Weiss was appointed commandant of Majdanek after his predecessor Hermann Florstedt was charged with wholesale theft from the Third Reich in order to enrich himself . He took up his position as commander of Majdanek concentration camp on 4 November 1943 . On 3 November 1943 , one of the worst massacres happened there ; more than 17,000 Jewish people were murdered during Aktion Erntefest over the course of one day . Historians believe that Weiss was present at the time in Lublin-Majdanek to prepare himself for his new position . It is certain that on the first day of his new position as commandant , he was responsible for having to clean up the consequences of the massacre
Aktion Erntefest
Aktion Erntefest
Martin Gottfried Weiss