Franz Ziereis
Encyclopedia
Franz Xaver Ziereis was the commandant of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
from 1939 until the camp was captured by the Allied powers in 1945.
, Germany
. Ziereis spent 8 years in elementary school and then began as an apprentice and messenger boy in a department store. In the evenings he studied commerce. In 1922 he went to work as a labourer in a carpentry shop.
(army) on April 1, 1924, for a period of 12 years. He was discharged with the rank of sergeant on September 30, 1936, he then joined the SS. He attained the rank of SS Obersturmführer
(SS first lieutenant). In 1937 he was given command of the 22nd Hundertschaft (hundred-man-unit) of the SS Totenkopf
detachment "Brandenburg." Ziereis' unit was assigned to after the Anschluss
with Germany. On July 1, 1938, he transferred to the SS Totekopf regiment "Thüringen" as a training instructor.
on February 9, 1939 by order of Theodor Eicke
, Inspector of Concentration Camps. On August 25, 1939, Ziereis received a promotion to the rank of SS Sturmbannführer
(SS major) and, on April 20, 1944 he received his final promotion to SS Standartenführer
(SS colonel).
Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...
from 1939 until the camp was captured by the Allied powers in 1945.
Early life
Ziereis was born on August 13, 1905 in MunichMunich
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...
, 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...
. Ziereis spent 8 years in elementary school and then began as an apprentice and messenger boy in a department store. In the evenings he studied commerce. In 1922 he went to work as a labourer in a carpentry shop.
Military Career
Ziereis joined Germany's ReichswehrReichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
(army) on April 1, 1924, for a period of 12 years. He was discharged with the rank of sergeant on September 30, 1936, he then joined the SS. He attained the rank of SS Obersturmführer
Obersturmführer
Obersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...
(SS first lieutenant). In 1937 he was given command of the 22nd Hundertschaft (hundred-man-unit) of the SS Totenkopf
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...
detachment "Brandenburg." Ziereis' unit was assigned to after the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
with Germany. On July 1, 1938, he transferred to the SS Totekopf regiment "Thüringen" as a training instructor.
Concentration camp commandant
Zeireis replaced Albert Saur as commandant of MauthausenMauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...
on February 9, 1939 by order of Theodor Eicke
Theodor Eicke
Theodor Eicke was a SS Obergruppenführer , commander of the SS-Division Totenkopf of the Waffen-SS and one of the key figures in the establishment of concentration camps in Nazi Germany. His Nazi Party number was 114,901 and his SS number was 2,921...
, Inspector of Concentration Camps. On August 25, 1939, Ziereis received a promotion to the rank of SS Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(SS major) and, on April 20, 1944 he received his final promotion to 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...
(SS colonel).