Feldmann case
Encyclopedia
The Feldmann case was a controversial criminal case in Norway
in which two border pilots admitted to killing an elderly Jewish couple during their escape from the Holocaust in Norway
, and stealing their money. A jury acquitted the two of culpability for the killing, accepting their explanation that the couple endangered not just the mission but the viability of the escape route to Sweden.
bound for Halden
included ten refugees bound for Sweden, of whom nine were Jewish. Also traveling were two border pilots, Karsten Løvestad and Harry Pedersen, both of whom may have been wanted by the occupying authorities. Between Skjeberg and Døle stations (both are now closed for passenger traffic), Norwegian police came through the cars inspecting identification cards. Two of the Jewish refugees, Hermann Feldmann and Willy Schermann, and Løvestad were asked by a committed Norwegian Nazi police man to step outside. Accounts differ as to whether Hvam at that point had asked the conductor to notify the police in Halden that he had apprehended refugees.
However, Løvestad, who was carrying a forged passport, shot Hvam on the train. The three then jumped off the speeding train near Besseberg. Feldmann broke an arm in the fall, and Schermann sustained some gashes. The three tried for some time to evade capture, but were eventually caught in one of the largest police campaigns in the history of the war. Feldmann, Schermann and the other Jewish refugees were murdered in Auschwitz in August 1943; Karsten Løvestad was also shot in September 1943 after appearing before a tribunal without the benefit of a defense.
The Nazi authorities made propaganda out of this incident. Newspaper headlines made it out to be a cold-blooded murder of a faithful public servant at the hands of the Jews. Hvam's funeral was attended by the top echelon of both the German and Norwegian Nazi authorities. Well-plated editorials called for decisive action against Jews .
on October 23, asking for refuge and help to find their way across the border. As the area was still subject to search and surveillance by police forces, the Løvestad family was under significant pressure and risk of discovery.
The couple stayed hidden in the area for a few days, until October 27 when two pilots - Peder Pedersen and Håkon Løvestad - offered to take them across the border. The couple borrowed clothing and footwear for a two-day hike. But when the company of four arrived at Skrikerudtjernet, the pilots clubbed the Jewish couple to death, stole their money, and sunk the bodies in the lake with weights.
Løvestad fled to Sweden wearing Feldmann's gold watch, and Pedersen returned to his home after this and resumed piloting refugees across the border, including several Jews.
The two were acquitted of killing the couple but were convicted for embezzling their money, which amounted to NOK 12,000; and their possessions.
During the debate surrounding the verdict, Oskar Hasselknippe
, the editor of Verdens Gang
, a leading Norwegian newspaper, challenged Leo Eitinger
's criticism of the verdict, pointing out that in war, difficult decisions sometimes have to be made. He implied that Eitinger would not understand this, asking Eitinger where he had been during the war. To which Eitinger replied: "In Auschwitz!"
directed a Norwegian movie with a fictionalized account of the case, called Feldmann saken or Over Grensen, based on the work of dramatized non-fiction by Sigurd Senje titled Ekko fra Skrikktjenn
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in which two border pilots admitted to killing an elderly Jewish couple during their escape from the Holocaust in Norway
Holocaust in Norway
In the middle of the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, there were at least 2,173 Jews in Norway. At least 775 of these were arrested, detained, and/or deported. 742 were murdered in the camps, 23 died as a result of extrajudicial execution, murder, and suicide during the war; bringing the total...
, and stealing their money. A jury acquitted the two of culpability for the killing, accepting their explanation that the couple endangered not just the mission but the viability of the escape route to Sweden.
Prelude
On October 22, 1942, a train on ØstfoldbanenØstfoldbanen
The Østfold Line is a standard gauge railway line that runs between Oslo, Norway, and the Swedish border at Kornsjø. Running through Follo and Østfold, it has both a Western and Eastern Line between Ski and Sarpsborg. The line opened in 1879 as the Smaalenene Line .The line is , while the Eastern...
bound for Halden
Halden
is a both a town and a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The seat of the municipality, Halden is a border town located at the Tista river delta on the Iddefjord, the southernmost border crossing between Norway and Sweden.-History:...
included ten refugees bound for Sweden, of whom nine were Jewish. Also traveling were two border pilots, Karsten Løvestad and Harry Pedersen, both of whom may have been wanted by the occupying authorities. Between Skjeberg and Døle stations (both are now closed for passenger traffic), Norwegian police came through the cars inspecting identification cards. Two of the Jewish refugees, Hermann Feldmann and Willy Schermann, and Løvestad were asked by a committed Norwegian Nazi police man to step outside. Accounts differ as to whether Hvam at that point had asked the conductor to notify the police in Halden that he had apprehended refugees.
However, Løvestad, who was carrying a forged passport, shot Hvam on the train. The three then jumped off the speeding train near Besseberg. Feldmann broke an arm in the fall, and Schermann sustained some gashes. The three tried for some time to evade capture, but were eventually caught in one of the largest police campaigns in the history of the war. Feldmann, Schermann and the other Jewish refugees were murdered in Auschwitz in August 1943; Karsten Løvestad was also shot in September 1943 after appearing before a tribunal without the benefit of a defense.
The Nazi authorities made propaganda out of this incident. Newspaper headlines made it out to be a cold-blooded murder of a faithful public servant at the hands of the Jews. Hvam's funeral was attended by the top echelon of both the German and Norwegian Nazi authorities. Well-plated editorials called for decisive action against Jews .
Rakel and Jacob Feldmann
Hermann Feldmann's foster parents were Rakel and Jacob Feldmann. Unnerved by the publicity this incident had caused, they had decided to make their own break for the Swedish border. They showed up at the farm of the Løvestad family in TrøgstadTrøgstad
Trøgstad is a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skjønhaug. The municipality is divided into the parishes of Trøgstad and Båstad...
on October 23, asking for refuge and help to find their way across the border. As the area was still subject to search and surveillance by police forces, the Løvestad family was under significant pressure and risk of discovery.
The couple stayed hidden in the area for a few days, until October 27 when two pilots - Peder Pedersen and Håkon Løvestad - offered to take them across the border. The couple borrowed clothing and footwear for a two-day hike. But when the company of four arrived at Skrikerudtjernet, the pilots clubbed the Jewish couple to death, stole their money, and sunk the bodies in the lake with weights.
Løvestad fled to Sweden wearing Feldmann's gold watch, and Pedersen returned to his home after this and resumed piloting refugees across the border, including several Jews.
Trial and verdict
The Feldmanns' bodies eventually floated to the surface and were discovered, and investigations led to the prosecution of Peder Pedersen and Håkon Løvestad. The matter came to trial in 1947. Although the two accused did not deny that they had killed the couple and taken their money, they claimed they had no real choice in the matter: the Feldmanns were old, overweight, and incapable of the long walk to the border. They were bound to be discovered where they were, and their arrest and detention would bring down the underground railroad, endangering many more lives than theirs.The two were acquitted of killing the couple but were convicted for embezzling their money, which amounted to NOK 12,000; and their possessions.
During the debate surrounding the verdict, Oskar Hasselknippe
Oskar Hasselknippe
Oskar Hasselknippe was a Norwegian newspaper editor. He is known for his work in the Norwegian resistance movement and as editor of Verdens Gang during its swift ascent among Norwegian newspapers....
, the editor of Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
, a leading Norwegian newspaper, challenged Leo Eitinger
Leo Eitinger
Leo Eitinger was a Holocaust survivor and Norwegian Psychiatrist who studied the late-onset psychological trauma experienced by people who went through separation and psychological pain early in life only to show traumatic experience decades later...
's criticism of the verdict, pointing out that in war, difficult decisions sometimes have to be made. He implied that Eitinger would not understand this, asking Eitinger where he had been during the war. To which Eitinger replied: "In Auschwitz!"
Coverage in other media
In 1987, Bente ErichsenBente Erichsen
Bente Erichsen is a Norwegian culture director and the current Director of the Nobel Peace Center.A former journalist and commercials producer, Erichsen started her career as feature film producer in 1979...
directed a Norwegian movie with a fictionalized account of the case, called Feldmann saken or Over Grensen, based on the work of dramatized non-fiction by Sigurd Senje titled Ekko fra Skrikktjenn