220:, that eventually led to Palitzsch being removed from his post. Diamanski, according to camp jargon called "Zigeunerbaron" (gypsy baron), supported his fellow prisoners, for example, by organizing food supplies, or even saving other communists from the gas chambers. "Because of his humanitarian attitude, he gave many thousands in the Auschwitz camp the courage to survive. Countless people are still alive today, because of his personal efforts and dedication." Because of his support and participation in the resistance, he was removed from his position as a camp leader during summer of 1944 and moved to the
145:. During his imprisonment in Berlin, Diamanski had to endure constant questioning and torture. He reports that one night, he was pulled out of his cell, put up against a wall and shot at - albeit with blanks as he realized after the first shock and thoughts of dying. In subsequent weeks he shared a cell with
256:
After the end of the war, Diamanski worked as an interpreter for the US military as well as in a transportation company. In 1946, he was married a second time, for a few months, and in 1947, he married his third wife. In June 1947, after having been unemployed for almost a year, he and his wife moved
185:, together with other prisoners. In the men's prison of Auschwitz-Birkenau he became a privileged prisoner because he saved the SS camp warden Erna Hermann and her child from drowning when he was in Drögen the year before. He also knew the supervisor of the Schutzhaftlager (protective custody camp),
157:
who was imprisoned for atrocities that according to
Diamanski, were "even too much for the SS" at the time. While in the same cell, he shared some of his Red Cross Christmas packets with Boger, which later benefitted Diamanski, when Boger was the head of the Auschwitz concentration camp. In February
212:
Rather than abusing his privileges in the camp, as many of the Kapos and camp leaders did, Diamanski used them to help fellow prisoners and participate in the organization of prisoner resistance. According to his own account, he participated in a conspiracy against the brutal
137:), where he spent several weeks in the most miserable living and human conditions. Probably because they were hoping for some significant information, the Gestapo moved him soon to its prison in the Gestapo headquarters in Berlin, located at the
243:(almost 700 km, 420 miles). About 60,000 prisoners were marched out of Auschwitz at that time, of which at least 15,000 died on the journey. From Buchenwald, Diamanski was freed on April 11, 1945 by members of the US military.
343:
and the liquidation of the gypsy camp in
Auschwitz. Although he said about Boger that he left him unharmed in Auschwitz due to their joint imprisonment in Berlin, he still incriminated Boger heavily.
335:
Due to the torture and mistreatment suffered during his imprisonment, Diamanski suffered from memory loss, unrest and panic attacks. On March 19, 1964, Diamanski was a witness during the first
577:
117:, Diamanski fled to Belgium, then France and returned to Spain, where he was arrested in Barcelona in 1940 by German agents and deported to Germany, where he was handed over to the
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Because of accusations that later proved unsustainable, Diamanski was suspended for a few months, but in June 1949 he was reinstated into the police service and transferred to the
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This article is in part based on the same article on the German
Knowledge (XXG) site, extended by using additional independent references, especially
98:), Diamanski emigrated to England to avoid the persecution of communists by the Nazis. From there he went to Spain in October 1937 to fight in the
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he was removed from police service in
December 1950. He became a teacher and temporarily deputy director of the Marine Navigation College in
332:, West Germany. Since then, he lived in Frankfurt and, after some temporary jobs, became a shipping clerk for a group of local newspapers.
288:, in the north of the Soviet occupation zone. Because of the "western lifestyle" of his wife and being suspected of collaboration with the
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79:. In 1932, at age 23, he married his first wife, Helene Schmidt, who, according to Diamanski's personal account, was shot later in the
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439:
Vernehmungsprotokolle des
Auschwitzprozesses, Vernehmungen vom 13., 17., 24., 27.2., 2.3.1959, Fritz-Bauer-Institut, Frankfurt am Main
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617:
539:
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Hermann
Diamanski: Überleben in der Katastrophe: Eine deutsche Geschichte zwischen Auschwitz und Staatssicherheitsdienst (1910-1976)
384:
Hermann
Diamanski: Überleben in der Katastrophe: Eine deutsche Geschichte zwischen Auschwitz und Staatssicherheitsdienst (1910-1976)
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Hermann
Diamanski: Überleben in der Katastrophe: Eine deutsche Geschichte zwischen Auschwitz und Staatssicherheitsdienst (1910-1976)
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Vernehmungsprotokolle des
Auschwitzprozesses, Vernehmungen vom 9.12.1958 und 21.4.1959, Fritz-Bauer-Institut, Frankfurt am Main
72:
240:
228:
170:
495:, Published in association with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, University of North Carolina Press, 2004,
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Hermann
Diamanski: Ein deutsches Schicksal zwischen Auschwitz und Staatssicherheitsdienst. Perspektiven der Erinnerung
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In the spring of 1953, Diamanski and his family illegally moved to West Berlin, where he started working for the US
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the socialist organization owning and operating all previously private inland waterway vessels in East Germany.
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From there, he returned to Auschwitz-Birkenau and worked in the pump station. After the evacuation of the
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The first stop on his journey through many German prisons and concentration camps was the
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Memoria – Wege jüdischen Erinnerns. Festschrift für Michael Brocke zum 65. Geburtstag
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where in the fall of that year, he was assigned to forced labor groups (
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fighter against the National Socialist regime, communist, member of the
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Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority:
324:. Until 1970, Diamanski was under surveillance from the East German
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http://www1.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%206260.pdf
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of the men's camp and eventually camp leader of the gypsy camp (
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where was given the position of cultural director for the
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Frankfurt am Main, Berlin Danzig, Ullstein-Verlag, 1980,
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520:, in: Birgit E. Klein; Christiane E. Müller, (Hg.):
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Diamanski, son of a marine engineer, graduated from
300:without official permission, he was transferred to
296:. Because of an accusation that Diamanski was in
110:and later fought in the 3rd artillery battalion.
578:History of the Romani people during World War II
193:of Block 9 in the men's camp. Later, he became
466:DDR Binnenschiffahrt - Historie und Verbleib:
169:In May 1942, Diamanski was transferred to the
63:. At age 16, Diamanski became a member of the
468:http://www.ddr-binnenschifffahrt.de/index.htm
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189:from Sachsenhausen, and as a result, became
306:Deutsche Schiffahrts- und Umschlagszentrale
205:, used to imprison and kill members of the
164:Forced Labor in Germany during World War II
588:Sachsenhausen concentration camp survivors
269:. After several promotions he joined the
102:against the Nationalists around general
583:Buchenwald concentration camp survivors
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158:1941, Diamanski was transferred to the
623:Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom
593:Auschwitz concentration camp survivors
563:German people of the Spanish Civil War
339:. He gave witness in particular about
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573:Communists in the German Resistance
43:, and a political prisoner in the
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73:Reichsparteischule Rosa Luxemburg
67:and in 1929 a full member of the
65:Young Communist League of Germany
568:International Brigades personnel
326:Ministerium für Staatssicherheit
160:Sachsenhausen concentration camp
106:. Diamanski was a member of the
386:, Böhlau Verlag, Cologne 2011,
71:, KPD. In 1931, he went to the
441:(Translation: Daniel Schwizer)
407:(Translation: Daniel Schwizer)
359:. For the German article, see
81:Ravensbrück concentration camp
29:Frankfurt (Main), West Germany
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241:Buchenwald concentration camp
75:, a school run by the KPD in
420:, Böhlau Verlag, Köln 2011,
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229:Auschwitz concentration camp
171:Auschwitz concentration camp
524:, Berlin 2005, S. 505-529.
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558:Communist Party of Germany
482:Retrieved on July 25, 2012
470:Retrieved on July 25, 2012
457:Retrieved on July 26, 2012
330:Bundesrepublik Deutschland
318:Central Intelligence Group
290:Counter Intelligence Corps
139:Reich Main Security Office
69:Communist Party of Germany
337:Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial
618:People from West Prussia
231:, Diamanski walked in a
113:After the defeat of the
108:XI International Brigade
17:Hermann Helmut Diamanski
613:Politicians from Gdańsk
320:, the precursor to the
199:Zigeunerlager Auschwitz
143:Prinz-Albrecht-Straße 8
115:Second Spanish Republic
532:Menschen in Auschwitz.
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133:concentration camp (
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479:History of the CIA
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187:Johann Schwarzhuber
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237:Gleiwitz
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526:(pdf)
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