Rudolf Hoess, commandant of Auschwitz, went to the gallows for his war crimes. Here's What You Need to Know: At 10 am on Wednesday April 16, 1947, the former commandant of Auschwitz extermination camp, SS Oberstürm bannführer (lieutenant colonel) Rudolf Hoess, briskly walked under armed escort toward the small wooden gallows specifically built for him inside the camp grounds. Witnesses were surprised that a man facing imminent execution would set such a rapid pace. The 47-year-old Hoess had expected to be hanged from the moment he was captured in March 1946. Being arraigned before a Poli...