Gustav Lombard
Encyclopedia
Gustav Lombard was an SS
Brigadeführer
(General) who served in World War II
. During World War II
, Lombard commanded the 8. SS-Division Florian Geyer
, 23. SS-Mountain Division Kama and the 31. SS-Volunteer Grenadier Division
. He was also a winner of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
.
, Province of Brandenburg
. After his father's death in 1906 he visited his relatives in the USA (it's claimed he was an Uncle of Hollywood actress Carole Lombard
. However, Carole Lombard was born Jane Alice Peters and none of her ancestors were named Lombard. Additionally, Lombard was her stage name. All of her immediate ancestors were born in the USA.) in 1913, where he passed his High School exam and started studying Modern Languages at the University of Missouri
. After the end of World War I
he returned to Germany in Autumn 1919 and worked for American Express
and the Chrysler Motor Company
in Berlin
.
in 1933 and became a member of SS – Cavalry. After a short time in the Wehrmacht
throughout the German invasion of Poland Lombard was promoted as Commander of the 3. Schwadron (Squadron) of the SS Totenkopf-Reiter-Standarte in December 1939 and in this function he was ordered on 7 April 1940 to occupy and hunt the district of Krolowiec (Poland
) near Warsaw
, where he gave order to kill any non-German male person between 17 and 60 years of age in the case of resistance. Hermann Fegelein
, the Commander of the 1. SS Totenkopf-Reiter-Standarte afterwards reported 250 executed persons throughout this deployment.
In the end of July 1941 Lombard was commander of the Mounted Branch of 1. SS Cavalry Regiment deployed in the Pinsk Marshes
east of Brest-Litovsk, where he allegedly first used the term ”Entjudung” (De – jewification), his directive was: ” No male Jew survives, no leftover - families will stay in the villages.” Throughout the next weeks members of the SS Cavalry Regiment
under Lombards command allegedly murdered estimated more than 11,000 Jews and more than 400 dispersed Soviet Soldiers.
in the Soviet Union
in April 1945 and was sentenced as a war criminal to 25 years in prison in 1947, in 1955 he was amnestied after West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer
organized the return of the remaining German POWs from the Soviet Union. He was subsequently tried as a war criminal in Germany and found not guilty.
Lombard worked for the Allianz
Insurance company in Munich
and died in Mühldorf am Inn at the age of 97.
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
Brigadeführer
Brigadeführer
SS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
(General) who served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Lombard commanded the 8. SS-Division Florian Geyer
8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer
The 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer was a Waffen-SS cavalry Division during World War II. It was formed in 1942 from a cadre of the SS Cavalry Brigade which was involved in anti partisan operations behind the front line and was responsible for the extermination of tens of thousands of the...
, 23. SS-Mountain Division Kama and the 31. SS-Volunteer Grenadier Division
31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division
The 31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division was formed from Germans, Hungarians and Volksdeutsche, mostly from the Bačka in September 1944. The division is sometimes given the title Batschka...
. He was also a winner of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
.
Early life
Lombard was born in Klein Spiegelberg, near PrenzlauPrenzlau
Prenzlau , a city in the Uckermark District of Brandenburg in Germany, had a population of about 21,000 in 2005.-International relations:Prenzlau is twinned with: Uster, Switzerland Barlinek, Poland Świdwin, Poland...
, Province of Brandenburg
Province of Brandenburg
The Province of Brandenburg was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:The first people who are known to have inhabited Brandenburg were the Suevi. They were succeeded by the Slavonians, whom Henry II conquered and converted to Christianity in...
. After his father's death in 1906 he visited his relatives in the USA (it's claimed he was an Uncle of Hollywood actress Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard was an American actress. She was particularly noted for her comedic roles in the screwball comedies of the 1930s...
. However, Carole Lombard was born Jane Alice Peters and none of her ancestors were named Lombard. Additionally, Lombard was her stage name. All of her immediate ancestors were born in the USA.) in 1913, where he passed his High School exam and started studying Modern Languages at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. After the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he returned to Germany in Autumn 1919 and worked for American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
and the Chrysler Motor Company
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
SS career
Lombard joined NSDAP and SS quickly after the Nazi takeover of powerMachtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
in 1933 and became a member of SS – Cavalry. After a short time in the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
throughout the German invasion of Poland Lombard was promoted as Commander of the 3. Schwadron (Squadron) of the SS Totenkopf-Reiter-Standarte in December 1939 and in this function he was ordered on 7 April 1940 to occupy and hunt the district of Krolowiec (Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) near Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, where he gave order to kill any non-German male person between 17 and 60 years of age in the case of resistance. Hermann Fegelein
Hermann Fegelein
SS-Obergruppenführer Hans Georg Otto Hermann Fegelein was a General of the Waffen-SS in Nazi Germany, a member of Adolf Hitler's entourage, brother-in-law to Eva Braun through his marriage to her sister, Gretl, and husband of the sister-in-law to Adolf Hitler through Hitler's marriage to Eva...
, the Commander of the 1. SS Totenkopf-Reiter-Standarte afterwards reported 250 executed persons throughout this deployment.
In the end of July 1941 Lombard was commander of the Mounted Branch of 1. SS Cavalry Regiment deployed in the Pinsk Marshes
Pinsk Marshes
The Pinsk Marshes or Pripyat Marshes are a vast territory of wetlands along the Pripyat River and its tributaries from Brest, Belarus to Mogilev and Kiev ....
east of Brest-Litovsk, where he allegedly first used the term ”Entjudung” (De – jewification), his directive was: ” No male Jew survives, no leftover - families will stay in the villages.” Throughout the next weeks members of the SS Cavalry Regiment
SS Cavalry Brigade
The SS Cavalry Brigade was a unit of the Waffen SS formed in 1940, from cavalry regiments created for occupation duties in German-occupied Poland. Later, while serving in German-occupied areas of the Soviet Union, the brigade was involved in the genocide of the Jewish population and anti-partisan...
under Lombards command allegedly murdered estimated more than 11,000 Jews and more than 400 dispersed Soviet Soldiers.
After 1945
Lombard became a Prisoner of WarPrisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in April 1945 and was sentenced as a war criminal to 25 years in prison in 1947, in 1955 he was amnestied after West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was a German statesman. He was the chancellor of the West Germany from 1949 to 1963. He is widely recognised as a person who led his country from the ruins of World War II to a powerful and prosperous nation that had forged close relations with old enemies France,...
organized the return of the remaining German POWs from the Soviet Union. He was subsequently tried as a war criminal in Germany and found not guilty.
Lombard worked for the Allianz
Allianz
SE is a global financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core business and focus is insurance. As of 2010, it was the world's 12th-largest financial services group and 23rd-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine.Its Allianz Global Investors...
Insurance company in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and died in Mühldorf am Inn at the age of 97.
SS Ranks
- SS membership : May 1933 (No. 185.023)
- NSDAP membership : 10 February 1933 (No. 2.649.630)
- 1 May 1933 SS-Anwärter
- 1933 SS-Mann
- 28 April 1933 SS-Mann mit Wirkung
- 21 November 1933 SS-Scharführer
- 15 June 1934 SS-Oberscharführer
- 7 September 1934 SS-Truppführer
- October 1934 Unteroffizier d. R. und Reserve-Offizier-Anwärter
- 1 November 1934 SS-Hauptscharführer
- 9 November 1934 SS-Hauptscharführer mit Wirkung
- 1 April 1935 Wachtmeister d. B.
- 20 September 1935 SS-Untersturmführer
- 15 September 1935 SS-Untersturmführer mit Wirkung
- 13 September 1936 SS-Obersturmführer
- 11 September 1938 SS-Hauptsturmführer
- 1 March 1940 SS-Hauptsturmführer der Reserve in der Waffen-SS
- 21 June 1941 SS-Sturmbannführer der Reserve
- 16 March 1943 SS-Obersturmbannführer der Reserve ( retroactive 1 March 1942)
- 30 January 1943 SS-Standartenführer der Reserve
- 13 March 1944 SS-Oberführer
- 20 April 1945 SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS
Awards
- Sudetenland MedalSudetenland MedalThe The Sudetenland Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.-Description:...
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
II. Class - December 15, 1940 - Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
I. Class - September 3, 1941 - German CrossGerman CrossThe German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
, 11 February 1943 - Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
, 10 March 1943 - Allgemeines SturmabzeichenInfantry Assault BadgeThe Infantry Assault Badge was a German war badge awarded to Waffen SS and Wehrmacht Heer soldiers during WWII. This decoration was instituted on December 20th 1939 by the Oberstbefehlshaber des Heeres, Generalfeldmarschall von Brauchitsch...
in Silver - Eastern Front MedalEastern Front MedalThe Eastern Front Medal, , more commonly known as the Ostmedaille was instituted on May 26, 1942 to mark service on the German Eastern Front during the period November 15, 1941 to April 15, 1942...
- SA-Sportabzeichen in Bronze
- Ehrendegen des Reichsführers-SS
- SS-EhrenringSS-EhrenringThe SS-Ehrenring , unofficially called Totenkopfring , was an award of Heinrich Himmler's Schutzstaffel . It was not a state decoration, but rather a personal gift bestowed by Himmler...
- Bandenkampfabzeichen in SilberAnti-Partisan Guerrilla Warfare BadgeThe Anti-Partisan Guerrilla Warfare Badge was an award of the German military of the Third Reich. Personnel of the Heer, Luftwaffe, and Waffen-SS were eligible to receive it...
- Deutsches Reiterabzeichen in Silber
- SS-Zivilabzeichen (Nr. 72 723)
- Julleuchter der SS
Commands
- 6 December 1940 - 25 February 1941 I./SS-Totenkopf-Cavalry-Regiment 1
- 25 February - 19 August 1941 Mounted Branch/SS-Totenkopf-Reiterstandarte
- 15 October - 20 November 1941 Commander of the SS-Kavallerie-Brigade as a substitute of Hermann FegeleinHermann FegeleinSS-Obergruppenführer Hans Georg Otto Hermann Fegelein was a General of the Waffen-SS in Nazi Germany, a member of Adolf Hitler's entourage, brother-in-law to Eva Braun through his marriage to her sister, Gretl, and husband of the sister-in-law to Adolf Hitler through Hitler's marriage to Eva...
. - 18 August 1941 - 22 October 1943 SS-Totenkopf-Kavallerie-Regiment 1 (renamed to SS-Kavallerie-Regiment 1 on 1 September 1941)
- 28 October - 6 December 1943 Commander of Waffen-Grenadier-Brigade of the SS (1st Italian)29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Italian)The 29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS or Legione SS Italiana was created on 10 February 1945 as the second SS-Division numbered 29. The first on the 29th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS , was disbanded. The new unit created in November 1943, was based on the Waffen-Grenadier-Brigade...
- 14 April - 1 July 1944 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer8th SS Cavalry Division Florian GeyerThe 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer was a Waffen-SS cavalry Division during World War II. It was formed in 1942 from a cadre of the SS Cavalry Brigade which was involved in anti partisan operations behind the front line and was responsible for the extermination of tens of thousands of the...
- 14 July - 23 August 1944 12th Divisions-Führerlehrgang in HirschbergHirschbergThe German word Hirschberg is composed of Hirsch and Berg . It may refer to:* several places in Europe, including:** Hirschberg, Thuringia, Germany.** Hirschberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany....
- 23 August - 1 September 1944 6th SS Mountain Division Nord6th SS Mountain Division NordThe 6th SS Mountain Division "Nord" was a German unit of the Waffen SS during World War II, formed in February 1941 as SS Kampfgruppe Nord ....
( not assumed ) - September 1944 Führerreserve (Reserve)
- 28 September - 1 October 1944 23rd Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Kama23rd Waffen Mountain Division of the SS KamaThe 23rd Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Kama was a military formation composed of German officers and Bosniak soldiers in the Waffen-SS during World War II. The numerical designation "23rd" was given to the 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Nederland after the division was disbanded in...
- 1 October 1944 - April 1945 31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division31st SS Volunteer Grenadier DivisionThe 31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division was formed from Germans, Hungarians and Volksdeutsche, mostly from the Bačka in September 1944. The division is sometimes given the title Batschka...
.
Literature
- Martin Cüppers: Wegbereiter der Shoah. Die Waffen-SS, der Kommandostab Reichsführer-SS und die Judenvernichtung 1939-1945. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 2005. ISBN 3-534-16022-3
- Martin Cüppers: Gustav Lombard. Ein engagierter Judenmörder der Waffen-SS. in: Klaus-Michael Mahlmann, Gerhard Paul (Hrsg.): Karrieren der Gewalt. Nationalsozialistische Täterbiographien. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 2004, ISBN 3-534-16654-X, S. 145-155.