the Westerbork executions

Jochem Hendrik Gorter while painting

Klaas-Carel Faber, a Dutch SD-member and Nazi-collaborator is still living in Germany as a free man. The latest development in this case is that after the Dutch Justice Department issued an international warrant for his arrest, new evidence has been brought forward that he actively participated in the killing of several members of the resistance in the Westerbork camp on the 28th of October 1944. One of these persons was Jochem Hendrik Gorter, a Dutch painter and photographer. Only recently it became clear that it was Faber who had participated in the killing of Gorter. After the war Faber was found guilty in the killing of 22 people but in 1952 he escaped prison and fled to Germany. The new found evidence wil be brought to the attention of the German Justice Department in Bavaria.

In the months september and october several executions of prisoners were taking place within the Westerbork camp. On the 8th of September 1944 4 Jewish prisoners were shot because they tried to escape from the Westerbork camp. The bodies were cremated in the crematorium which was situated at the camp-site.
Between the 10th and 28th of October 1944 a total of 48 prisoners were shot and afterwards cremated. Most of these prisoners were people brought in from the Scholtenhuis in Groningen. It was the regional headquarters of the SD, by locals called "the antechamber of Hell".

After the war, in May 1945, an extensive investigation was done by the Dutch police and several witnesses and suspects were interrogated. Another investigation by the police was done in March 1947. As part of this last investigation a protocol has been made up of the interrogation of both Klaas-Carel Faber and his brother Pieter Faber.
Pieter was sentenced to death and executed.
From the statement by Klaas-Carel Faber; "In the fall of 1944, I don't remember the exact date, I went to the Lager Westerbork, where a number of prisoners of the SD at Groningen which were sentenced to death, had to be executed. As far as I can remember persons assigned from the SD were; my brother Pieter and me and the German SD-men Jenkens and Apfelbach. There was also a command of the Ordnungspolizei under the command of Oberleutnant Schmid. The correct number of prisoners I can't remember anymore, but I do remember that among them were the prisoners known to me; Van den Bosch, De Ridder and Rots. There were also three other prisoners, who, before we drove off, we fetched from the policestation at the Martinikerkhof. It were farmers, but I didn't know their names. We drove with these prisoners to the Lager Westerbork, where they were positioned on a line behind the crematorium. Opposite of them a firingsquad was positioned made up of personel of the Ordnungspolizei, my brother Pieter, Jenkens, Apfelbach and me. At the command of Oberleutnant Schmid the prisoners were executed by shots from our carbines. I've also most probably killed one of the prisoners. For each prisoner two shooters were positioned. After the execution the bodies were brought to the crematorium and I don't know what has happened with them afterwards. This is the only time that I participated in a firingsquad." Further details from the statement given by his brother Pieter; the firingsquad stood at a distance of about 5 - 7 meters from the prisoners and after they were shot by the firingsquad they each were shot in the head with a pistol.

Part of the original investigation reports of 1945

Sources;
- Newspaper-article by Arnold Karskens; De Pers of 27th July 2011
- Official documents of the police investigations 1945 - 1947; www.kamparchieven.nl
- http://erijswijk.blogspot.com/2012/05/klaas-carel-faber-died-may-24-2012.html