Fritz Hartjenstein
Encyclopedia
Friedrich "Fritz" Hartjenstein (July 3, 1905 – October 20, 1954) was an SS-Obersturmbannführer
(lieutenant colonel) in the SS-Totenkopfverbände
. He worked at various Nazi concentration camps such as Auschwitz and Sachsenhausen
.
After the Second World War, he was tried for war crimes and found guilty for murder and crimes against humanity.
, began his SS work at Sachsenhausen
in 1938. The following year he was transferred to Niederhagen
. In 1941 Hartjenstein served for a year with the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf
, a Waffen SS combat division.
In 1942, he was appointed the commandant
of Birkenau. This was the main camp at Auschwitz which contained the extermination facilities and crematoria. In 1944 Hartjenstein was appointed commandant of Natzweiler concentration camp in France. In 1945 he went to work at Flossenbürg concentration camp
.
and sentenced to life imprisonment on June 1, 1946, at Wuppertal
for executing four French Resistance
members. Hartjenstein was then retried by the British for hanging a Royal Air Force
POW. He was sentenced to death by firing squad.
He was then extradited to France
where he was tried for his crimes at Natzweiler and sentenced to death.
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...
(lieutenant colonel) in the SS-Totenkopfverbände
SS-Totenkopfverbände
SS-Totenkopfverbände , meaning "Death's-Head Units", was the SS organization responsible for administering the Nazi concentration camps for the Third Reich....
. He worked at various Nazi concentration camps such as Auschwitz and Sachsenhausen
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
.
After the Second World War, he was tried for war crimes and found guilty for murder and crimes against humanity.
Camp officer
Hartjenstein, who was born in PeinePeine
Peine is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, capital of the district Peine. It is situated on the river Fuhse and the Mittellandkanal, approx. 25 km west of Braunschweig, and 40 km east of Hanover.- History :...
, began his SS work at Sachsenhausen
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
in 1938. The following year he was transferred to Niederhagen
Niederhagen concentration camp
The Niederhagen concentration camp was a German concentration camp on the outskirts of Büren-Wewelsburg which existed from September 1941.-The camp:...
. In 1941 Hartjenstein served for a year with the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf
3rd SS Division Totenkopf
The SS Division Totenkopf , also known as 3. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf and 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf, was one of the 38 divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS during World War II. Prior to achieving division status, the formation was known as Kampfgruppe Eicke...
, a Waffen SS combat division.
In 1942, he was appointed the commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
of Birkenau. This was the main camp at Auschwitz which contained the extermination facilities and crematoria. In 1944 Hartjenstein was appointed commandant of Natzweiler concentration camp in France. In 1945 he went to work at Flossenbürg concentration camp
Flossenbürg concentration camp
Konzentrationslager Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the Schutzstaffel Economic-Administrative Main Office at Flossenbürg, in the Oberpfalz region of Bavaria, Germany, near the border with Czechoslovakia. Until its liberation in April 1945, more than 96,000 prisoners...
.
Post war trials
He was arrested by the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and sentenced to life imprisonment on June 1, 1946, at Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...
for executing four French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
members. Hartjenstein was then retried by the British for hanging a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
POW. He was sentenced to death by firing squad.
He was then extradited to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where he was tried for his crimes at Natzweiler and sentenced to death.