Hans Sommer
Encyclopedia
Hans Sommer was a German
national who served as SS
Obersturmführer
(First Lieutenant) in the Sicherheitsdienst
during World War II
. After the war, he found a working relationship with Gehlen Org.
and was subsequently a spy for the East German Stasi
.
, Sommer joined the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) at age sixteen, and joined the SS
(1932) and NSDAP (1933) respectively. He was chiefly in function of the Sicherheitsdienst
(SD) before his service in the Wehrmacht
(1936–38). Afterwards, he became a deputy to Otto Somann at SD Leignitz, followed by a stint in Breslau. He was active in the occupation of Sudetenland with rank of Oberscharführer (Staff Sergeant). On his return to Germany, he went to work at the SD headquarters, for which he was later posted to Paris
, France
. In 1940, he was promoted to Obersturmführer (First Lieutenant).
In October 1941, unbeknownst to his superiors, Sommer helped plan an attack on seven synagogue
s in Paris, inspired by the 1938 pogrom
, in collaboration with Eugène Deloncle
. A four week suspension of pay resulted for "SS-unwürdigen Verhaltens" and he would not find promotion in the next three years. He was subsequently posted to Marseille
and Nice
.
After the war, Sommer was captured by the Americans, who sought to employ him to infiltrate a Nazi ratline formed around Frenchman Charles Lescat
, whom Sommer met in Madrid
just before his capture. He was moved to Camp King
, Oberursel
, after convincing the Americans that such an attempt would be unsuccessful. From Camp King he was deported to France to stand trial before a military court, which sentenced him to two years detention. He settled in Germany afterwards.
Between 1950 and 1953 he found himself working for the Gehlen Organization (GO), the unofficial West German intelligence organization. Unemployed in 1953, Sommer began to spy for the East German Stasi
, handing over far reaching details on his former West German employer.
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...
national who served as 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...
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...
(First Lieutenant) in the Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
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...
. After the war, he found a working relationship with Gehlen Org.
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...
and was subsequently a spy for the East German Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
.
Biography
Born in NortorfNortorf
Nortorf is a town in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approx. 13 km northwest of Neumünster, and 25 km southwest of Kiel.-Geography:...
, Sommer joined the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) at age sixteen, and 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...
(1932) and NSDAP (1933) respectively. He was chiefly in function of the Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
(SD) before his service in the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
(1936–38). Afterwards, he became a deputy to Otto Somann at SD Leignitz, followed by a stint in Breslau. He was active in the occupation of Sudetenland with rank of Oberscharführer (Staff Sergeant). On his return to Germany, he went to work at the SD headquarters, for which he was later posted to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 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...
. In 1940, he was promoted to Obersturmführer (First Lieutenant).
In October 1941, unbeknownst to his superiors, Sommer helped plan an attack on seven synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s in Paris, inspired by the 1938 pogrom
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
, in collaboration with Eugène Deloncle
Eugène Deloncle
Eugène Deloncle was a French engineer and Fascist leader, and the adoptive father of Jacques Corrèze....
. A four week suspension of pay resulted for "SS-unwürdigen Verhaltens" and he would not find promotion in the next three years. He was subsequently posted to Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
and Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
.
After the war, Sommer was captured by the Americans, who sought to employ him to infiltrate a Nazi ratline formed around Frenchman Charles Lescat
Charles Lescat
Charles Lescat was an Argentine citizen, who studied in France and wrote in Je suis partout, the ultra-Collaborationist review headed by Robert Brasillach....
, whom Sommer met in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
just before his capture. He was moved to Camp King
Camp King
Camp King is a site on the outskirts of Oberursel, Taunus , with a long history. It began as a school for agriculture under the auspices of the University of Frankfurt. During World War II, the lower fields became an interrogation center for the German Air Force. After World War II, the United...
, Oberursel
Oberursel
Oberursel is a town in Germany. It is located to the north west of Frankfurt, and is the second largest town in the county of Hochtaunuskreis and the 14th largest town in Hessen.-Extent of municipal area:...
, after convincing the Americans that such an attempt would be unsuccessful. From Camp King he was deported to France to stand trial before a military court, which sentenced him to two years detention. He settled in Germany afterwards.
Between 1950 and 1953 he found himself working for the Gehlen Organization (GO), the unofficial West German intelligence organization. Unemployed in 1953, Sommer began to spy for the East German Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
, handing over far reaching details on his former West German employer.