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Guides to German Records Microfilmed at Alexandria, Va
GUIDES TO GERMAN RECORDS MICROFILMED AT ALEXANDRIA, VA. No. 32. Records of the Reich Leader of the SS and Chief of the German Police (Part I) The National Archives National Archives and Records Service General Services Administration Washington: 1961 This finding aid has been prepared by the National Archives as part of its program of facilitating the use of records in its custody. The microfilm described in this guide may be consulted at the National Archives, where it is identified as RG 242, Microfilm Publication T175. To order microfilm, write to the Publications Sales Branch (NEPS), National Archives and Records Service (GSA), Washington, DC 20408. Some of the papers reproduced on the microfilm referred to in this and other guides of the same series may have been of private origin. The fact of their seizure is not believed to divest their original owners of any literary property rights in them. Anyone, therefore, who publishes them in whole or in part without permission of their authors may be held liable for infringement of such literary property rights. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 58-9982 AMERICA! HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE fOR THE STUDY OP WAR DOCUMENTS GUIDES TO GERMAN RECOBDS MICROFILMED AT ALEXAM)RIA, VA. No* 32» Records of the Reich Leader of the SS aad Chief of the German Police (HeiehsMhrer SS und Chef der Deutschen Polizei) 1) THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION (AHA) COMMITTEE FOR THE STUDY OF WAE DOCUMENTS GUIDES TO GERMAN RECORDS MICROFILMED AT ALEXANDRIA, VA* This is part of a series of Guides prepared -
Hans Kammler, Hitler's Last Hope, in American Hands
WORKING PAPER 91 Hans Kammler, Hitler’s Last Hope, in American Hands By Frank Döbert and Rainer Karlsch, August 2019 THE COLD WAR INTERNATIONAL HISTORY PROJECT WORKING PAPER SERIES Christian F. Ostermann and Charles Kraus, Series Editors This paper is one of a series of Working Papers published by the Cold War International History Project of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Established in 1991 by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Cold War International History Project (CWIHP) disseminates new information and perspectives on the history of the Cold War as it emerges from previously inaccessible sources from all sides of the post-World War II superpower rivalry. Among the activities undertaken by the Project to promote this aim are the Wilson Center's Digital Archive; a periodic Bulletin and other publications to disseminate new findings, views, and activities pertaining to Cold War history; a fellowship program for historians to conduct archival research and study Cold War history in the United States; and international scholarly meetings, conferences, and seminars. The CWIHP Working Paper series provides a speedy publication outlet for researchers who have gained access to newly-available archives and sources related to Cold War history and would like to share their results and analysis with a broad audience of academics, journalists, policymakers, and students. CWIHP especially welcomes submissions which use archival sources from outside of the United States; offer novel interpretations of well-known episodes in Cold War history; explore understudied events, issues, and personalities important to the Cold War; or improve understanding of the Cold War’s legacies and political relevance in the present day. -
WAR CRIMES and THEIR MOTIVATION the Socio-Psychological Structure of the SS and the Criminalization of a Society
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume 39 | Issue 3 Article 3 1948 War Crimes and Their otM ivation: The oS cio- Psychological Structure of the SS and the Criminalization of a Society Leo Alexander Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclc Part of the Criminal Law Commons, Criminology Commons, and the Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons Recommended Citation Leo Alexander, War Crimes and Their otM ivation: The ocS io-Psychological Structure of the SS and the Criminalization of a Society, 39 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 298 (1948-1949) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology by an authorized editor of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. WAR CRIMES AND THEIR MOTIVATION The Socio-Psychological Structure of the SS and the Criminalization of a Society Leo Alexander The author was consultant to the Secretary of War of the United States, on duty with the Office of the Chief of Counsel for War Crimes in Nurnberg, U.S. Zone of Germany, 1946-1947; Lieutenant Colonel, ORC, MC, USA; Associate Director of Research, Boston State Hospital; Instructor in Psychiatry, Tufts College Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. The following article was read in part at the 75th anniversary meeting of the Nederlandsche Vereinigung voor Psychiatrie en Neurologie, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on 12 June 1947, at the meeting of the Boston Society of Psychiatry and Neurology on 16 October 1947, at the First American Medicolegal Congress, in St. -
The Waffen-SS in Allied Hands Volume Two
The Waffen-SS in Allied Hands Volume Two The Waffen-SS in Allied Hands Volume Two: Personal Accounts from Hitler’s Elite Soldiers By Terry Goldsworthy The Waffen-SS in Allied Hands Volume Two: Personal Accounts from Hitler’s Elite Soldiers By Terry Goldsworthy This book first published 2018 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2018 by Terry Goldsworthy All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-0858-7 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-0858-3 All photographs courtesy of the US National Archives (NARA), Bundesarchiv and the Imperial War Museum. Cover photo – An SS-Panzergrenadier advances during the Ardennes Offensive, 1944. (German military photo, captured by U.S. military photo no. HD-SN-99-02729; NARA file no. 111-SC-197561). For Mandy, Hayley and Liam. CONTENTS Preface ...................................................................................................... xiii VOLUME ONE Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 The rationale for the study of the Waffen-SS ........................................ 1 Sources of information for this book .................................................... -
Local Agency and Individual Initiative in the Evolution of the Holocaust: the Case of Heinrich Himmler
Local Agency and Individual Initiative in the Evolution of the Holocaust: The Case of Heinrich Himmler By: Tanya Pazdernik 25 March 2013 Speaking in the early 1940s on the “grave matter” of the Jews, Heinrich Himmler asserted: “We had the moral right, we had the duty to our people to destroy this people which wanted to destroy us.”1 Appointed Reichsführer of the SS in January 1929, Himmler believed the total annihilation of the Jewish race necessary for the survival of the German nation. As such, he considered the Holocaust a moral duty. Indeed, the Nazi genocide of all “life unworthy of living,” known as the Holocaust, evolved from an ideology held by the highest officials of the Third Reich – an ideology rooted in a pseudoscientific racism that rationalized the systematic murder of over twelve million people, mostly during just a few years of World War Two. But ideologies do not murder. People do. And the leader of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler, never personally murdered a single Jew. Instead, he relied on his subordinates to implement his often ill-defined visions. Thus, to understand the Holocaust as a broad social phenomenon we must refocus our lens away from an obsession with Hitler and onto his henchmen. One such underling was indeed Himmler. The problem in the lack of consensus among scholars is over the matter of who, precisely, bears responsibility for the Holocaust. Historians even sharply disagree about the place of Adolf Hitler in the decision-making processes of the Third Reich, particularly in regards to the Final Solution. -
ABSTRACT Title of Document: the FURTHEST
ABSTRACT Title of Document: THE FURTHEST WATCH OF THE REICH: NATIONAL SOCIALISM, ETHNIC GERMANS, AND THE OCCUPATION OF THE SERBIAN BANAT, 1941-1944 Mirna Zakic, Ph.D., 2011 Directed by: Professor Jeffrey Herf, Department of History This dissertation examines the Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans) of the Serbian Banat (northeastern Serbia) during World War II, with a focus on their collaboration with the invading Germans from the Third Reich, and their participation in the occupation of their home region. It focuses on the occupation period (April 1941-October 1944) so as to illuminate three major themes: the mutual perceptions held by ethnic and Reich Germans and how these shaped policy; the motivation behind ethnic German collaboration; and the events which drew ethnic Germans ever deeper into complicity with the Third Reich. The Banat ethnic Germans profited from a fortuitous meeting of diplomatic, military, ideological and economic reasons, which prompted the Third Reich to occupy their home region in April 1941. They played a leading role in the administration and policing of the Serbian Banat until October 1944, when the Red Army invaded the Banat. The ethnic Germans collaborated with the Nazi regime in many ways: they accepted its worldview as their own, supplied it with food, administrative services and eventually soldiers. They acted as enforcers and executors of its policies, which benefited them as perceived racial and ideological kin to Reich Germans. These policies did so at the expense of the multiethnic Banat‟s other residents, especially Jews and Serbs. In this, the Third Reich replicated general policy guidelines already implemented inside Germany and elsewhere in German-occupied Europe. -
USHMM Finding
https://collections.ushmm.org Contact [email protected] for further information about this collection John M. Steiner collection Interviews with former members of the SS, other Nazi officials, and witnesses to Nazi Germany RG-50.593 The following is a draft English-language summary of an interview in German from the John M. Steiner collection. The translation has been not been verified for accuracy, and therefore, may contain errors. Nothing should be quoted or used from this summary without first checking it against the taped interview. Moreover, the description of events in the summary may not match the sequence, time-code, or track number of the audio files. Interview with Harald von Saucken Recorded in 1976 Speaker says that he will discuss his autobiography, with emphasis on his membership in the Waffen SS from 1934 to 1947. He talks about touring Dachau in November 1942. He discusses his years as an American POW and his post-war career managing American businesses in Germany. Says that he was born on April 23, 1915 in Heidelberg; that his parents divorced in 1921/2 and he spent his youth, either in boarding schools or with his mother. He lived in the Munich area, completed Gymnasium in Mainz in 1934, and then returned to his village, Oberallmanshausen on the Starnberger See. He wanted to continue his studies but had insufficient funds so he decided to join the military. He was deferred due to treaty limitations on the size of the Reichswehr and was very disappointed; however a neighbor told him that there was another avenue – the SS had a branch called the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT -SS Dispositional Troops). -
Himmlers Orden Das Auslese- Und Beitrittsverfahren Der Allgemeinen SS
263 Die SS bezeichnete sich selbst als „Elitetruppe“ des „Führers“ und als „ver- schworene Gemeinschaft“ ideologiefester Nationalsozialisten. Aber stimmten An- spruch und Realität tatsächlich überein? Gelang es Himmler wirklich, eine Auslese zu treffen und die gut 200.000 Freiwilligen aus allen Schichten auf seine „rassische“ Linie zu bringen? Bastian Hein vom Institut für Zeitgeschichte geht diesen Fragen nach und zeigt, wie deutsche Männer zu Mitgliedern des „Schwarzen Ordens“ wur- den – und wie dieser Initiationsprozess mit dem „verbrecherischen“ Charakter der Schutzstaffel zusammenhängt. nnnn Bastian Hein Himmlers Orden Das Auslese- und Beitrittsverfahren der Allgemeinen SS Im Sommer 2007 musste sich die „Zunft der Zeithistoriker“ eine herbe Schelte der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung gefallen lassen. Sie wirke hilflos und biete trotz „zahlreicher, oft DFG-geförderter Projekte“ zwar mit Verve vorgetragene Meinungen, aber wenig inhaltliche Substanz. „Es wird geglaubt, gemeint und für wahrscheinlich gehalten – und trotzdem kräftig bewertet“, so die Kritik des Feuil- letonisten1. Worum ging es in der Sache? Seit 2002 waren in der zentralen Mitglie- derkartei der NSDAP Einträge zu mehreren prominenten Bundesbürgern, u. a. Walter Jens, Martin Walser und Dieter Hildebrandt, entdeckt worden. Diese An- gehörigen der sogenannten Flakhelfergeneration hatten einhellig abgestritten, in den letzten Jahren des Dritten Reichs noch „Parteigenossen“ geworden zu sein2. Und als sich die Öffentlichkeit Rat suchend an die Experten wandte, musste sie feststellen, dass einfache und eindeutige Antworten nicht zu bekommen waren3. Dass über einen so zentralen Aspekt wie das Beitrittsverfahren der NSDAP noch kein kanonisiertes Wissen vorlag, empfand die Frankfurter Allgemeine als ein „überraschendes, sogar erschreckendes Desiderat der Forschung“4. Mittlerweile kann diese Lücke als geschlossen gelten. -
Hungarian Rhapsody Personalities Compiled by Chip Saltsman
Hungarian Rhapsody Personalities Compiled by Chip Saltsman The battles in Hungary during late 1944 and early 1945 featured an interesting cast of characters, some for their infamy and some for the mark they would make on the world stage in the years after the war. Leonid Brezhnev (December 19, 1906 - November 10, 1982) – Major General Leonid Brezhnev (center figure in the photo), is the future leader of the Soviet Union from 1964 until his death in 1982. Helped in his rise by political patron Nikita Khrushchev, Brezhnev was the Political Officer of the 18th Army in the Caucasus, particularly supporting their landings at Novorossiysk (about which he wrote a book named “The Little Land”). During the Hungarian Rhapsody Campaign, Brezhnev was the Chief of the Political Directorate of the 4th Ukrainian Front (the white frame units in the northern part of the map). Oskar Dirlewanger (26 September 1895 – 7 June 1945) was arguably the evilest man in the Nazi SS. Dirlewanger served in France during World War I, was wounded 6 times, and apparently emerged shattered by the frenzied violence and barbarism of years in the trenches. This, combined with an amoral personality, alcoholism, and sadistic sexual orientation, determined his path to “terror warfare” in the Second World War. He was a member of the Freikorps and active with the SA between the wars, embezzling money from his employers which he funneled to the SA. He fought in the Spanish Civil War as a member of the Condor Legion, and was wounded three more times. At the start of World War 2, he joined the Waffen SS with the rank of Obersturmführer (first lieutenant), and eventually became the commander of the so-called Dirlewanger Brigade. -
Historical Review of Developments Relating to Aggression
Historical Review of Developments relating to Aggression United Nations New York, 2003 UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Sales No. E.03.V10 ISBN 92-1-133538-8 Copyright 0 United Nations, 2003 All rights reserved Contents Paragraphs Page Preface xvii Introduction 1. The Nuremberg Tribunal 1-117 A. Establishment 1 B. Jurisdiction 2 C. The indictment 3-14 1. The defendants 4 2. Count one: The common plan or conspiracy to commit crimes against peace 5-8 3 3. Count two: Planning, preparing, initiating and waging war as crimes against peace 9-10 4. The specific charges against the defendants 11-14 (a) Count one 12 (b) Counts one and two 13 (c) Count two 14 D. The judgement 15-117 1. The charges contained in counts one and two 15-16 2. The factual background of the aggressive war 17-21 3. Measures of rearmament 22-23 4. Preparing and planning for aggression 24-26 5. Acts of aggression and aggressive wars 27-53 (a) The seizure of Austria 28-31 (b) The seizure of Czechoslovakia 32-33 (c) The invasion of Poland 34-35 (d) The invasion of Denmark and Norway 36-43 Paragraphs Page (e) The invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg 44-45 (f) The invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece 46-48 (g) The invasion of the Soviet Union 49-51 (h) The declaration of war against the United States 52-53 28 6. Wars in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances 54 7. The Law of the Charter 55-57 The crime of aggressive war 56-57 8. -
Oskar Dirlewanger Und Gottlob Berger
Oskar Dirlewanger und Gottlob Berger Eine Täterfreundschaft am Rande Friede Samo 11.11.2020 (alle Rechte vorbehalten) Inhalt Einführung 1 Kapitel 1: Leben 1895 bis 1940 3 Kapitel 2: Das Wilddieb-Kommando im Distrikt Lublin Oktober 1940 bis Februar 1942 9 Kapitel 3: Das rückwärtige Heeresgebiet Russland-Mitte 1941-42 12 Kapitel 4: 1942: Wie keine andere Truppe zur Partisanenbekämpfung geeignet 15 Kapitel 5: Die SS führt den Partisanenkampf 17 Kapitel 6: Eingebunden in Beziehungsnetze 1942-1944 21 Kapitel 7: Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit 28 Kapitel 8: Verlust der russischen Front und Weißrusslands 1943-1944 31 Kapitel 9 Die Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger 1944-1945: ein Exkurs 33 Epilog 35 Anhang Der Reichsführer–SS Betrifft: Gerichtsbarkeit beim Einsatz-Batl. Dirlewanger.20. Febr.1944 38-39 Karte der Partisanengebiete an der Ostfront August 1942 bis August 1943. 40 Abkürzungsverzeichnis 41 Quellen- und Literaturverzeichnis 42 Seite 1 Einführung Diese Untersuchung bezieht sich auf einzelne Etappen des Lebensweges von Oskar Dirlewanger (26.9.1895-7.6.1945). Soweit der Chef des SS-Hauptamtes Gottlob Berger (16.7.1896-5.1.1975) angesprochen ist, geschieht dies in Hinsicht auf die Begegnungen der Lebenswege beider Männer. Die Literatur über die Täter nationalsozialistischer Verbrechen im deutschen Reich und nach Beginn des Zweiten Weltkrieges in ganz Europa ist im Laufe der Jahrzehnte stark gewachsen und dank der Forschung mangelt es nicht an einer Fülle von Quellen, aus denen die einschlägigen Biografien schöpfen können. Schwieriger ist es, aus den Verhältnissen und jeweiligen Umständen heraus, die zur Begehung der Verbrechen führten, die Täterbiografien zu verstehen. Dieser Aufgabe stellt sich die vorliegende Arbeit über Gottlob Berger und Oskar Dirlewanger, deren Lebenswege sich 1914 in Ulm und 1933 in Esslingen kreuzten und bis 1945 eng verflochten waren. -
The 12Th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend”
The 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend” The 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend” By Adrian Dragoș Defta The 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend” By Adrian Dragoș Defta This book first published 2021 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2021 by Adrian Dragoș Defta All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-7090-8 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-7090-0 In loving memory of the most special ladies of my life: my Grandmother Elisabeta and my Mother Elena. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................ x CHAPTER I ................................................................................................... 1 THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE STUDY 1.1 Introduction ..................................................................................... 1 1.2 Literature Review: The 12th SS Panzer Division “Hitlerjugend” in Contemporary Historiography ..................................................... 6 1.3 Methodology ................................................................................. 20 1.4 Resources Used for Research .......................................................