Martin Hoop - Arrest and Death

Arrest and Death

Circumstances of the arrest of Martin Hoop indicate that no legal proceedings took place against him and/or that no warrant for his arrest was issued. Very probably the secret state police (Gestapo) or storm troopers (Sturmabteilung) took him into custody because of his political activity. In East German law records, there are two cases in the year 1933 concerning crimes in the concentration camp Schloss Osterstein in Zwickau, in which Hoop is mentioned. The first case record contains the following entry (cf link under ref 7 for dates of cases):

"Arrest of individuals named in a list of anti-fascists, who were beaten to unconsciousness with sticks, rubber clubs, dog whips and other objects. Sustained injuries included fractures, broken dentures or other serious injuries. Among those mistreated were the worker representatives Franz Dziebko and Martin Hoop, whereby the former succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter, and Martin Hoop died during subsequent mistreatment." — Case No. 1640, Law and NS crimes, Collection of German Convictions of National Socialist Crimes, University of Amsterdam/Criminal Law, P.O. Box 1030, 1000 BA Amsterdam, Netherlands, and personal correspondence 9 April 2004, Prof. C.F. Rüter

A second case concerning espionage for the Nazi regime contains the following entry.

"The accused (Z) was a member of the KPD from 1931 to 1933. He served as chauffeur and trusted associate of KPD District leader Martin Hoop. As a consequence of various events, the suspicion arose that Z was an informer for the police. After his arrest in May 1933, and upon further examination, it was proven that Z carried out such services. He is therefore, under these conditions, jointly responsible for the murder of comrade Martin Hoop. He subsequently admitted to having actively served as informer for the Gestapo." —Case No. 1640, Law and NS crimes, Collection of German Convictions of National Socialist Crimes, University of Amsterdam/Criminal Law, P.O. Box 1030, 1000 BA Amsterdam, Netherlands, and personal correspondence 9 April 2004, Prof. C.F. Rüter

Evidently the accused (Z) betrayed Martin Hoop. On May 2, 1933 (cf also Gleichschaltung), Hoop was arrested in the café restaurant of the department store "Tietz" in Chemnitz and transported to Schloss Osterstein in Zwickau, which at the time served as concentration camp. After 1945, a public trial was conducted against former guards of the Zwickau prison. In the trial proceedings, details of mistreatment of prisoners are reported in depth, including the following testimony that refers to the death of Martin Hoop during the night of 10 – May 11, 1933.

"The witness Arno Zscherpe was brought from detention. `In 1933, I served as chauffeur and close associate of Martin Hoop… on 10 or 11 May… I was in the cell next to that of Martin Hoop. During the night, I was subconsciously aware of noises coming from the cell next door. In the morning, when I was led out of my cell, I saw that Martin Hoop’s cell door stood open, and on the floor I saw a pool of blood…Martin Hoop had disappeared'…" —The Schloss Osterstein Trial, Publication of the VVN, Zwickau, 1948

Martin Hoop's body was never found.

In a letter dated December 27, 1949 to the Bautzen office of the Union of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime (VVN), a Bautzner neighbor of the former wife of Martin Hoop wrote the following:

"Re: Concerning Mrs. Frieda Hoop, Bautzen, Krottenschmidtstr. 7… From 1925-1939 I lived at Krottenschmidtstr. 5 and as neighbors we were well acquainted… After the so-called seizure of power in 1933 by the National Socialist German Workers Party, it was rumored that comrade Hoop had been eliminated. Frau Hoop asked for my help into inquiring what became of her husband. At certain intervals of time, I therefore composed five letters to the secret state police (Gestapo). During this time we learned, through an indiscretion of police officer Adam, that comrade Hoop was most likely dead. As a result, I phrased my last two letters somewhat more specifically, which resulted in the Bautzen storm trooper brigade dispatching storm trooper Schmoller to Frau Hoop, who forbade her to send any further letters. He did this with the following words: 'When political opponents are dead, they are no longer dangerous. If you don’t cease with your ‘unholy mess!’ then we will put a stop to it.' We thereupon discontinued our inquiry, while at the same time the violent death of comrade Hoop became an open secret…" —VdN (Verfolgter des Naziregimes)-Akte Nr. 3202, Frieda Hoop, Bestand 11430, Bezirkstag/Rat des Bezirkes Dresden