Cukurs Herbert

(died March 6, 1965)
Executioners in Latvia was plenty. On one of them deserves to be told in more detail. This - Herbert Cukurs. He managed to become a hero in Latvia and at the same time its a shame ..
Prepared for the release of a book of defenders Charles Berezin and Axel GAAP - Operation "Cottbus" (or "cleansing" of Jews from the Baltic states)
Air Force Captain Herbert Cukurs made history twice. Before the war it had meant for Latvia is the same as that of Valery Chkalov for the USSR or Charles Lindenberg for the U.S.. During the war the SS Cukurs destroyed people "inferior races".
: In 20-ies the world was carried away aviette - homemade aircraft with engines up to one hundred horsepower. They built thousands of them.
In 1926, carried away by this thing was born Liepaja Lieutenant Cukurs. Before that he built aviette "Auseklд?tis with 9-hp motor, but for serious flights is not fit. New apparatus lieutenant gave all his strength, and in 1930, C-3 with a 80-hp motor, collected from two engine fighter Renault in 1916, was ready.
. At that time (early in the summer of 1933) and the pilots Pulinsh Tselms unsuccessful attempt the flight to the Gambia, located in Central Africa
. Many people are plunged into despair: do not believe that Latvia is able to compete with the great powers.
And in this time of "great sadness" suddenly flashed the news: Lieutenant Herbert Cukurs in a homemade plane C-3 flew to Gambia and back!
His flight began on Aug. 28, 1933 and ended May 25, 1934. Much time was spent on trips to little-known then Latvians Africa.
Cukurs returned to Riga in exactly 10 days after the establishment of the dictatorship of Karlis Ulmanis. Naturally, the dictator tried to squeeze the maximum out of this political capital, which further contributed to the glorification of Cukurs, which immediately made a captain.
. For many Latvians Cukurs became something of a Latvian Lindenberg and Jules Verne in one person
. Slava pilot contributed his writing abilities - on his return he published a diary, "My flight to the Gambia". And in 1937, wrote the novel "Between the earth and the sun, where the main character - also a pilot.
Cukurs In his diary he wrote: "During the flight, must eat what is, but when I come back to Riga, then I should be a vegetarian ... Disgusted with the brutality with which people are destroying every living thing, to be satisfied ". These are the words man, on the conscience of which 30 thousand lives and who subsequently shall be called "Riga executioner.
Incidentally, Holocaust survivors Liepaja Jews remembered family Cukurs as decent people. A son ... His role was played by his pathological ambition. He wanted to be a hero, like fame, universal respect and ... Awe.
He is a lieutenant in the country where the military exploits does not move out. He is stubborn, but not a genius. Not stupid, but can not boast of education and deep knowledge. And to be mediocre - so humiliating!
Inordinate ambition drove him to a record flight, forced to join the "Perkonkrusts". Because the Nazis did not need to be better than others - enough to belong to the "correct" race, and he has already "above" other. But by 1940 his fame had faded, and new achievements were.
It's the summer of 1940, the Latvian army infused into the Soviet armed forces. What does the captain of the multimillion Red armiiN Who is Cukurs against Valeria ChkalovaN
Therefore, the transition in 1941 on the side of the Nazis was a conscious. Ideas of "superman", the power over the lives of thousands of people - it is something that could satisfy vanity Cukurs. Let it not light a hero, as in 1934, but he - arbiter!
Then everything went automatically. Started auxiliary police officer, graduated from the "owner" of the Riga Ghetto and the right hand the chief executioner Victor Arajs.
I must say that the "team Arajs, where he joined voluntarily, Cukurs enjoyed great prestige. He was allocated a personal car, which he set out for punitive action, while other militants went on confiscated a blue city buses and trucks.
Cukurs adored spectacular posture. This is evidenced by his visits to the ghetto. In an open car, tightly encased in a leather coat, he liked straight out of the car to shoot at encountered on his way to the Jews sincerely glad to each hit.
The defeat of Hitler was a tragedy for Cukurs - for leniency, he could not count. He fled to Brazil. Burger lived a quiet life with his wife Mildew, and sons Gunars and Herbert near Sao Paulo. At spoil martyred Jews gold opened his private flying school and office tours.
Brazil did not last very interested in immigrants and was sufficiently corrupt country. Therefore Cukurs easily procured documents that not only he but his father - the indigenous Brazilians. Not surprisingly, his long time could not find "Nazi hunter".
Only many years later, agents of the Israeli secret service Mossad managed to find the "butcher of Riga". They wanted to transport it, as Hitler's "specialist on the Jews, Adolf Eichmann in Israel for trial. One of the agents pretended to be an SS, and "warn" about the dangers Cukurs advised to flee to Uruguay. There was even procured a box - Cukurs going to sleep and take.
The operation collapsed in Montevideo - Cukurs suspected that something was wrong. Therefore, the Mossad has decided to destroy it in place, which was done February 23, 1965.
March 6 and his body and box were found Uruguayan police.
According to another version, Cukurs was tracked down in Brazil, a miracle survivor of the Riga Jewish Ghetto. He was able to enter into his confidence, offered to become his companion, and then, improving the moment shot.