Obituaries

Dr. Irmfried Eberl Continued from Page 65 kian Jews, 7,000 Macedonian Jews and 2800 Jews from Salonika were murdered at Treblinka.

The camp’s first commandant was Austrian Dr. Irmfried Eberl, who was a psychiatrist, and was the only medical doctor to serve as a commandant of an extermination camp. However, he was incompetent for the position and after a month was relieved of his command. In January 1948, he was arrested, but hung himself on Feb. 16, before his trial could begin.

Dr. Eberl was replaced, on Aug. 28, 1942 by fellow Austrian, Franz Stangl, who assumed his post on Sept. 1, 1942 and, “ . . . proved to be a highly efficient and dedicated organizer of mass murder, even receiving an official commendation as the ‘best camp commander in Poland.’” Stangl had previously been commandant of the Sobibor camp.

Under his supervision, new and larger gas chambers became operational in early autumn of 1942, which were capable of killing 3,000 people in two hours, with a maximum of 22,000 in a 24-hour period.

Once Stangl had arrived, gotten the new gas chambers operational and streamlined the operation, the following procedures were observed: the victims would be pulled from the train, sepa-

RHONDA ANN GAUNT Ocean City

Rhonda Ann Gaunt, 65, of Ocean City, passed away Saturday, July 23, 2022, at Atlantic Shore Rehabilitation and Health Center.

Born March 28, 1957 in Annapolis, she was the daughter of Ronald Gordon, Sr. and Gertrude Sweeney.

Rhonda worked as a cab driver in Ocean City for many years.

She was a loving mother and her grandkids where her heart.

She is survived by her son, Richard Gaunt, Jr.; and his father, Richard Gaunt, Sr.; three grandchildren, Lisa Fisher and her husband, Austin, Richard Gaunt, III, and Earl Gaunt and their mother, Barbara Gaunt; brother, Ronald Gordon; sisters, Patricia Kennimer; sister-in-law, Patricia Crossland and her husband, Robert; her companion, Richard Crossland his wife, Florence, and their son, Mason; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by Richard and Florence’s daughter, Maycel Crossland.

Rhonda wishes were to not have a service.

Visit www.boundsfuneralhome.com to share stories and memories with the family.

Rhonda Ann Gaunt rated by sex and ordered to strip naked, even in the winter where temperatures were often -5° Fahrenheit; the women had all of their hair cut before going into the gas chamber; men were always gassed first, while the women and children waited outside the gas chamber. Those awaiting their fate could hear the sounds from inside.

The gas was carbon-monoxide generated by the diesel engines of Soviet tanks. An entire trainload of people could be killed in a matter of 2-3 hours. The bodies were then taken to the cremation pits where 800-1,000 were burned at the same time. The pits operated 24 hours a day.

Treblinka II ceased operations as a result of a revolt of the prisoners on Aug. 2, 1943. Several non-German guards were killed and about 1,500 prisoners escaped, although few survived the war.

The mass murders ceased at the end of October. As the Red Army approached, the buildings were sprayed with kerosene and set ablaze. The Germans attempted to conceal their atrocity by ploughing the ground and planting flowers. But the enormity of the crime made it impossible to conceal. When the Soviet soldiers arrived, they found pieces of bone, teeth, hair and shoes in the soil.

After the prisoner rebellion, and the camp closed, Stangl was transferred to Trieste, where he was involved in the campaign against Yugoslav partisans and local Jews.

Although briefly imprisoned by the Americans in Lens, Austria in 1947, he was able to make his way to Italy the following year. From there, with the help of Vatican connections, he traveled to Syria, where he was joined by his wife and family and lived for three years before moving to Brazil, where he eventually found work at the Volkswagen plant in Sáo Bernardo Do Campo, which today has a population of 800,000.

Although not using an assumed name, he would not be apprehended until Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal located him and had him arrested by Brazilian police on February 28, 1967. He was extradited to West Germany where he was tried in Dusseldorf for the deaths of around 900,000.

In his defense, he said, “My conscious is clear. I was simply doing my duty.” He was found guilty on Oct. 22, 1970, and since the death penalty had been abolished in West Germany, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, where he died of heart failure on June 28, 1971.

There had been a prior trial in Dusseldorf, Germany five years earlier, when some of the other administrators of the camp were tried. One was acquitted. Four were sentenced to life imprisonment and five received lesser prison terms.

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Mr. Wimbrow writes from Ocean City, where he practices law representing those persons accused of criminal and traffic offenses, and those who have suffered a personal injury through no fault of their own. He can be contacted at wimbrowlaw@gmail.com..