Emil Augsburg
Encyclopedia
Emil Augsburg was a Polish
-born SS Standartenführer
and minor Nazi war criminal.
in 1904 and learnt to speak fluent Polish
and Russian
.
"Studious and dedicated, Augsburg earned a doctorate three decades later studying about the press in the Soviet Union. In 1934 he joined the SD; membership in the SS followed. In 1937, Augsburg became associated with the Wannsee Institute."
Between 1939 and 1941 he worked for the Security police. As part of his duties during World War II
Augsburg was responsible for planning the SS executions of Jews
and other "enemies of the Reich in occupied Poland
.
"After Augsburg was wounded in an air attack in Smolensk in September 1941, he returned to Berlin to conduct research on Eastern Euopean matters. The RSHA foreign intelligence branch formally absorbed the Wannsee Insitute in 1943."
Just before the war ended Augsburg hid at a Benedictine
cloister in Ettal
, Germany. There he joined a sympathetic Polish
Monsignor and the pair escaped to the Vatican
in Rome
.
authorities. he escaped punishment because between 1947-1948 he was employed by an American military counter-intelligence agency as an expert on Soviet affairs.
After 1949 he worked for West German intelligence under Reinhard Gehlen
.
By the late 1950s, it was known that Soviet agents were trying to contact Augsburg. In the early 1960s, many people operating in inttelligence circles believed Augsburg was working as a double agent....He was increasingly viewed as a liability and a record of his nefarious wartime activities was compiled to force his quiet resignation. In 1966 Augsburg was dismissed for "unauthorized intelligence activities."
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
-born SS 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...
and minor Nazi war criminal.
Career
Emil Augsburg was born in Congress PolandCongress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
in 1904 and learnt to speak fluent Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
.
"Studious and dedicated, Augsburg earned a doctorate three decades later studying about the press in the Soviet Union. In 1934 he joined the SD; membership in the SS followed. In 1937, Augsburg became associated with the Wannsee Institute."
Between 1939 and 1941 he worked for the Security police. As part of his duties 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...
Augsburg was responsible for planning the SS executions of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
and other "enemies of the Reich in occupied 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...
.
"After Augsburg was wounded in an air attack in Smolensk in September 1941, he returned to Berlin to conduct research on Eastern Euopean matters. The RSHA foreign intelligence branch formally absorbed the Wannsee Insitute in 1943."
Just before the war ended Augsburg hid at a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
cloister in Ettal
Ettal
Ettal is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria.-Geography:Ettal is situated in the Oberland area in the Graswangtal between the Loisachtal and Ammertal, approx. 10 km north of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the district capital, and approx...
, Germany. There he joined a sympathetic Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
Monsignor and the pair escaped to the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Postwar
After the war, he was prosecuted in absentia, by the Communist PolishPoland
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...
authorities. he escaped punishment because between 1947-1948 he was employed by an American military counter-intelligence agency as an expert on Soviet affairs.
After 1949 he worked for West German intelligence under Reinhard Gehlen
Reinhard Gehlen
Reinhard Gehlen was a General in the German Army during World War II, who served as chief of intelligence-gathering on the Eastern Front. After the war, he was recruited by the United States military to set up a spy ring directed against the Soviet Union , and eventually became head of the West...
.
By the late 1950s, it was known that Soviet agents were trying to contact Augsburg. In the early 1960s, many people operating in inttelligence circles believed Augsburg was working as a double agent....He was increasingly viewed as a liability and a record of his nefarious wartime activities was compiled to force his quiet resignation. In 1966 Augsburg was dismissed for "unauthorized intelligence activities."
Literature
- Kenneth A. Alford & Theodore P. Savas, Nazi Millionaires: The Allied Search for Hidden SS Gold (Casemate; 2002) ISBN 0971170967
- Höhne, Heinz. Der Orden unter dem Totenkopf, (English translation entitled : The Order of the Death's Head, The Story of Hitler's SS) London: Pan Books Ltd. (1969)
- Koehl, Robert Lewis. The Black Corps University of Wisconsin Press, (1983)
- Reitlinger, Gerald. The SS: Alibi of a Nation 1922-1945. Viking (Da Capo reprint), New York (1957). ISBN 0-306-80351-8