caption death_date death_place image_size birth_date image article_title name
former a penal court on trial for crimes he committed at '' majdanek -lrb- standing left -rrb- , 1944 ss-obersturmführer '' anton thernes in front of 3 december 1944 majdanek 209 8 february 1892 majdanek - antonthernes 2.jpg anton thernes
 anton thernes
anton thernes

`` ss-obersturmführer '' anton thernes -lrb- 8 february 1892 -- 3 december 1944 -rrb- was a nazi german war criminal , deputy commandant of administration at the notorious majdanek concentration camp on the outskirts of lublin , poland in world war ii .
he was tried at the majdanek trials and executed on 3 december 1944 along with five other war criminals near the gas chambers and the majdanek crematorium .
a member of the ss , thernes served as the last administrative chief of kl lublin / majdanek .
he was also in charge of food and slave labour administration , starvation rationing , and the maintenance of camp structures including the storage depot for property and valuables stolen from the holocaust victims at the killing centers in belzec , sobibor , and treblinka .
thernes was given the task of destroying the evidence of crimes against humanity and genocide , but ran out of time due to his ineptitude and lethargy .
instead of blowing up the chimneys and torching his city of death , the ss actually brought an additional 500 prisoners from lublin for the last timely kill , while the t-34 tanks were already at the gates .
thernes was caught by the soviets and tried at the majdanek trials together with his assistant `` ss-hauptsturmführer '' wilhelm gerstenmeier .
he denied knowing anything , but the proceedings were swamped with testimonial proofs offered by eyewitnesses .
he was executed on 3 december 1944 along with five other war criminals , close to the gas chambers and the majdanek crematorium .
