Those present at the Lower Castle on the night of
2nd/3rd October 1941 included the following:
SS Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich
SS Obergruppenführer Richard Hildebrandt
SS Obergruppenführer Karl von Eberstein
SS Gruppenführer Konrad Henlein
SS Gruppenführer Dr Hugo Jury
SS Gruppenführer Karl Hermann Frank
SS Brigadeführer Bernard Voss
SS Standartenführer Dr Hans Ulrich Geschke
SS Standartenführer Horst Bohme
SS Obersturmbannführer Walter Jacobi
SS Sturmbannführer Dr Achim Ploetz
Wehrmacht Major Paul Thummel
SS Hauptsturmführer Kurt Pomme
SS Hauptsturmführer Hermann Kluckholn
SS Hauptsturmführer Albert Küttner
SS Unterscharführer August Beck
Staff
SS Sturmscharführer Gert Kritzinger
Butler
SS Oberscharführer Johannes Klein
Chauffeur
SS Unterscharführer Hermann Kube
Chef
SS Rottenführer Wilhelm Seupel
Assistant Chef
SS Rottenführer Walther Artner
Senior Footman
SS Stürmann Adolf Jachod
Senior Footman
SS Stürmann Kurt Bauer
Footman
SS Stürmann Oskar Fendle
Footman
SS Helferin Elisabeth Schreck
Secretary to Heydrich
SS Kriegshelferin Siv Elsler
Assistant Secretary to H.
SS Kriegshelferin Charlotte Teitze
Maid
SS Kriegshelferin Rosa Steffel
Maid
SS Kriegshelferin Liv Lemke
Maid
Bruno Kopkow
Head Gardener
Otto Faulhaber
Assistant Gardener
Johannes Bangert
Assistant Gardener
Upper Castle Personnel
SS Gruppenführer Konstantin von Neurath
The Baroness von Neurath, Marie Auguste Moser von Filseck
SS Hauptsturmführer Eduard Jahn
SS Oberscharführer Richard Kolbe
Butler
SS Rottenführer Richard Miczek
Chef
SS Sturmmann Rolf Braun
Footman
SS Kriegshelferin Anna Kurzidim,
Maid
SS Kriegshelferin Victoria Kuckenberg
Maid
For obvious reasons it is recommended that you conduct your interviews at the Lower Castle in strict order of seniority. For reasons of security and confidentiality, please confine all interviews to the Morning Room. Interviews at the Upper Castle should be conducted by arrangement with the Baron’s adjutant, SS Hauptsturmführer Eduard Jahn. A safe will be provided for your use in the Morning Room. All documents pertaining to this inquiry should be placed in it when not in use for reasons of confidentiality.
Signed SS-Major Dr Achim Ploetz,
Adjutant to SS Obergruppenführer Heydrich
My eyes slid off the page and landed on the floor with a loud sigh.
‘If one were to assume that anyone at the Lower Castle might have had the opportunity and the motive to kill Captain Kuttner,’ I said, ‘that leaves us with thirty-one suspects.’
‘Christ,’ muttered Kahlo. ‘That’s at least one for every day of the month.’
‘Thirty-nine including the personnel at the Upper Castle with von Neurath. It’s only a short walk from there to the Upper Castle, so I don’t see how they can be excluded.’
‘And God knows how many if we include all of the SS up at the guard house.’
I grunted.
‘Do you want to include them?’
‘How many are in the garrison?’
‘At least two hundred.’
