Ernst Schrämli in uniform and in civilian attire at his arrest in January 1942.
Ernst Schrämli in uniform and in civilian attire at his arrest in January 1942. Swiss Federal Archives

The execution of Ernst S.

During the Second World War, Ernst Schrämli from St. Gallen was sentenced to death for spying and executed on 10 November 1942 in a small wood in eastern Switzerland. Schrämli had relayed military secrets and information to a German agent.

Ernst Ziegler

Ernst Ziegler

Dr Ernst Ziegler was municipal archivist of St. Gallen from 1971 to 2003 and taught legal history at the universities of Zurich and St. Gallen.

Ernst Schrämli was born in St. Gallen on 8 September 1919. He worked as a labourer, a runner and agent and lived at Zeughausgasse 20 in St. Gallen in 1942. His role in the military was as a driver in a field cannon battery. In 1939, he attended the field artillery recruit school in Frauenfeld and Bière, followed by spells of active service totalling one year from November 1939 to September 1941. He was subsequently discharged from military service.
Portrait of Ernst Schrämli.
Portrait of Ernst Schrämli. Swiss Federal Archives
Ernst Schrämli came into contact with National Socialism at St. Gallen theatre (Stadttheater), where he was a first tenor in the extra choir. Members of the theatre company were signed up members of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, (Nazi Party). We cannot be sure whether Schrämli was influenced and won over by ‘Nazi-minded foreigners’. What we do know is that he was in contact with subject of the German Reich August Schmid from Immenstadt, who grew up in St. Gallen, was assimilated and worked as caretaker at the German consulate in St. Gallen. August Schmid persuaded Schrämli to provide details about everything of interest militarily to the German consulate in St. Gallen, which Schrämli proceeded to do.
Stadttheater St. Gallen around 1930, when it was still at its former location where the ‘Marktplatz’ or market square currently stands.
Stadttheater St. Gallen around 1930, when it was still at its former location where the ‘Marktplatz’ or market square currently stands. Collection Reto Voneschen
Schrämli stole four grenades from an unguarded munitions depot and drew sketches of artillery and bunker positions. It is thought that he did not act out of political conviction but instead from a personal dependency on August Schmid. He may have expected a German visa, as he planned to pursue a singing career there, in return for his espionage. It was August Schmid who, as Schrämli’s co-accused, provided most of the testimony against him in court. In early January 1942, Ernst Schrämli was arrested on the basis of a statement by his neighbour and ultimately charged with breaching military secrets. All the transgressions were listed in detail in the extensive indictment. Ernst Schrämli was no paragon of virtue, nor was he an ‘obnoxious fellow’, as stated in a letter from his commune of origin Hettlingen in Zurich. In August and September 1936 and from January to June 1937, he did voluntary work on Alpe Cadonigo (Prato) and in Carona in Ticino. He gained a reputation during this time as a hardworking and willing chap and people were satisfied with his leadership. The ‘handsome chap’, somewhat unstable and from a poor background, was a ‘humorous rascal’ who lacked guidance and tended to associate with questionable company.
Ernst Schrämli (left) on a horse.
Ernst Schrämli (left) on a horse. Swiss Federal Archives
On 18 October 1942, Schrämli’s court-appointed defence counsel submitted an appeal for mercy to the Federal Assembly in Bern. He wrote the following about the accused and the charge of espionage: “It’s also understandable that the German agencies immediately identified him as a suitable pawn for their espionage operations. Just take a look at our country and you can see enough evidence of how the Germans look for and find their informers: among the narcissistic intellectuals, the academics in need of money and among people of the same ilk as the condemned.” On the basis of this argument, the defence requested a conversion of the death penalty into lifelong detention, because, they said, the death penalty was excessive given the prevailing circumstances in Schrämli’s case. After the plea for clemency was turned down by the Federal Assembly in October 1942 by 176 votes to 36, Ernst Schrämli was sentenced to death. The execution took place on 10 November 1942 around midnight in a small wood called Flurhof, near Point 6633 between Oberuzwil and Jonschwil.
Letter from the Military Divisional Court to the Federal Council dated 20 October 1942 regarding the legality of the death sentence against Ernst Schrämli.
Letter from the Military Divisional Court to the Federal Council dated 20 October 1942 regarding the legality of the death sentence against Ernst Schrämli. Swiss Federal Archives
At 11.25pm, everything was in place at the execution site cordoned off by the military. The report of 11 November 1942 reads as follows: “The presiding judge read out the ruling at the execution site and granted approval for the condemned to be put to death by firing squad. The official overseeing the execution then ordered the commanding officer, Captain Egloff, to have the condemned party shot by the designated 20-man execution squad from Field-Artillery Regiment 7. The military chaplain, Captain Geiger, had a brief exchange with the prisoner. The execution squad, divided into two sections and six paces away from the prisoner, was ordered to fire. The attending medical officers, Captain Notter and First Lieutenant Jovanovits, determined the condition of the prisoner. Captain Egloff was ordered to administer a second deadly shot. Death was confirmed. The execution was complete at 11.35pm. The prisoner’s demeanour on the journey to the execution site and as the firing squad administered the death sentence was completely calm and composed. There are different reports on Schrämli’s burial. According to official written records, the military chaplain had to inform the next of kin as soon as it would be reasonable to do so. The corpse was brought to Kantonsspital St. Gallen in a coffin where a postmortem dissection took place. The burial was later on the orders of the military chaplain. According to Ernst’s nephew, as neither a cross nor a tombstone were allowed for a ‘traitor to their country’, Ernst was buried in an unmarked grave in Feldli cemetery. Dissenting voices about Ernst Schrämli’s death sentence were quick to make themselves heard following the execution. Some people, driven by fear of the Germans, hatred of the Nazis and their fellow travellers in Switzerland, and fear of Hitler, said: “Quite right, Ernst is a traitor to his country, he deserves to be put up against a wall and shot”. However, others were convinced that the authorities had wanted to make an example out of Schrämli. August Schmid, the German agent, was released at the end of a long sentence served in Switzerland. As a foreign national, Schmid could not be condemned to death.
Trailer for the film THE TRAITOR (CH, 2024) © Ascot Elite Entertainment

THE TRAITOR

The historical drama THE TRAITOR is showing in Swiss cinemas from 24 October. The film is based on events involving Ernst Schrämli, the first of 17 traitors in Swiss history to actually be executed.

Published on: 24.10.2024

URL: https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/2024/10/the-execution-of-ernst-s/

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