Who Did What Now — Episode 156: Amon Göth – The Butcher of Płaszów

Host: Katie Charlwood
Date: August 19, 2025

Episode Overview

Katie Charlwood continues her examination of Nazi concentration camps, focusing this episode on the notorious SS officer Amon Göth, commandant of the Płaszów concentration camp — infamously depicted in "Schindler’s List." Charlwood explores Göth’s upbringing, rise within the Nazi party, reign of terror at Płaszów, and eventual capture and trial, contextualizing his actions within the broader machinery of the Holocaust. The episode tackles the grim realities of Holocaust history and discusses challenges around Holocaust education, personal tolls of such research, and the importance of remembering all victims.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Emotional Toll of Holocaust History

(01:54–07:43)

• Charlwood reflects on her personal struggles researching and presenting Holocaust history:

  "There’s no way to go through all of that and not be affected. It’s, there’s no way, you have to be like devoid of emotion and empathy." (02:38)

• She addresses audience reactions and misunderstandings about discussing non-Jewish victims and handling sensitive historical narratives:

  "The guy was literally called a Holocaust hijacker for talking about disabled people being the first group to be murdered en masse by the Nazis…" (05:35)

2. Barriers to Holocaust Education

(06:30–07:29)

• Charlwood emphasizes the lack of accessible, people-centered Holocaust education, noting that many documentaries focus on military aspects (“tanks and the Luftwaffe”) rather than the lived reality of victims and ghettos.
• She stresses the importance of sharing this lesser-known history despite personal and social backlash.

3. Göth’s Early Life and Nazi Indoctrination

(09:39–14:49)

• Amon Göth’s background:
  • Born December 11, 1908, Vienna, to an upper-middle-class family.
  • He was expected to take over the family’s publishing business but became alienated and rebellious.
• Path to radicalization:
  • Joined Nazi youth and paramilitary groups in adolescence.
  • Charlwood lampoons Göth’s self-justification:

    "If your response to loneliness is to become a Nazi, well, you’ve got some huge fucking issues, okay?" (14:58)

4. Rise in Nazi Ranks and Early Activities

(15:22–21:00)

• Göth worked his way through Nazi organizations (Brownshirts, SS), earning promotions.
• Legal trouble in Austria for “Nazi shit” (acts of terrorism and smuggling arms); fled after the failed assassination of Chancellor Dollfuss in 1934.
• Returned after the Anschluss (German annexation of Austria), leveraging Nazi dominance for career advancement.

5. Nazi Ideology: Eugenics and Family Life

(21:02–24:39)

• SS officers (including Göth) were required to marry and procreate for the “Aryan race.”
• Göth's arranged marriage and family highlighted, with an ironic tone:

  "He meets a 23-year-old, Anna Gega, at a motorcycle race and after making her spit in a cup... Like, yeah, you’ll do, and decides to marry her." (22:26)

6. Göth’s War-Time Role and Płaszów Command

(24:39–27:38)

• Göth took administrative and later operational roles in occupied Poland, joining Operation Reinhard (the murder of Jews in Poland).
• Promoted to commandant of Płaszów in February 1943 — known for both bureaucratic efficiency and unrestrained violence.

7. Atrocities and “The God of Płaszów”

(28:54–36:30)

• Göth ruled through terror:

  "When the first prisoners arrived at the camp, he told them, 'I am your God.'" (28:54)

• Executions and murders were routine and arbitrary:
  • Shot prisoners for trivialities (soup too hot, walking too slowly, being too tall).
  • Trained dogs to attack and kill at his command.
  • Oversaw liquidation of ghettos, personally murdering dozens.
  • Looted property for personal enrichment.
• Charlwood highlights the depth of sadism and corruption permeating both Göth and the broader SS structure.

8. Relationship with Oskar Schindler

(36:30–38:24)

• Göth accepted bribes from Schindler, which gave Schindler’s Jewish factory workers somewhat better treatment.
• Discussed the dynamic of corruption and self-preservation among Nazi officers.

9. Crackdown and Downfall

(39:50–44:45)

• In 1944, Göth was relieved of his post and arrested by the SS for theft and excessive brutality (ironically, stealing from the Reich, not for his violence).
• His final months included divorce from his wife, relationships with various women, and attempts to conceal his loot.

10. Capture, Trial, and Execution

(44:45–47:12)

• Arrested by US military in Bavaria in 1945, after a period of hiding and being overlooked in post-war chaos.
• Identified by a survivor; extradited to Poland:
  • Tried and convicted as the first person at a war crimes trial for homicide, not just abstract war crimes.
  • His only defense: "I was only following orders." (47:25)
  • Executed by hanging on September 13, 1946; ashes scattered in a river.
  • Charlwood’s closing reflection:

    "Honestly, I think [cremation and river disposal] was a little too good for him. But here we are." (47:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the weight of Holocaust research:

  "My own mother phoned me because she was genuinely concerned for my mental well-being...There is no way to go through all of that and not be affected." (02:38)

• On denial and historical reality:

  "How can you believe that every single nation in the world...agrees that the Holocaust is a factual historical event? Nobody can agree on anything, right?" (05:09)

• On Nazi opportunism:

  "If your response to loneliness is to become a Nazi, well, you’ve got some huge fucking issues, okay?" (14:58)

• On arbitrary executions:

  "He had killed prisoners for serving him soup that was too hot because he couldn’t just blow on it..." (33:18)

• On the concentration of power:

  "He had complete authority over everything, especially at this point...He had free reinforcements to do as he pleased. And he did." (29:12)

• On historical recognition:

  "He is the first person in a war crimes trial to be convicted of homicide." (46:26)

• On the hopelessness of the material:

  "There’s no way to like it. That’s fucking horrible." (48:48)

Timestamps for Significant Segments

• [01:54–07:43]: Reflections on personal/emotional toll of Holocaust history and public misunderstandings.
• [09:39–14:49]: Göth’s biography: from privileged childhood to Nazi enlistment.
• [21:02–23:41]: Nazi eugenics and SS marriage expectations.
• [27:38–31:25]: Atrocities at Płaszów; Göth's “God complex”; liquidation of ghettos and mass murder.
• [36:30–38:24]: Bribery and Oskar Schindler’s interaction with Göth.
• [39:50–44:45]: Göth’s removal, charges of corruption, collapse of Nazi power.
• [44:45–47:44]: Capture, trial in Krakow, execution.
• [47:44–48:48]: Closing remarks on the end of Göth and personal reflections on confronting history.

Tone and Style

Katie Charlwood’s narration blends deadpan humor, expletive-laced commentary, and historical rigor. She often uses sarcasm to highlight atrocities and underline the absurdity of Nazi logic, all the while maintaining deep respect for victims. The frequent asides and pop culture references (e.g., "burlesque loving, girly"; "I like Murder, She Wrote and the Coconut Grove") lighten the grimness just enough to make the material accessible, but never trivialize the suffering described.

Conclusion

This episode offers a comprehensive, uncompromising look at Amon Göth’s life and the horror he inflicted at Płaszów — threaded with sobering commentary on the difficulties of Holocaust education and remembrance. With accessible explanations and a blend of approachable and hard-hitting language, Katie Charlwood provides both a history lesson and a call to remember the depths of Nazi atrocity.