Cruel Nazi guard who fell in love with a Jew at Auschwitz - Franz Wunsch

Franz Wunsch was an SS guard at Auschwitz-Birkenau, a perpetrator of Nazi crimes whose name later became associated with one of the most disturbing and controversial stories to emerge from the Holocaust. This documentary examines Wunsch’s role within Auschwitz and relationship he formed with Helena Citrónová, a young Slovak Jewish prisoner. Born in Austria in 1922, Wunsch joined the SS after the Anschluss and later served on the Eastern Front before being transferred to Auschwitz, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp in German-occupied Poland. There, he took part in selections, guarded transports, and participated in the machinery of mass murder that defined the Holocaust in Poland. Auschwitz-Birkenau became a central site of genocide, where SS men decided who would live as forced laborers and who would be sent to the gas chambers. In 1942, Wunsch encountered Helena Citrónová, one of the first Slovak Jewish women deported to Auschwitz. After hearing her sing, Wunsch began protecting her, providing food, clothing, and medical help—actions that violated Nazi racial laws but did not erase his role as a concentration camp guard. Wunsch later intervened to save Helena’s sister, though her children were murdered. Their relationship, shaped by coercion, fear, and moral contradiction, continued until the evacuation of Auschwitz in January 1945. After the war, Wunsch was charged with war crimes, including participation in selections and killings. In a highly controversial trial in Vienna in 1972, Helena testified on his behalf, acknowledging his crimes while also recounting the ways he helped her survive. Despite what judges described as substantial evidence, Franz Wunsch was acquitted. This film explores Franz Wunsch’s biography, his role within the Nazi SS, the reality of Auschwitz, and the uncomfortable questions raised by survival, memory, and justice—reminding us that no personal story can exist apart from the vast crimes of the Holocaust. Join World History channel and get access to benefits:    / @worldhistoryvideos   Disclaimer: All opinions and comments below are from members of the public and do not reflect the views of World History channel. We do not accept promoting violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on attributes such as: race, nationality, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation. World History has right to review the comments and delete them if they are deemed inappropriate. ► CLICK the SUBSCRIBE button for more interesting clips:    / @worldhistoryvideos   #FranzWunsch #worldhistory #ww2 #history #secondworldwar #nazigermany #kommando #holocaustdocumentary #historydocumentary #adolfhitler #warcriminals #warcrime #worldhistory #history #worldwar2videos #auschwitzbirkenau #germanyhistory #german #guard #ww2stories #concentrationcamps #ww2documentary Franz Wunsch biography, Franz Wunsch wife, Helena Citronova Franz Wunsch, Love in Auschwitz, Holocaust love stories, Love it was not, Auschwitz location, Franz Wunsch Auschwitz, Auschwitz guard, Auschwitz staff, Nazi Germany, Holocaust in Poland, Nazi occupation of Poland, Nazi SS, Nazi war crimes, WW2 war crimes, War trials, Nazi criminals, War criminals, War criminals WW2, German war crimes, SS in Poland, Poland during WW2, World War 2 Poland, Nazi guard, SS soldiers, SS troops, WW2 SS, German guard, Concentration camp guard, Nazi guard trial, SS men, SS troops, Nazi war crimes trials, Germany crimes, WW2 war crimes, War crimes WW2, Holocaust guard,