Hans Aumeier
Encyclopedia
Hans Aumeier was a Nazi war criminal, an SS
-Sturmbannführer
(Major) and the deputy commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp
.
, Germany
, where he attended elementary school
for four years and then secondary school for just three years. In 1918 he left school without any qualifications to take up an apprenticeship
as a turner and fitter in a local rifle factory, following his father’s career. In 1923 he left the small factory in Amberg and began work for a bigger company in Munich
. In 1925 he tried to join the Reichswehr
but failed and returned to the rifle factory in Munich, but he couldn’t settle down and after taking up similar positions in other factories in Berlin
, Bremen
and Cologne
he became unemployed. Throughout the period 1926-1929, Aumeier moved from one job to another,
and was in and out of employment, taking part-time work and summer jobs in order to survive. He was an early member of the Nazi Party, joining in December 1929, and in 1931 he joined the SA
and was soon employed as a driver at the SA headquarters in Berlin. Later in December 1931 he was transferred to the SS
where he worked in the garage as a driver, and was on the staff of Reichsführer-SS
Heinrich Himmler
. He had now found a job he liked and the discipline of the SA and SS suited Aumeier well, he felt he belonged, although he wanted to be a soldier.
methods, including tortures, beatings, and executions. On March 19, 1942, 144 women were shot at the execution wall in the courtyard of Blocks 10 and 11 on Aumeier’s orders. Again on May 27, 1942 he was present at a mass execution of 168 prisoners who were shot in the same manner. On August 18, 1943, Aumeier was found guilty of corrupt practices within the camp and
as a result was transferred from Auschwitz on the personal orders of Commandant Rudolf Höß
.
Friedrich Jeckeln
. He was attached to the SS-Construction Brigade of 5th SS Panzer Corps; this unit was responsible for building fortifications in the area Oranienbaum
-Leningrad
and was under the command of Organisation Todt
. Aumeier would command a Jewish construction unit of some 7,000 men with orders to construct, and then establish Vaivara concentration camp in Estonia
for Jews
.
. On August 20, Aumeier reported back to Jeckeln and found himself attached to a Police Battalion part of “Kampfgruppe (Battle Group) Jeckeln”, situated near Riga
. Here, Aumeier took part in his only frontline engagement with the enemy as his unit attempted to attack the island Osel
(Saaremaa
) but was unsuccessful. What part he played in this attack is unclear.
at Oranienburg
. He took this opportunity to ask Glücks if he could return to his old unit at Dachau concentration camp so he could visit his family. His request was granted, but he was taken ill with an old eye
injury and was sent to the hospital; and remained there until January, 1945. When he was finally discharged, he reported back to Oranienburg and was asked whether he wanted to go to Norway
to become commandant of a new concentration camp at Mysen
. He asked for leave to see his family but this time it was refused and he was told to report to SS-Sturmbannführer Max Pauly
immediately who would brief him.
On January 22, he arrived in Oslo
, met Pauly and was told he had to supervise the building of a camp to house approximately 3,000 prisoners to be used in slave labour. It seems that Aumeier managed
to build this camp and his treatment of the prisoners was very different from that of how he treated the prisoners at Auschwitz. He worked closely with the Norwegian Red Cross
and even let them into the camp. On May 7, 1945 Aumeier opened the camp and let the prisoners go free, by the next day the camp was empty.
intelligence officers at Akershus Prison for interrogation in August, 1945. In 1946, he was extradited
to Poland
to face trial as a war criminal along with thirty-nine other members of the SS staff of Auschwitz-Birkenau, before the Supreme National Tribunal
in Kraków
. The trial lasted from November 25 to December 16, 1947, and Aumeier stated that if he was found guilty and sentenced to death
, he would "die as a 'Sündenbock' (scapegoat
) for Germany
". He told the court that he had never killed anyone at Auschwitz and neither had any of his men and denied knowledge of the gas chambers
. On December 22, Aumeier was sentenced to death, and he was hanged
on January 28, 1948 in Montelupich Prison
, Kraków.
Lagerführer of Auschwitz I from 16 February 1942 until 18 August 1943
SS#: 2 700
NSDAP#: 164 755
Ranks:
SS-Unterscharführer – December 1931
SS-Oberscharführer – 11 November 1932
SS-Hauptscharführer – 20 April 1933
SS-Untersturmführer – 20 April 1934
SS-Obersturmführer – 15 September 1935
SS-Hauptsturmführer – 11 September 1938
SS-Sturmbannführer der Waffen-SS – 9 November 1944
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...
-Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major) and the deputy commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
.
Life before the War
One of the most important men at Auschwitz being deputy to the commandant, he was different from other SS officers; he was uneducated and almost illiterate. Aumeier was born on August 20, 1906 in the small town of AmbergAmberg
Amberg is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in the Upper Palatinate, roughly halfway between Regensburg and Bayreuth. Population: 44,756 .- History :...
, 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...
, where he attended elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
for four years and then secondary school for just three years. In 1918 he left school without any qualifications to take up an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
as a turner and fitter in a local rifle factory, following his father’s career. In 1923 he left the small factory in Amberg and began work for a bigger company in Munich
Munich
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...
. In 1925 he tried to join the Reichswehr
Reichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
but failed and returned to the rifle factory in Munich, but he couldn’t settle down and after taking up similar positions in other factories in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
and Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
he became unemployed. Throughout the period 1926-1929, Aumeier moved from one job to another,
and was in and out of employment, taking part-time work and summer jobs in order to survive. He was an early member of the Nazi Party, joining in December 1929, and in 1931 he joined the 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...
and was soon employed as a driver at the SA headquarters in Berlin. Later in December 1931 he was transferred to the SS
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...
where he worked in the garage as a driver, and was on the staff of Reichsführer-SS
Reichsführer-SS
was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
. He had now found a job he liked and the discipline of the SA and SS suited Aumeier well, he felt he belonged, although he wanted to be a soldier.
Auschwitz
On February 1, 1942 he was transferred to Auschwitz concentration camp and was appointed as head of Department III, and named Schutzhaftlagerführer at Auschwitz I, where he remained until August 16, 1943. It was during this time at Auschwitz that Aumeier made a name for himself, he was responsible for many draconianDraconian
Draconian is an adjective meaning great severity, that derives from Draco, an Athenian law scribe under whom small offences had heavy punishments .Draconian may also refer to:* Draconian , a Death/doom metal band from Sweden...
methods, including tortures, beatings, and executions. On March 19, 1942, 144 women were shot at the execution wall in the courtyard of Blocks 10 and 11 on Aumeier’s orders. Again on May 27, 1942 he was present at a mass execution of 168 prisoners who were shot in the same manner. On August 18, 1943, Aumeier was found guilty of corrupt practices within the camp and
as a result was transferred from Auschwitz on the personal orders of Commandant Rudolf Höß
Rudolf Höß
Rudolf Franz Ferdinand Höss was an SS-Obersturmbannführer , and from 4 May 1940 to November 1943, the first commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, where it is estimated that more than a million people were murdered...
.
Interrogation
According to an interrogation report, Aumeier stated that in May-June 1943 while still attached to Auschwitz he was ordered to report to the Higher SS and Police Leader “Ostland”, SS-GruppenführerGruppenführer
Gruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
Friedrich Jeckeln
Friedrich Jeckeln
Friedrich Jeckeln was an SS-Obergruppenführer who served as an SS and Police Leader in the occupied Soviet Union during World War II...
. He was attached to the SS-Construction Brigade of 5th SS Panzer Corps; this unit was responsible for building fortifications in the area Oranienbaum
Oranienbaum
Oranienbaum may refer to:Germany:* Oranienbaum, Germany, a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany* Oranienbaum-WörlitzRussia:* Oranienbaum, Russia , a Russian royal residence* Lomonosov , the former name of the adjacent town...
-Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
and was under the command of Organisation Todt
Organisation Todt
The Todt Organisation, was a Third Reich civil and military engineering group in Germany named after its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior Nazi figure...
. Aumeier would command a Jewish construction unit of some 7,000 men with orders to construct, and then establish Vaivara concentration camp in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
for 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...
.
Life after Auschwitz
After he was dismissed from Auschwitz, he returned to Vaivara as commandant and remained there until August, 1944, when the camp was evacuated and all his prisoners were made the responsibility of the commandant of Stutthof concentration campStutthof concentration camp
Stutthof was the first Nazi concentration camp built outside of 1937 German borders.Completed on September 2, 1939, it was located in a secluded, wet, and wooded area west of the small town of Sztutowo . The town is located in the former territory of the Free City of Danzig, 34 km east of...
. On August 20, Aumeier reported back to Jeckeln and found himself attached to a Police Battalion part of “Kampfgruppe (Battle Group) Jeckeln”, situated near Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. Here, Aumeier took part in his only frontline engagement with the enemy as his unit attempted to attack the island Osel
Osel
Osel may refer to:* Ösel - the Yoga of the Clear Light* Ösel, the German name of the island of Saaremaa in Estonia* Osel Hita Torres - a Tibetan Buddhist tulku* Osel - a symphony orchestra based in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium...
(Saaremaa
Saaremaa
Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring 2,673 km². The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago...
) but was unsuccessful. What part he played in this attack is unclear.
Transfer to Norway
In October, 1944, shortly before the surrender of Riga he was ordered to report to SS-Gruppenführer Richard GlücksRichard Glücks
Richard Glücks was a high-ranking Nazi official. He attained the rank of a SS-Gruppenführer and a Generalleutnant of the Waffen-SS and from 1939 until the end of World War II was the head of Amt D: Konzentrationslagerwesen of the WVHA; the highest-ranking Concentration Camps Inspector in Nazi...
at Oranienburg
Oranienburg
Oranienburg is a town in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Oberhavel.- Geography :Oranienburg is a town located on the banks of the Havel river, 35 km north of the centre of Berlin.- Division of the town :...
. He took this opportunity to ask Glücks if he could return to his old unit at Dachau concentration camp so he could visit his family. His request was granted, but he was taken ill with an old eye
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
injury and was sent to the hospital; and remained there until January, 1945. When he was finally discharged, he reported back to Oranienburg and was asked whether he wanted to go to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to become commandant of a new concentration camp at Mysen
Mysen
Mysen is the administrative center of the municipality of Eidsberg in the county of Østfold in Norway.Between 1920 and 1961, it was a separate municipality. Mysen became an independent municipality on 1 July 1920 when it was spun off from Eidsberg. On 1 January 1961 Mysen was merged again with...
. He asked for leave to see his family but this time it was refused and he was told to report to SS-Sturmbannführer Max Pauly
Max Pauly
Max Pauly was an SS Sturmbannführer who was the commandant of Stutthof concentration camp from September, 1939 to August 1942 and commandant of Neuengamme concentration camp and the associated subcamps from September 1942 until liberation in May 1945.During his tenure as commandant of Neuengamme...
immediately who would brief him.
On January 22, he arrived in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, met Pauly and was told he had to supervise the building of a camp to house approximately 3,000 prisoners to be used in slave labour. It seems that Aumeier managed
to build this camp and his treatment of the prisoners was very different from that of how he treated the prisoners at Auschwitz. He worked closely with the Norwegian Red Cross
Norwegian Red Cross
The Norwegian Red Cross was founded September 22, 1865 by prime minister Frederik Stang. In 1907 the Norwegian Ministry of Defence authorized the organization for voluntary medical aid in war...
and even let them into the camp. On May 7, 1945 Aumeier opened the camp and let the prisoners go free, by the next day the camp was empty.
Arrest and Execution
On June 11, 1945, Aumeier was arrested at Terningmoen camp as a result of the capture by the British MI6 of Gestapo files. He was still in full SS uniform and admitted almost immediately his name and rank. He was handed over to United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
intelligence officers at Akershus Prison for interrogation in August, 1945. In 1946, he was extradited
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
to 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...
to face trial as a war criminal along with thirty-nine other members of the SS staff of Auschwitz-Birkenau, before the Supreme National Tribunal
Supreme National Tribunal
The Supreme National Tribunal was a war crime tribunal active in Poland from 1946 to 1948, with jurisdiction over fascist-hitlerite criminals and traitors to the Polish nation.The tribunal presided over seven high-profile cases ....
in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. The trial lasted from November 25 to December 16, 1947, and Aumeier stated that if he was found guilty and sentenced to death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, he would "die as a 'Sündenbock' (scapegoat
Scapegoat
Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals , individuals against groups , groups against individuals , and groups against groups Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any...
) for 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...
". He told the court that he had never killed anyone at Auschwitz and neither had any of his men and denied knowledge of the gas chambers
Gas Chambers
Gas Chambers is a fast, hollow and shallow point break type of wave. Being that it is a high performance wave it is well suited for the average to pro level surfer. Gas Chambers is located on the North Shore of Oahu about a 1/4 of a mile north of Ehukai Beach Park and 1/2 a mile west of Sunset...
. On December 22, Aumeier was sentenced to death, and he was hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
on January 28, 1948 in Montelupich Prison
Montelupich Prison
Montelupich prison was a prison located in Kraków, which was used by theGestapo throughout World War II. Prisoners in Montelupich included politicalprisoners, members of the SS and Security Service who had been...
, Kraków.
Ranks and Positions
SS-SturmbannführerLagerführer of Auschwitz I from 16 February 1942 until 18 August 1943
SS#: 2 700
NSDAP#: 164 755
Ranks:
SS-Unterscharführer – December 1931
SS-Oberscharführer – 11 November 1932
SS-Hauptscharführer – 20 April 1933
SS-Untersturmführer – 20 April 1934
SS-Obersturmführer – 15 September 1935
SS-Hauptsturmführer – 11 September 1938
SS-Sturmbannführer der Waffen-SS – 9 November 1944