1946 RASTATT FALLBEIL

The Rastatt Fallbeil was built in 1946 by locksmith firm Otto Tiggemann in Hamm/Westfalen for the French occupation government that ruled a part of Germany in the immediate post-war years. The fallbeil was used to carry out nine executions for common crimes (not war crimes) between October 1946 and June 1949, when the death penalty was abolished throughout West Germany. This fallbeil was used for one of the last execution in West Germany in February 1949. It is currently exhibited at the Strafvollzugsmuseum in Ludwigsburg. The photos of the real Rastatt fallbeil were taken by Ron Black and Piotr.

Although built in 1946, the construction of this fallbeil is more reminiscent of an 1854 model than of the more "modern" Tegel design used by the Nazis between 1935 and 1945. The Strafvollzugsmuseum in Ludwigsburg also exhibits a Tegel model fallbeil which may be the one that was used for the last West German execution in Moabit prison.

This rear view shows the upper and lower buckets, the release handle, the winch and the buffer tubes at the base of the machine. In the backgroud you can see the bascule assembly with the rollers, side handles and leather strap.

This side view shows the "feet" of the blade sledge that land in the leather-filled buffer tubes at the base of the machine to arrest the drop of the heavy sledge. In the foreground the blade release handle with its safety pin and in the background the right anchor post for the headstrap that spans the uprights and held the condemned's head up during the execution.

A winch with a heavy rope was used to raise the sledge into position. There was no gearing in the system but the leverage of the long crank handle against the smaller drum diameter made it easier to lift the 60kg sledge and blade assembly. A ratchet system prevented the winch from spinning backwards if the handle accidentally disengaged from the winch or the operator lost his grip on it. The trench in the middle of the table leads to V-shaped drainage hole right under the lunette.

The dual steel bucket system seen here is unique to the post-war fallbeils. I have only seen it on the Rastatt and Mainz machines. The upper bucket is mounted on metal stand-off hooks that hold it away from the lunette and provide a clearance for the sledge to pass. It serves as a splatter shield and directs the blood flow into the lower bucket. The lower bucket is narrower than the sledge so it is mounted directly against the lower support frame under the lunette. It it collects blood from the blade, from the table drainage trench and from the upper bucket. A vertical spout brings all the collected fluid down to a drain in the execution room floor.

Fierce looking blade... It weighs 17.5 kg. The machine is 315cm tall by 68cm wide by 170cm long. Notice the two-stage bevel on the edge which is characteristic of fallbeils. The Rastatt fallbeil frame was entirely welded while the 1854 model frame was made of two pieces bolted together with large visible bolts.