"The White Death"
Franz Stangl was nicknamed "The White Death" for one reason. He was a heartless killer of Jews. His nickname similar to the black death, a horrible deadly plague. Franz worked at the Nazi extermination camp Treblinka. He became the leader of the camp after working there for a while. He only saw the Jews as cargo and a waste of time. He had no sympathy for any of them. Franz saw the Jews as a group rather than individuals. Over 6,000,000 Jews were killed in the Holocaust.
You can fill out a short quiz below about the paragraph above if you'd like to.
This is the location of the Extermination Camp Treblinka. It is in Poland which is bordering Germany.
You can click and drag to look around the area.
You can click and drag to look around the area.
Life Quote
Franz was a pretty smart man. He had his own feelings and didn't let anyone change that. He said this about the Jews: To tell the truth, one did become used to it...they were cargo. I think it started the day I first saw the Totenlager [extermination area] in Treblinka. I remember Wirth standing there, next to the pits full of black-blue corpses. It had nothing to do with humanity — it could not have. It was a mass — a mass of rotting flesh. Wirth said 'What shall we do with this garbage?' I think unconsciously that started me thinking of them as cargo....I rarely saw them as individuals. It was always a huge mass. I sometimes stood on the wall and saw them in the "tube" — they were naked, packed together, running, being driven with whips... This is a paragraph that he said himself. He started to not even think of the Jews as people... but just cargo.
Poem
This poem is relating to Franz' life quote.
The Jewish cargo shipped in each day,
Fills the camp of Treblinka.
More and more come in,
only to be swept away.
As the flames rise and the doors close,
Many die quickly and quietly.
The army nears,
Freedom is close.
However, it ends quickly.
They rush all out,
To be left in the water.
Left to die,
To die forever.
The Jewish cargo shipped in each day,
Fills the camp of Treblinka.
More and more come in,
only to be swept away.
As the flames rise and the doors close,
Many die quickly and quietly.
The army nears,
Freedom is close.
However, it ends quickly.
They rush all out,
To be left in the water.
Left to die,
To die forever.
Interviewing Franz Stangl
1. When did you join the Nazi army and why? - I joined in 1931 because of Hitler. After he became our dictator I found his speeches quite motivational.
2. Did you have any inspirations? - Hitler was one big inspiration. He had shown all of us the right path to exterminate the Jews. We all agreed in the end.
3. What did you think of the Jews being exterminated? - I don't think much of it. I never see Jews as individuals but more as a waste of space.
4. Did you have friends in the army? - I sure did. Since I was the leader of an extermination camp the other Nazis really liked me.
5. How old were you when you joined the army? - I was young, 23 when I joined and 37 when I left.
6. Are you glad you joined the army? - I was very glad. It taught me to be a tough and disciplined man.
7. Were you ever in a near-death situation? - Yes, when the Soviet Union came to Treblinka we came close to being killed but managed to escape alive. The camp was destroyed just after we left.
8. Did you ever have sympathy for the Jews? - At the very beginning when I was just a recruit I didn't think it was right, but later on I just got used to it.
9. When you think of Treblinka what do you remember? - I can remember the horrible stench that filled the place and the constant screams followed by gunfire.
10. Do you regret something you did in the war? - Sometimes I wished we did treat them a little better but in the end I don't see anything that the Nazis did wrong.
2. Did you have any inspirations? - Hitler was one big inspiration. He had shown all of us the right path to exterminate the Jews. We all agreed in the end.
3. What did you think of the Jews being exterminated? - I don't think much of it. I never see Jews as individuals but more as a waste of space.
4. Did you have friends in the army? - I sure did. Since I was the leader of an extermination camp the other Nazis really liked me.
5. How old were you when you joined the army? - I was young, 23 when I joined and 37 when I left.
6. Are you glad you joined the army? - I was very glad. It taught me to be a tough and disciplined man.
7. Were you ever in a near-death situation? - Yes, when the Soviet Union came to Treblinka we came close to being killed but managed to escape alive. The camp was destroyed just after we left.
8. Did you ever have sympathy for the Jews? - At the very beginning when I was just a recruit I didn't think it was right, but later on I just got used to it.
9. When you think of Treblinka what do you remember? - I can remember the horrible stench that filled the place and the constant screams followed by gunfire.
10. Do you regret something you did in the war? - Sometimes I wished we did treat them a little better but in the end I don't see anything that the Nazis did wrong.
Artifacts Of WWII
This item is a Nazi Shovel. It was used to dig the graves for Jews. Many of the Nazi shovels were a square shape and very few had a spade like shape. Some were even used as mele weapons.
This is the Star Of David. This was a very religious symbol to the Jewish people. The Jews were very religious and never changed even if it meant their death.
This is the Nazi Swastika it symbolizes the Nazi army and sometimes the hatred of Jews.
Portraits From WWII
This is Franz Stangl. He is the main character and he was a very heartless Nazi officer. He had no sympathy for the Jews and didn't think much of them. Nicknamed "The White Death" because of his ruthless killing. He never liked Jews and probably never will.
Odilo Globocnik was the leader of the new camp Treblinka. When he was unable to continue controlling the camp, he made Franz Stangl the new commander. Nicknamed Globus because of his unique name. He was an even more dangerous person than Stangl.
Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party. He hated Jews and anyone who did not have blonde hair and blue eyes. The Jews' hair and eye color was rarely these colors. He called his army of blonde hair and blue eyes the superhuman race. Even Adolf himself had hair and eyes different from the color he preferred. Hitler was very motivational and convinced people to join the Nazi army.