Heinz Macher
Encyclopedia
Heinz Macher was an SS
-Sturmbannführer
(Major) and Nazi
official. He was born in Chemnitz
, Germany
and joined the Nazi party in the early 1940s.
Macher led a group of 15 SS specialists who were ordered by Heinrich Himmler
to blow up the SS castle Wewelsburg
near Paderborn in order to ensure that the devotional objects and important files should not fall into the hands of the Allies. The demolition command arrived on March 31, 1945. The same day, after Macher had informed the local fire brigade, the south-east tower, the least important tower of the large castle, was blown up. Because of lack of explosives they could not blow up the rest of the complex. Macher ordered the firemen not to extinguish the fire so that most of the complex was nevertheless destroyed.
Macher was also charged with the task of burying the castle's treasures, including over 9,000 Death's Head
rings held in a shrine to commemorate SS men killed in action. These treasures have never been found.
Macher joined Himmler during his last days. He was captured together with him and Werner Grothmann
on May 21 or 22, 1945.
Macher died on December 21, 2001 in Schenefeld, Pinneberg
, 10 days before his 82nd birthday.
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...
-Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major) and Nazi
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
official. He was born in Chemnitz
Chemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and joined the Nazi party in the early 1940s.
Macher led a group of 15 SS specialists who were ordered by Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
to blow up the SS castle Wewelsburg
Wewelsburg
For the village of Wewelsburg see Village of WewelsburgWewelsburg is a Renaissance castle located in the northeast of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the village of Wewelsburg which is a quarter of the city Büren, Westphalia, in district of Paderborn in the Alme Valley. The castle has the...
near Paderborn in order to ensure that the devotional objects and important files should not fall into the hands of the Allies. The demolition command arrived on March 31, 1945. The same day, after Macher had informed the local fire brigade, the south-east tower, the least important tower of the large castle, was blown up. Because of lack of explosives they could not blow up the rest of the complex. Macher ordered the firemen not to extinguish the fire so that most of the complex was nevertheless destroyed.
Macher was also charged with the task of burying the castle's treasures, including over 9,000 Death's Head
Totenkopf
The Totenkopf is the German word for the death's head and an old symbol for death or the dead. It consists usually of the skull and the mandible of the human skeleton...
rings held in a shrine to commemorate SS men killed in action. These treasures have never been found.
Macher joined Himmler during his last days. He was captured together with him and Werner Grothmann
Werner Grothmann
Werner Grothmann , German Nazi functionary. Born in Frankfurt am Main. He was an accounting officer until 1933 and became a member of the Schutzstaffel or SS. During late 30s he became an SS - Leibstandarte, commanding the Deutsches SS Standarten in Muenchen, Germany.During the 1940 invasion of...
on May 21 or 22, 1945.
Macher died on December 21, 2001 in Schenefeld, Pinneberg
Schenefeld, Pinneberg
Schenefeld is a town in the district of Pinneberg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated at the northwest border of Hamburg.It is known for its excellent badminton team from ....
, 10 days before his 82nd birthday.
Awards
- Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
in Gold - Infantry Assault BadgeInfantry 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...
- Tank Destruction Badge for Individual CombatantsTank Destruction BadgeThe Tank Destruction Badge was an award given to individuals of the Wehrmacht who destroyed an enemy tank single-handedly by an hand-held weapon. Anti-tank units were not eligible for this award...
- 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....
- 2nd Class (24 September 1941)
- 1st Class (15 March 1942)
- 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...
in Gold (7 August 1944) - Close Combat ClaspClose Combat ClaspThe Close Combat Clasp is a German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for achievement in hand to hand fighting in close quarters. The Close Combat Clasp was worn above the upper left uniform pocket...
in Gold- Bronze (12 April 1943)
- Silver (unknown)
- Gold (18 October 1944)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak LeavesKnight'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...
- Knight's Cross (3 April 1943)
- 544. Oak Leaves (19 August 1944)