Hans Loritz
Encyclopedia
Oberführer
(Senior Colonel) Hans Loritz (December 12, 1895, Augsburg
- January 31, 1946) joined the SS
in 1930 and in 1933, began work as an officer at the Dachau concentration camp. In July 1934 he became the commander of KZ Esterwegen
where he was the Commandant for two years before being transferred back to serve as Commandant of Dachau until 1939. He became a section leader of the General SS in Klagenfurt
. In 1940 Himmler posted him to Sachsenhausen
, to replace Walter Eisfeld
. That lasted until 1942, when he was removed by the suggestion of Oswald Pohl
, leader of the SS-WVHA He was then sent to oversee a camp in Norway.
After the war, he was arrested and imprisoned at the internment camp in Neumünster
to await trial by the Soviets; he committed suicide, however, in January 1946.
Oberführer
Oberführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party dating back to 1921. Translated as “Senior Leader”, an Oberführer was typically a Nazi Party member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geographical region...
(Senior Colonel) Hans Loritz (December 12, 1895, Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
- January 31, 1946) joined 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...
in 1930 and in 1933, began work as an officer at the Dachau concentration camp. In July 1934 he became the commander of KZ Esterwegen
KZ Esterwegen
KZ Esterwegen was one of a series of camps first established in the Emsland region of Germany near Papenburg in 1933 as prison camps for political prisoners by the Nazi regime. It was one of 15 camps in the Emsland region and was designated as "Lager VII"....
where he was the Commandant for two years before being transferred back to serve as Commandant of Dachau until 1939. He became a section leader of the General SS in Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
. In 1940 Himmler posted him to 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...
, to replace Walter Eisfeld
Walter Eisfeld
Walter Eisfeld was a German Schutzstaffel officer and Nazi concentration camp commandant....
. That lasted until 1942, when he was removed by the suggestion of Oswald Pohl
Oswald Pohl
Oswald Pohl was a Nazi official and member of the SS , involved in the mass murders of Jews in concentration camps, the so-called Final Solution.-Early years:...
, leader of the SS-WVHA He was then sent to oversee a camp in Norway.
After the war, he was arrested and imprisoned at the internment camp in Neumünster
Neumünster
Neumünster is an independent town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, which has a total of four independent towns.-Current Situation:Neumünster station is major railway junction with lines running in six directions, including the important Hamburg-Altona–Kiel and Neumünster–Flensburg lines.Near...
to await trial by the Soviets; he committed suicide, however, in January 1946.