Ernst Kaltenbrunner (4 October 1903 – 16 October 1946) was a senior
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
n official during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, holding the offices of Chief of the
RSHAThe RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt was an organization subordinate to Heinrich Himmler in his capacity as Chef der Deutschen Polizei and Reichsführer-SS...
, and President of
InterpolInterpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
. He was the highest-ranking
SSThe , abbreviated SS- or - was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. The SS grew from a small paramilitary unit to a powerful force that served as the Führer's "Praetorian Guard," the Nazi Party's "Shield Squadron" and a force that, fielding almost a million men ,...
leader to face trial, having the full rank of
ObergruppenführerObergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
und General der Polizei und Waffen-SS. He was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and executed.
Born in
Ried im InnkreisRied im Innkreis is a town in the state of Upper Austria in Austria, approximately 70 km west of Linz and 60 km north of Salzburg...
,
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
, Kaltenbrunner was the son of a lawyer, and was educated at the State Realgymnasium in
LinzLinz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately 30 km south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube...
and at Graz University.
Ernst Kaltenbrunner (4 October 1903 – 16 October 1946) was a senior
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
n official during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, holding the offices of Chief of the
RSHAThe RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt was an organization subordinate to Heinrich Himmler in his capacity as Chef der Deutschen Polizei and Reichsführer-SS...
, and President of
InterpolInterpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
. He was the highest-ranking
SSThe , abbreviated SS- or - was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. The SS grew from a small paramilitary unit to a powerful force that served as the Führer's "Praetorian Guard," the Nazi Party's "Shield Squadron" and a force that, fielding almost a million men ,...
leader to face trial, having the full rank of
ObergruppenführerObergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
und General der Polizei und Waffen-SS. He was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and executed.
Early life
Born in
Ried im InnkreisRied im Innkreis is a town in the state of Upper Austria in Austria, approximately 70 km west of Linz and 60 km north of Salzburg...
,
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
, Kaltenbrunner was the son of a lawyer, and was educated at the State Realgymnasium in
LinzLinz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately 30 km south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube...
and at Graz University. He obtained a law degree in 1926. He worked as a lawyer briefly in Linz and Salzburg and from 1928 in Linz. He was a very tall man, standing just over 6' 7" (201 cm) tall. He had deep scars on his face from dueling in his student days. However, according to some sources, these "duelling scars" were actually acquired in an alcohol-linked driving accident.
Early career
Kaltenbrunner joined the
Nazi PartyThe National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party , was a political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945...
and the SS in Austria in 1932. He was the
Gauredner (district speaker) and
Rechtsberater (legal consultant) of the SS Division VIII. In January 1934, Kaltenbrunner was briefly jailed by the
Engelbert DollfussEngelbert Dollfuß was an Austrian Christian Social and Patriotic Front statesman, who was chancellor of Austria from 1932 and right-wing dictator of Austria from 1933 until his assassination by Nazi agents in 1934....
government with other National Socialists at the Kaisersteinbruch concentration camp. In 1934, he was jailed again on suspicion of
High TreasonHigh treason is criminal disloyalty to one's country. Participating in a war against one's country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps the...
in the assassination of Dollfuss. This accusation was dropped, but he was sentenced to six months for
conspiracyIn the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
.
In 1934, Kaltenbrunner married Elisabeth Eder (b. 1908) and they had three children.
In addition to the children from his marriage, Kaltenbrunner had twins (b. 1945) with his long-time mistress Gisela Gräfin von Westarp (née Wolf). All of his children survived the war.
From mid-1935 Kaltenbrunner was the leader of the Austrian SS. He assisted in the
AnschlussThe ' , also known as the ', was the 1938 de facto annexation of Austria into Greater Germany by the Nazi regime....
and Hitler promoted him to SS
BrigadeführerBrigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank.The rank was first created due to an expansion of the SS and assigned to those officers in command of SS-Brigaden...
on the day the
Anschluss was completed. On 11 September 1938 he was promoted to the rank of SS
GruppenführerGruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
(see
Video of Kaltenbrunner in Vienna January 1939). He was also a member of the
ReichstagThe Reichstag was the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, and subsequently of the North German Confederation, and of Germany until 1945...
from 1938.
World War II
In July 1940 he was commissioned as a
UntersturmführerUntersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
in the
Waffen-SSThe Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside the Wehrmacht Heer regular army, but was never formally part of it...
Reserve. Later, in April 1941, he was promoted to Major General (
Generalleutnant) of the Police. On 30 January 1943 Kaltenbrunner was appointed Chief of the
RSHAThe RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt was an organization subordinate to Heinrich Himmler in his capacity as Chef der Deutschen Polizei and Reichsführer-SS...
, that comprised the Sipo
SicherheitspolizeiThe Sicherheitspolizei , often abbreviated as SiPo, was a term used in Nazi Germany to describe the state political and criminal investigation security agencies. It was made up by the combined forces of the Gestapo and the Kripo between 1934 and 1939...
(that included both the Gestapo and Kripo) along with the Sicherheitsdienst (SD: security services). He replaced
Reinhard HeydrichReinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich was an SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
, who was
assassinatedOperation Anthropoid was the code name for the assassination of top German SS leader Reinhard Heydrich. He was the chief of the Reich Main Security Office , the acting Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, and a chief planner of the Final Solution, the Nazi German programme for the genocide of the Jews...
in June 1942. Kaltenbrunner held this position until the end of the war. He was promoted to SS
ObergruppenführerObergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
und General der Polizei on 21 June 1943. He also replaced Heydrich as President of the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC), the organization today known as
InterpolInterpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
.
Toward the end of the war, Kaltenbrunner's power increased greatly, especially after the attack on Hitler of 20 July 1944, upon which he gained direct access to the Führer. He was also responsible for conducting kangaroo trials and calling for the execution of all the people who were accused of plotting against Hitler. It was often said that even
Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich Luitpold Himmler , one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany, served as Chief of the German Police and Minister of the Interior...
feared him and he managed to be an intimidating figure with his height, facial scars and volatile temper. It was rumored that he was responsible for
Adolf EichmannOtto Adolf Eichmann , sometimes referred to as "the architect of the Holocaust", was a Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer...
's failure to attain the rank of SS-Colonel. Kaltenbrunner was also long-time friends with
Otto SkorzenyOtto Skorzeny was an SS-Obersturmbannführer in the German Waffen-SS during World War II. After fighting on the Eastern Front, he commanded a rescue mission that freed the deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from captivity...
and recommended him for many secret missions, allowing Skorzeny to become one of Hitler's valued agents. Kaltenbrunner was also responsible for heading Operation Long Jump, the attempt to assassinate
StalinJoseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from 1922 until his death in 1953...
,
ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer...
, and
RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , the only U.S. President elected to more than two terms, was a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. Following Himmler's appointment as
Minister of the InteriorThe Federal Ministry of the Interior is a ministry of the German federal government. Its main office is in Berlin, with a secondary seat in Bonn...
in August 1943, Kaltenbrunner sent him a letter wherein he argued that Himmler's new powers must be used to reverse the party cadre organisation's annexation.
In December 1944, Kaltenbrunner was granted the rank of General of the Waffen-SS. Other SS General Officers were granted equivalent Waffen-SS ranks in 1944 as well, so that in the event that they were captured by the Allies, they would have status as military officers instead of police officials. For those who had held police rank prior to 1944, the SS General's title could become rather lengthy. Kaltenbrunner was listed on the SS rolls in 1945 as
Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei und Waffen-SS. On 9 December 1944 he was awarded the Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords. In addition he was awarded the Golden NSDAP party badge and the
Blutorden.
On 18 April 1945, Himmler named Kaltenbrunner
Commander-in-ChiefA commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the...
of those remaining German forces in Southern Europe. Kaltenbrunner reorganized his intelligence agencies as a stay-behind underground net, he divided the subcommands between Otto Skorzeny, head of the sabotage units, and Wilhelm Waneck, who kept in contact not only with Kaltenbrunner and other centers in Germany, but also with stay-behind agents in the southern European capitals. In late April 1945, Kaltenbrunner relocated his headquarters from Berlin to Alt-Aussee in Austria. On 12 May 1945 he was captured by a U.S. patrol and arrested.
Nuremberg trials
At the
Nuremberg TrialsThe Nuremberg trials were a series of trials, or tribunals, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of Nazi Germany after its defeat in World War II....
, Kaltenbrunner was charged with conspiracy to commit crimes against peace, war-crimes and crimes against humanity. The most notable witness in this trial was Rudolf Hoess, the camp commander of the
Auschwitz concentration campAuschwitz-Birkenau was the largest of Nazi Germany's concentration camps and extermination camps, operational during World War II.The camp took its German name from the hosting town of Oświęcim. Following the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, Oświęcim was annexed by Nazi Germany and...
.
Kaltenbrunner's close control over the
RSHAThe RSHA, or Reichssicherheitshauptamt was an organization subordinate to Heinrich Himmler in his capacity as Chef der Deutschen Polizei and Reichsführer-SS...
meant that direct knowledge of and responsibility for the following crimes was ascribed to him:
- Mass murders of civilians of occupied countries by Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen were SS paramilitary groups that took part in the systematic killing of mostly civilians throughout occupied Eastern Europe during World War II.-Background:...
- Screening of prisoner of war camps and executing racial and political undesirables
- The taking of recaptured prisoners of war to concentration camps, where in some cases they were executed
- Establishing concentration camps and committing racial and political undesirables to concentration and annihilation camps for slave labor and mass murder
- Deportation of citizens of occupied countries for forced labor and disciplining of forced labor
- The execution of captured commandos and paratroopers and protection of civilians who lynched Allied fliers
- The taking of civilians of occupied countries to Germany for secret trial
A secret trial is a trial that is not open to the public, nor reported in the news. Generally no official record of the case or the judge's verdict is made available...
and punishment
- Punishment of citizens of occupied territories under special criminal procedure and by summary methods
- The execution and confinement of people in concentration camps for crimes allegedly committed by their relatives
- Seizure and spoliation of public and private property
- Murder of prisoners in SIPO and SD prisons
- Persecution of Jews
- Persecution of the churches
- Torture of gypsies
The term gypsy was a common term used to describe Romani people or Travelers.-Etymology:The Oxford English Dictionary states that a gypsy is a...
During the trial, Kaltenbrunner's lawyer attempted to portray him in the most favorable light during
direct examinationThe Direct Examination or Examination-in-Chief is one stage in the process of adducing evidence from witnesses in a court of law. Direct examination is the questioning of a witness by the party who called him or her, in a trial...
, but only served to make things worse for him. He told his guards to relay to the prosecution that thanks were in order "for bringing him such a stupid attorney." He also denied his signed name so many times that his own attorneys referred to him as
Der Mann ohne Unterschrift - "the man without a signature."
Death
Kaltenbrunner was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced to death. He was executed by
hangingHanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. It hurts a lot. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", although it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would...
at around 1:40 a.m. on 16 October 1946. Kaltenbrunner's last words were:
Further evidence
In 2001, Ernst Kaltenbrunner's personal Nazi security seal was found in an Alpine lake, 56 years after he threw it away in an effort to hide his identity. The seal was recovered by a Dutch citizen on vacation. The seal has the words "The Head of the Security Police and the SD" engraved on it. Experts have examined the seal and believe it was thrown in the final days of the war in May 1945. It was one of Kaltenbrunner's last acts as a free man. Kaltenbrunner gave himself up claiming to be a doctor and offering a false name. However, his mistress spotted him, and by chance occurrence, she called out his name and rushed to hug him. This action tipped off the Allied troops, resulting in his capture, trial, and execution.
Film and television
Ernst Kaltenbrunner has been portrayed by the following actors in film, television and theater productions.
- Christopher Heyerdahl
Christopher Heyerdahl is a Canadian actor who has had roles in many prominent television shows and movies. He is 6' 4" tall....
in the 2000 CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
/U.S. T.V. production Nuremberg
- Hans Meyer
Hans Meyer may refer to:*Hans Meyer , German geologist*Hans Meyer , German football manager and former player*Hans Meyer Knight's Cross recipient*Hans Meyer , actor born 1925 in South-Africa...
in the 1982 United States television production Inside the Third Reich.
- John Moffatt
John Moffatt is an English actor and playwright, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Hercule Poirot on BBC Radio....
in the 1981 BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
television series Private Schulz.
- Hans Meyer
Hans Meyer may refer to:*Hans Meyer , German geologist*Hans Meyer , German football manager and former player*Hans Meyer Knight's Cross recipient*Hans Meyer , actor born 1925 in South-Africa...
in the 1978 United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
T.V. miniseries Holocaust.
- Mikhail Zharkovsky in the 1973 Russia
Russia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n T.V. mini-series Semnadtsat mgnoveniy vesny (Seventeen Moments of Spring)Seventeen Moments of Spring , also Seventeen Instants of Spring is a Soviet TV miniseries. It was filmed at Gorky Film Studio, directed by Tatyana Lioznova and based on the series of books by the novelist Yulian Semyonov...
.
- Alain Nobis in the 1972 French
France , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
television production La Tragédie de Vérone.
- Branko Plesa in the 1971 Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia is a term that describes three political entities that existed successively on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century.The first country to be known by this...
n television production Nirnberski epilog.
- Edward Underdown
Edward Underdown was an English actor. He was born in London.His film credits include: They Were Not Divided, Beat the Devil, Wings of the Morning, The Rainbow Jacket, The Womans Angle, Her Pannelled Door, The Camp on Blood Island, Dr...
in the 1958The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date...
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
film The Two-Headed SpyThe Two-Headed Spy was a 1958 spy thriller, set in World War II. It starred Jack Hawkins and was directed by Andre De Toth. It also starred Gia Scala, Erik Schumann and Alexander Knox.-Plot summary:...
.
A character in the movie
The Return of the Living Dead is named
Ernie Kaltenbrunner after him.
Books
- Colonization: Down to Earth
Colonization: Down to Earth is an alternate history and science fiction novel by Harry Turtledove. It is the second novel of the Colonization series, as well as the sixth installment in the Tosev timeline.-Plot:...
, a fictional account of historic events merged with an alternate history, Harry TurtledoveHarry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
creates a scenario where Kaltenbrunner is the successor of Himmler as the third Führer and Reich Chancellor of the Greater German Reich and triggers a war between Nazi Germany and alien settlersThe Race refers to the fictional alien invaders of Harry Turtledove's Worldwar tetralogy, Colonization trilogy and Homeward Bound...
, a war that results in the destruction of the Reich and the death of Kaltenbrunner himself.
- Ernst Kaltenbrunner: Ideological Soldier of The Third Reich is a biographical work about Kaltenbrunner by Peter R. Black.
- Nuremberg Diary is an account of the Defendants at Nuremberg by G. M. Gilbert.
- The Nuremberg Interviews is a descriptive, yet autobiographical account of the Defendants at Nuremberg by Leon Goldensohn. Kaltenbrunner has his own section in his own words in this book.
- Freemasonry: Ideology, Organization, and Policy is a book about Freemasonry published with a foreword by Kaltenbrunner.
- Hitler's Elite is a book by Louis L. Snyder compiling all of Hitler's top henchmen and has a section entirely for Kaltenbrunner.
- Gestapo: Instrument of Tyranny is a book by Edward Crankshaw that investigates the atmosphere within the Gestapo hierarchy and includes some information about Kaltenbrunner.
Collectibles
- A 1/6 scale Ernst Kaltenbrunner action figure has been released in 2009 by In The Past Toys (ITPT). He comes with a Brigadefuhrer uniform (SS black version), although the highest rank he obtained is Obergruppenfuhrer. He also comes with leather boots, a General's peak cap, white gloves, black coat, and a leather briefcase.
- A collectible card of Ernst Kaltenbrunner was released in 1977 by Edito-Service S.A. (also known as Atlas Editions Cards).
Dates of rank
- SS-Oberscharführer
Oberscharführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between the years of 1932 and 1945. Translated as “Senior Squad Leader”, Oberscharführer was first used as a rank of the Sturmabteilung and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions required by growing SA membership...
- c. 1932
- SS-Sturmhauptführer
Sturmhauptführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank used by both the Sturmabteilung and the SS. It was the equivalent of a Hauptmann in the German Army. This is the equivalent of Captain in western militaries....
- 25 September 1932
- SS-Standartenführer
Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in both the S.A. and the S.S.. First founded as a title in 1925, in 1928 the rank became one of the first commissioned Nazi ranks and was bestowed upon those S.A. and S.S...
- 20 April 1936
- SS-Oberführer
Oberführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party dating back to 1921. Translated as “Senior Leader”, an Oberführer was typically a Nazi Party member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geographical region...
- 20 April 1937
- SS-Brigadeführer
Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank.The rank was first created due to an expansion of the SS and assigned to those officers in command of SS-Brigaden...
- 12 March 1938
- SS-Gruppenführer
Gruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
- 11 September 1938
- SS-Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
d.R. - 1 July 1940
- Generalleutnant der Polizei
The Ordnungspolizei was the name for the uniformed regular German police force in existence during the period of Nazi Germany, notably between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei or the...
- 1 April 1941
- SS-Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
und GeneralGeneral is presently the highest rank of the German Army and Luftwaffe . It is the equivalent to an Admiral in the German Navy .-Early history:...
der PolizeiThe Ordnungspolizei was the name for the uniformed regular German police force in existence during the period of Nazi Germany, notably between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei or the...
- 21 June 1943
- General
General is presently the highest rank of the German Army and Luftwaffe . It is the equivalent to an Admiral in the German Navy .-Early history:...
der Waffen-SSThe Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside the Wehrmacht Heer regular army, but was never formally part of it...
- 1 December 1944
Notable decorations
- Honour Dagger of the SS
- Honour Chevron for the Old Guard
The Honour Chevron for the Old Guard, or in German Ehrenwinkel für Alte Kämpfer, was a political decoration of the Nazi Party in Germany. It was authorised in February 1934, as a silver chevron to be worn on the upper right arm, by all members of the SS, who had joined the SS, NSDAP or any other...
- SS-Membershipspin Nr. 160,180
- SS-Honour Ring
- Honour Sword of the Reichsführers-SS
was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, became the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
- SS Long Service Award
SS Long Service Awards were given in grades of four years, eight years, twelve years, twenty-five years, and forty years. On its reverse side, each award had emblazoned the inscription, in German: "Für treue Dienste in der SS"...
For 4, 8, and 12 Years Service
- Long Service Award of the NSDAP in Bronze and Silver
- Anschluss Medal
The Anschluss Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.- Description :...
(1938)
- Sudetenland Medal
The The Sudetenland Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.- Description :...
(1938) with Prague Castle Bar (1939)
- Golden Party Badge
The Golden Party Badge was a special badge of the Nazi Party. It was worn by the first 100,000 members of the party , and by other individuals at the discretion of Adolf Hitler .The Golden Party Badge was the basic Nazi Party Badge with the addition of a...
(1939)
- Blood Order
The Blood Order, officially known as the Decoration of 9 November 1923, was one of the most prestigious decorations in the Nazi Party. Instituted in March 1934, the medal is solid silver, with the obverse bearing a depiction of an eagle with a wreath in its talons...
(1942)
- War Merit Cross
The War Merit Cross was a decoration of Nazi Germany during the Second World War, which could be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel...
Second (1942) and First (1943) Classes with Swords
- German Cross
The German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 16 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross....
in Silver (1943)
- Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords
The War Merit Cross was a decoration of Nazi Germany during the Second World War, which could be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel...
(1944)
External links