Stefan Baretzki
The Tattooist of Auschwitz tells the story of a Jewish prisoner named Lale Sokolov who was tasked with tattooing ID numbers on prisoners’ arms in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War Two.
The Nazi officer assigned to guard Lale is a man named Stefan Baretzki. He is described in the series press notes as “a weak young man who has suffered a difficult childhood at the hands of a violent father and is now in the dangerous position of wielding disproportionate power.”
In the series, he is played by actor Jonas Nay. In an interview, he described the role as very heavy to play, in part because of the character’s volatile temperament and evil behaviour. He said:
“The first time I walked on set in a Nazi uniform was awful too. There was no escaping the fact that I was a German playing a Nazi who did abhorrent things.”
After seeing The Tattooist of Auschwitz, you might be wondering if Stefan Baretzki is based on a real person. Here’s what we know:
Is Stefan Baretzki based on a real person?
Yes, Stefan Baretzki is based on a real person. He was conscripted into the Waffen-SS and later stationed at the Auschwitz concentration camp from 1942 until 1945.Â
To say that he wasn’t a nice man is an understatement. While stationed at the camp, he participated in the murder of others and practised a sport he called the “rabbit hunt”, where prisoners were beaten and shot if they didn’t remove their caps quick enough.Â
But while many of his actions were barbaric, he did occasionally show compassion. We see this in The Tattooist of Auschwitz when he enables Lale’s love affair with Gita. He also asked his superiors to save the lives of some of the children imprisoned at the camp.Â
But while this SS officer was capable of kind acts, he still used his position to inflict punishment on those who were weak and starving.Â
What happened to Stefan Baretzki?
After the evacuation of Auschwitz in 1945, Stefan was captured by Soviet forces. Upon his release, he settled near the German city of Koblenz and worked in a coal shop.
He was forced to answer for his crimes at the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials, which were conducted between 20 December 1963 to 19 August 1965.
At the trial, he was found guilty of five counts of murder, which included beating a starving prisoner to death and drowning four prisoners in a water tank. He was also convicted as an accomplice to the mass murder of Jews.
Baretzki expressed regret for his actions and testified against some of his superiors. This wasn’t enough to help him escape a prison sentence, however. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and eight years for participating in the murder of more than 8,000 people. (source)
On 21 June 1988, Baretzki committed suicide while serving his sentence.
What do you think of Stefan Baretzki? Let us know in the comments below.Â