Eduard Strauch
Encyclopedia
Eduard Strauch was an SS-Obersturmbannführer
, commander of Einsatzkommando 2
, commander of two Nazi organizations, the Security Police (German: Sicherheitspolizei
), or Sipo, and the Security Service (German: Sicherheitsdienst
, or SD), first in Belarus
– then called White Russia or White Ruthenia – and later in Belgium. In October 1944, he was transferred to the military branch of the SS (Waffen-SS
).
, Strauch first studied theology
at the universities of Erlangen (now Erlangen-Nuremberg) and Münster
, but changed his course of studies and graduated with a degree in jurisprudence
. On 1 August 1931 he joined the Nazi Party and SA
. On December 1, 1931 he became a member of the Nazi SS organization
. In 1934 he began working for the SD.
, Strauch assumed command of a unit of the Einsatzgruppen
. Strauch led Einsatzkommando 2
, which was part of Einsatzgruppe A, which beginning on November 4, 1941 was under the command of Franz Walter Stahlecker
. On November 30, 1941, he participated, with 20 men under his command, in the murder of 10,600 Jews of Riga in the Rumbula forest near the city.
As a reward for this "service" he was promoted to commander in Sipo and the SD and transferred to Belarus
.
In July 1943, the Nazi general commissioner for White Russia reported on having had a conference with the "extremely capable [...] chief of the SD, SS-Obersturmbannführer Dr. jur. Strauch “, who had caused "the liquidation of 55,000 Jews in just the past 10 weeks alone."
Strauch had difficulties within the SS. SS-Obergruppenführer
Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, himself a perpetrator of the genocide
, described Strauch as "the worst human I ever met in my life". Strauch's promotion to Standartenführer
was denied. On 31 May 1944 he was appointed Sipo and SD commander in Belgium
. In October 1944 Strauch was transferred to the SS military branch the Waffen-SS
.
trial for having a key role in the Rumbula and a number of other mass murders in Eastern Europe. On April 9, 1948, Presiding judge Michael Musmanno
pronounced the tribunal's sentence on Strauch:
Unlike his co-defendants Otto Ohlendorf
and Paul Blobel
, Strauch did not hang. Instead, he was handed over to authorities in Belgium
, where he had committed other crimes, for trial. He was again convicted and sentenced to death, but this sentence likewise was never carried out. Strauch died in Belgian custody on September 15, 1955 in a hospital in Uccle, Belgium
.
Obersturmbannführer
Obersturmbannführer was a paramilitary Nazi Party rank used by both the SA and the SS. It was created in May 1933 to fill the need for an additional field grade officer rank above Sturmbannführer as the SA expanded. It became an SS rank at the same time...
, commander of Einsatzkommando 2
Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen were SS paramilitary death squads that were responsible for mass killings, typically by shooting, of Jews in particular, but also significant numbers of other population groups and political categories...
, commander of two Nazi organizations, the Security Police (German: Sicherheitspolizei
Sicherheitspolizei
The 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 1936 and 1939...
), or Sipo, and the Security Service (German: Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
, or SD), first in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
– then called White Russia or White Ruthenia – and later in Belgium. In October 1944, he was transferred to the military branch of the SS (Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing 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...
).
Life
Born in EssenEssen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Strauch first studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the universities of Erlangen (now Erlangen-Nuremberg) and Münster
University of Münster
The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
, but changed his course of studies and graduated with a degree in jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
. On 1 August 1931 he joined the Nazi Party and SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
. On December 1, 1931 he became a member of the Nazi SS organization
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...
. In 1934 he began working for the SD.
Crimes against humanity
Like many other employees of the SD, at the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet UnionEastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
, Strauch assumed command of a unit of the Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen were SS paramilitary death squads that were responsible for mass killings, typically by shooting, of Jews in particular, but also significant numbers of other population groups and political categories...
. Strauch led Einsatzkommando 2
Einsatzkommando
During World War II, the Nazi German Einsatzkommandos were a sub-group of five Einsatzgruppen mobile killing squads—up to 3,000 men each—usually composed of 500-1,000 functionaries of the SS and Gestapo, whose mission was to kill Jews, Romani, communists and the NKVD collaborators in the captured...
, which was part of Einsatzgruppe A, which beginning on November 4, 1941 was under the command of Franz Walter Stahlecker
Franz Walter Stahlecker
Franz Walter Stahlecker was Commander of the Sicherheitspolizei and the Sicherheitsdienst for the Reichskommissariat Ostland in 1941/42...
. On November 30, 1941, he participated, with 20 men under his command, in the murder of 10,600 Jews of Riga in the Rumbula forest near the city.
Rumbula massacre
The Rumbula massacre was the two-day killing of about 25,000 Jews in and on the way to Rumbula forest near Riga, Latvia, during the Holocaust. Save only the Babi Yar massacre in Ukraine, this was the biggest two-day Holocaust atrocity until the operation of the death camps...
As a reward for this "service" he was promoted to commander in Sipo and the SD and transferred to Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
.
In July 1943, the Nazi general commissioner for White Russia reported on having had a conference with the "extremely capable [...] chief of the SD, SS-Obersturmbannführer Dr. jur. Strauch “, who had caused "the liquidation of 55,000 Jews in just the past 10 weeks alone."
Strauch had difficulties within the SS. SS-Obergruppenführer
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...
Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, himself a perpetrator of the genocide
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, described Strauch as "the worst human I ever met in my life". Strauch's promotion to Standartenführer
Standartenführer
Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
was denied. On 31 May 1944 he was appointed Sipo and SD commander in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. In October 1944 Strauch was transferred to the SS military branch the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing 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...
.
After 1945
Despite an effort to sham mental illness, Strauch was convicted by the Nuremberg Military Tribunal in the EinsatzgruppenEinsatzgruppen Trial
The Einsatzgruppen Trial was the ninth of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone in Germany in Nuremberg after the end of World War II. These twelve trials were all held before U.S...
trial for having a key role in the Rumbula and a number of other mass murders in Eastern Europe. On April 9, 1948, Presiding judge Michael Musmanno
Michael Musmanno
Michael Angelo Musmanno was an American jurist, politician, and naval officer of Italian heritage.Musmanno was born in Stowe Township, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, an industrial neighborhood a few miles west of Pittsburgh.Musmanno rose to the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy...
pronounced the tribunal's sentence on Strauch:
Unlike his co-defendants Otto Ohlendorf
Otto Ohlendorf
Otto Ohlendorf was a German SS-Gruppenführer and head of the Inland-SD , a section of the SD. Ohlendorf was the commanding officer of Einsatzgruppe D, which conducted mass murder in Moldova, south Ukraine, the Crimea, and, during 1942, the north Caucasus...
and Paul Blobel
Paul Blobel
Paul Blobel was a German Nazi war criminal, an SS-Standartenführer and a member of the SD. Born in the city of Potsdam, he participated in the First World War, where by all accounts he served well and was decorated with the Iron Cross first class...
, Strauch did not hang. Instead, he was handed over to authorities in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, where he had committed other crimes, for trial. He was again convicted and sentenced to death, but this sentence likewise was never carried out. Strauch died in Belgian custody on September 15, 1955 in a hospital in Uccle, Belgium
Uccle
Uccle or Ukkel is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.Uccle is known for its well-to-do areas, its green spots and its high rental rates.-History:...
.