Hermann Fegelein
Encyclopedia
SS-Obergruppenführer
Hans Georg Otto Hermann Fegelein (30 October 1906 – 28 April or 29 April 1945) was a General
of the Waffen-SS
in Nazi Germany
, a member of Adolf Hitler
's entourage, brother-in-law to Eva Braun
through his marriage to her sister, Gretl, and husband of the sister-in-law to Adolf Hitler through Hitler's marriage to Eva Braun.
, Bavaria
, to the retired Oberleutnant
Hans Fegelein. As a young boy, he worked at his father's horse riding school in Munich
. When it closed due to the worldwide economic depression of the 1920s, he worked as a stable boy for Christian Weber
, who was one of the original members of the Nazi Party.
In 1925, after studying for two terms at Munich University, Fegelein joined the Reiterregiment 17 and on 20 April 1927, he joined the Bavarian State Police in Munich as an officer cadet. Whilst in Munich, he came into early contact with National Socialism
, joining the Party (membership number 1,200,158) and the SA
in 1930. Fegelein transferred to the SS which he joined on 10 April 1933. He became a leader of an SS equestrian group which included his brother, Waldemar
. Fegelein went on to oversee the preparation of the courses and facilities for the equestrian events of the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936. His last film appearance was in a newsreel shot on 20 April 1945 (Hitler's birthday). Fegelein is in the background and his plainly visible collar tabs are those of a SS-Gruppenführer
. Fegelein's Waffen-SS
Obergruppenführer
rank was higher than his Allgemeine SS
rank of SS-Gruppenführer.
, by special order of the Oberabschnitt (SUD), created the SS Main Riding School (Haupt-Reitschule München) in Munich
and made Fegelein the commander. On that same day, Fegelein was promoted to the rank of SS-Standartenführer
. Only former royalty from the Hohenzollern and other German Empire
(Kaiserzeit) dynasties could send representatives, along with the top heads of German industry, who donated to Martin Bormann
's German industry fund. Fegelein requested his friend, Captain Marten von Barnekow
, be allowed to enter the horse riding school, and Himmler granted his request on 21 June 1938.
Fegelein saw active service on the Eastern Front
with the 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer during three separate periods, from April 1942 to August 1942, from 14 May 1943 to 13 September 1943, and from 22 October 1943 to 1 January 1944. Fegelein rose quickly through the ranks. On 10 June 1944, he was promoted to the Allgemeine SS rank of SS-Gruppenführer and Waffen-SS rank of SS-Obergruppenführer. On 20 July 1944, Fegelein was present at the failed attempt on Adolf Hitler's life at the Wolf's Lair headquarters in Rastenburg, East Prussia
. From the bomb blast Fegelein received a minor wound to his left thigh.
's headquarters staff as Himmlers adjutant and representative of the SS.
took place on 3 June 1944 at the Palace of Mirabell
in Salzburg
. A marriage license was obtained at the local town clerk's office and Heinrich Himmler was a witness at the simple ceremony. A two-day celebration was then held at Hitler's and Martin Bormann's Obersalzberg
mountain homes and the Eagle's Nest
. Photographs of the wedding dinner appeared in Britain's weekly Picture Post Magazine the next year after the war ended, showing Hitler at the festivities.
Fegelein was a known playboy and after his marriage to Gretl Braun had many extramarital affairs. Hitler was apparently aware of Fegelein's dalliances and, while not approving, chose to ignore them.
Peter Högl
in his Berlin apartment wearing civilian clothes and apparently preparing to flee to Sweden
or Switzerland with his Hungarian mistress. He was carrying cash - German and foreign - and jewelry, some of which belonged to Eva Braun. According to most accounts he was intoxicated
when arrested and brought back to the Führerbunker
.
At this point, historical accounts begin to differ. In 1947, historian Hugh Trevor-Roper remarked in his book, The Last Days of Hitler:
Some other theories disagreed with each other, and a few seemed preposterous (e.g. a claim that Hitler himself gunned Fegelein down). Most claimed he had been shot following a court-martial. Journalist James P. O'Donnell
in his interviews of the 1970s, discovered a detailed version as to what happened to Fegelein. Waffen-SS General Wilhelm Mohnke
, who presided over the court-martial, told O'Donnell the following:
Traudl Junge
, an eye-witness to bunker events stated that Eva Braun pleaded with Hitler to spare her brother-in-law and further tried to justify Fegelein's behaviour. However, Fegelein had been condemned to death and was "shot like a dog". Some others have reported that Eva Braun did not speak a word in his defense. There is agreement among bunker survivors that when Fegelein was first arrested Braun did inform Hitler that her sister was pregnant and this apparently led Hitler to initially consider releasing him without punishment. However, there is no agreement on whether she said anything once Hitler condemned him to death.
on 25 April 1971. Gretl Braun-Fegelein moved to Munich and was married in June 1954. She died in 1987, aged 72.
The death sentence by Hitler on 28 April resulted in the loss of all orders, awards and honorary signs.
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
Hans Georg Otto Hermann Fegelein (30 October 1906 – 28 April or 29 April 1945) was a General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
of the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, a member of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's entourage, brother-in-law to Eva Braun
Eva Braun
Eva Anna Paula Hitler was the longtime companion of Adolf Hitler and, for less than 40 hours, his wife. Braun met Hitler in Munich, when she was 17 years old, while working as an assistant and model for his personal photographer and began seeing him often about two years later...
through his marriage to her sister, Gretl, and husband of the sister-in-law to Adolf Hitler through Hitler's marriage to Eva Braun.
Career
Fegelein was born in AnsbachAnsbach
Ansbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, to the retired Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
Hans Fegelein. As a young boy, he worked at his father's horse riding school 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...
. When it closed due to the worldwide economic depression of the 1920s, he worked as a stable boy for Christian Weber
Christian Weber (Nazi)
Christian Weber was a German Nazi Party official and Schutzstaffel Brigadeführer.-Biography:...
, who was one of the original members of the Nazi Party.
In 1925, after studying for two terms at Munich University, Fegelein joined the Reiterregiment 17 and on 20 April 1927, he joined the Bavarian State Police in Munich as an officer cadet. Whilst in Munich, he came into early contact with National Socialism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, joining the Party (membership number 1,200,158) and 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...
in 1930. Fegelein transferred to the SS which he joined on 10 April 1933. He became a leader of an SS equestrian group which included his brother, Waldemar
Waldemar Fegelein
Waldemar Fegelein was a Standartenführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
. Fegelein went on to oversee the preparation of the courses and facilities for the equestrian events of the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936. His last film appearance was in a newsreel shot on 20 April 1945 (Hitler's birthday). Fegelein is in the background and his plainly visible collar tabs are those of a SS-Gruppenführer
Gruppenführer
Gruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
. Fegelein's Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
rank was higher than his Allgemeine SS
Allgemeine SS
The Allgemeine SS was the most numerous branch of the Schutzstaffel paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany. It was managed by the SS-Hauptamt...
rank of SS-Gruppenführer.
SS membership
On 25 July 1937, Reichsführer SS Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich 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...
, by special order of the Oberabschnitt (SUD), created the SS Main Riding School (Haupt-Reitschule München) 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...
and made Fegelein the commander. On that same day, Fegelein was promoted to the rank of 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...
. Only former royalty from the Hohenzollern and other German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
(Kaiserzeit) dynasties could send representatives, along with the top heads of German industry, who donated to Martin Bormann
Martin Bormann
Martin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
's German industry fund. Fegelein requested his friend, Captain Marten von Barnekow
Marten von Barnekow
Marten von Barnekow was a German equestrian and Olympic champion. He won a gold medal in show jumping with the German team at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.-References:...
, be allowed to enter the horse riding school, and Himmler granted his request on 21 June 1938.
Fegelein saw active service on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
with the 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer during three separate periods, from April 1942 to August 1942, from 14 May 1943 to 13 September 1943, and from 22 October 1943 to 1 January 1944. Fegelein rose quickly through the ranks. On 10 June 1944, he was promoted to the Allgemeine SS rank of SS-Gruppenführer and Waffen-SS rank of SS-Obergruppenführer. On 20 July 1944, Fegelein was present at the failed attempt on Adolf Hitler's life at the Wolf's Lair headquarters in Rastenburg, East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
. From the bomb blast Fegelein received a minor wound to his left thigh.
Relationship with Himmler
Fegelein was nicknamed Heinrich Himmlers "golden boy"; his boyish face and subservient attitude gained him considerable favour with Himmler, who treated him like a son (although he was only six years Himmlers junior). Himmler granted him the best assignments (mostly related to horses), the best staff and generous budgets. Himmler brought Fegelein home after he was wounded a third time on the Russian front in September, 1943. On 1 January 1944, Himmler reassigned Fegelein to Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's headquarters staff as Himmlers adjutant and representative of the SS.
Marriage
His politically arranged marriage to Margarethe "Gretl" BraunGretl Braun
Margarete “Gretl” Braun was one of the two sisters of Eva Braun. She was a member of the inner social circle of Adolf Hitler at the Berghof and became the sister-in-law of the Nazi dictator following his marriage to Eva hours before they committed suicide together.-Early life:Born in Munich,...
took place on 3 June 1944 at the Palace of Mirabell
Palace of Mirabell
The Mirabell Palace is a historical building in Salzburg, Salzburgerland, Austria.-History:It was built in the Baroque style, with Italian and French models, by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich Raitenau in 1606...
in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
. A marriage license was obtained at the local town clerk's office and Heinrich Himmler was a witness at the simple ceremony. A two-day celebration was then held at Hitler's and Martin Bormann's Obersalzberg
Obersalzberg
Obersalzberg is a mountainside retreat situated above the market town of Berchtesgaden in Bavaria, Germany, located about southeast of Munich, close to the border with Austria...
mountain homes and the Eagle's Nest
Kehlsteinhaus
The Kehlsteinhaus is a chalet-style structure erected on a subpeak of the Hoher Göll known as the Kehlstein. It was built as an extension of the Obersalzberg complex erected in the mountains above Berchtesgaden...
. Photographs of the wedding dinner appeared in Britain's weekly Picture Post Magazine the next year after the war ended, showing Hitler at the festivities.
Fegelein was a known playboy and after his marriage to Gretl Braun had many extramarital affairs. Hitler was apparently aware of Fegelein's dalliances and, while not approving, chose to ignore them.
Death
From January to April 1945, Martin Bormann controlled access to Hitler's office. Fegelein was on close terms with him. Further, being married to Eva Braun's sister placed him in Hitler's inner circle. After Fegelein's boss, Heinrich Himmler, tried to negotiate a backdoor surrender to the Western Allies via Count Bernadotte in April 1945, Fegelein left the Reich Chancellery bunker complex and was caught by SS-ObersturmbannführerObersturmbannführer
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...
Peter Högl
Peter Högl
Peter Högl was a German officer holding the rank of SS-Obersturmbannführer who spent time in the Führerbunker in Berlin at the end of World War II.-Early life and career:...
in his Berlin apartment wearing civilian clothes and apparently preparing to flee to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
or Switzerland with his Hungarian mistress. He was carrying cash - German and foreign - and jewelry, some of which belonged to Eva Braun. According to most accounts he was intoxicated
Drunkenness
Alcohol intoxication is a physiological state that occurs when a person has a high level of ethanol in his or her blood....
when arrested and brought back to the Führerbunker
Führerbunker
The Führerbunker was located beneath Hitler's New Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Germany. It was part of a subterranean bunker complex which was constructed in two major phases, one part in 1936 and the other in 1943...
.
At this point, historical accounts begin to differ. In 1947, historian Hugh Trevor-Roper remarked in his book, The Last Days of Hitler:
The real causes and circumstances of the execution of Fegelein provide one of the few subjects in this book upon which final certainty seems unattainable.
Some other theories disagreed with each other, and a few seemed preposterous (e.g. a claim that Hitler himself gunned Fegelein down). Most claimed he had been shot following a court-martial. Journalist James P. O'Donnell
James P. O'Donnell
James Preston O'Donnell was an author and journalist.-Early life:...
in his interviews of the 1970s, discovered a detailed version as to what happened to Fegelein. Waffen-SS General Wilhelm Mohnke
Wilhelm Mohnke
SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke was one of the original 120 members of the SS-Staff Guard "Berlin" formed in March 1933. From those ranks, Mohnke rose to become one of Adolf Hitler's last remaining generals.Mohnke saw action with the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler in France, Poland...
, who presided over the court-martial, told O'Donnell the following:
"Hitler ordered me to set up a tribunal forthwith. I was to preside over it myself...I myself decided the accused man [Fegelein] deserved trial by high-ranking officers. The panel consisted of four general officers - Generals Wilhelm BurgdorfWilhelm BurgdorfWilhelm Burgdorf was a German general. Born in Fürstenwalde, Burgdorf served as a commander and staff officer in the German Army during World War II.- Military career :...
, Hans KrebsHans Krebs (general)Hans Krebs was a German Army general of infantry who served during World War II.-Early life:Krebs was born in Helmstedt. He volunteered for service in the Imperial German Army in 1914, was promoted to lieutenant in 1915, and to first lieutenant in 1925...
, Johann RattenhuberJohann RattenhuberJohann Rattenhuber , also known as Hans Rattenhuber, was a German police and SS general . Rattenhuber was the head of German dictator Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard from 1933 to 1945.-Biography:Rattenhuber was born in Munich, where he made a career as a police officer...
, and me...We did, at that moment, have every intention of holding a trial.
What really happened was that we set up the court-martial in a room next to my command post...We military judges took our seats at the table with the standard German Army Manual of Courts-Martial before us. No sooner were we seated than defendant Fegelein began acting up in such an outrageous manner that the trial could not even commence.
Roaring drunk, with wild, rolling eyes, Fegelein first brazenly challenged the competence of the court. He kept blubbering that he was responsible to Himmler and Himmler alone, not Hitler...He refused to defend himself. The man was in wretched shape - bawling, whining, vomiting, shaking like an aspen leaf. He took out his penis and began urinating on the floor...
I was now faced with an impossible situation. On the one hand, based on all available evidence, including his own earlier statements, this miserable excuse for an officer was guilty of flagrant desertion... Yet the German Army Manual states clearly that no German soldier can be tried unless he is clearly of sound mind and body, in a condition to hear the evidence against him. I looked up the passage again, to make sure, and consulted with my fellow judges...In my opinion and that of my fellow officers, Hermann Fegelein was in no condition to stand trial, or for that matter to even stand. I closed the proceedings...So I turned Fegelein over to [SS] General Rattenhuber and his security squad. I never saw the man again."
Traudl Junge
Traudl Junge
Traudl Junge was Adolf Hitler's youngest personal private secretary, from December 1942 to April 1945.-Early life:...
, an eye-witness to bunker events stated that Eva Braun pleaded with Hitler to spare her brother-in-law and further tried to justify Fegelein's behaviour. However, Fegelein had been condemned to death and was "shot like a dog". Some others have reported that Eva Braun did not speak a word in his defense. There is agreement among bunker survivors that when Fegelein was first arrested Braun did inform Hitler that her sister was pregnant and this apparently led Hitler to initially consider releasing him without punishment. However, there is no agreement on whether she said anything once Hitler condemned him to death.
Legacy
Both Fegelein's parents and brother Waldemar, survived the war. His parents claimed to have received messages (via a third party) that he was continuing resistance underground. However, there is no evidence Fegelein was alive after 29 April 1945 and no bunker witnesses have ever suggested he survived. Gretl, inheriting some of her sister Eva's valuable jewelry, also survived the war and gave birth to a daughter (named Eva Barbara Fegelein, after her late aunt, Eva Braun) on 5 May 1945. Eva Fegelein committed suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on 25 April 1971. Gretl Braun-Fegelein moved to Munich and was married in June 1954. She died in 1987, aged 72.
Awards & Decorations
- Olympic Games DecorationOlympic Games DecorationThe German Olympic Games Decoration was a civil decoration of Nazi Germany awarded to administrators of the 1936 Olympics...
(1st Class) - SA Sports BadgeSA Sports BadgeThe SA Sports Badge was a decoration of Nazi Germany that was issued between the years 1933 and 1945. It was a political version of the much more generic German Sports Badge which was also issued in great numbers by the Nazis....
(bronze) - NSDAP Long Service AwardNSDAP Long Service AwardNSDAP Long Service Award were given in three grades of ten years, fifteen years, and twenty-five years of service. On its reverse side, each award had emblazoned the inscription, in German: Treue für Führer und Volk...
(bronze) - Infantry Assault BadgeInfantry Assault BadgeThe Infantry Assault Badge was a German war badge awarded to Waffen SS and Wehrmacht Heer soldiers during WWII. This decoration was instituted on December 20th 1939 by the Oberstbefehlshaber des Heeres, Generalfeldmarschall von Brauchitsch...
(silver) - Close Combat ClaspClose Combat ClaspThe Close Combat Clasp is a German military award instituted on 25 November 1942 for achievement in hand to hand fighting in close quarters. The Close Combat Clasp was worn above the upper left uniform pocket...
(silver) - Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
(silver) - Wound Badge of 20 July 1944 (silver)
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939) 2nd and 1st class - German CrossGerman CrossThe German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
in Gold (1 November 1943) - Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and SwordsKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross on 2 March 1942 as SS-StandartenführerStandartenführerStandartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
and commander of the SS-Kavallerie-Brigade - 157th Oak Leaves on 22 December 1942 as SS-OberführerOberführerOberführer 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...
and commander of a KampfgruppeKampfgruppeIn military history and military slang, the German term Kampfgruppe can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the German Wehrmacht and its allies during World War II and, to a lesser extent, in World War I... - 83rd Swords on 30 July 1944 as SS-GruppenführerGruppenführerGruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
and Generalleutnant of the Waffen-SS and commander of the 8. SS-Freiwilligen-Kavallerie-Division "Florian Geyer"
- Knight's Cross on 2 March 1942 as SS-Standartenführer
The death sentence by Hitler on 28 April resulted in the loss of all orders, awards and honorary signs.
Portrayal in the media
Hermann Fegelein has been portrayed by the following actors in film and television productions.- Julius Jonak in the 19551955 in filmThe year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released....
West GermanWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
film Der Letzte Akt (Hitler: The Last Ten Days). - Jean Topart in the 1972 FrenchFranceThe 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...
television production Le Bunker. - Inigo JacksonInigo JacksonInigo Jackson was a British actor who appeared in films and television. He was christened Anthony Michael Jackson ....
in the 1973 BritishUnited KingdomThe 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...
television production The Death of Adolf HitlerThe Death of Adolf HitlerThe Death of Adolf Hitler was a 1973 British television film starring Frank Finlay as Adolf Hitler and Caroline Mortimer as Eva Braun. The film details the last 10 days of Hitler's life as World War II comes to an end and Allied troops are closing in on the Führerbunker. Michael Sheard and Tony...
. - Julian GloverJulian GloverJulian Wyatt Glover is a British actor best known for such roles as General Maximilian Veers in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the Bond villain Aristotle Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only, and Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.-Personal life:Glover was born in...
in the 19731973 in filmThe year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
BritishUnited KingdomThe 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...
film Hitler: The Last Ten DaysHitler: The Last Ten DaysHitler: The Last Ten Days is a 1973 film depicting the days leading up to Adolf Hitler's suicide. It stars Alec Guinness and Simon Ward. The original music score was composed by Mischa Spoliansky...
. - Terrence Hardiman in the 1981 United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television production The BunkerThe Bunker (1981 film)The Bunker is a 1981 CBS television film, Time/Life production based on the book The Bunker. The movie makes significant deviations from James O'Donnell's book--published in 1978. The deviations are mainly due to an effort to clarify the events, and allowing the actors license to interpret some of...
. - Volker SpenglerVolker SpenglerVolker Spengler is a German actor who was one of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's key collaborators.His most noted role with Fassbinder was as the transsexual Erwin/Elvira of the film In a Year of 13 Moons ....
in the 19891989 in film-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
West German film 100 Jahre Adolf Hitler (100 Years of Adolf Hitler). - Thomas KretschmannThomas KretschmannThomas Kretschmann is a German actor best known for playing Leutnant Hans Von Witzland in the 1993 film Stalingrad, Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist, Hermann Fegelein in Der Untergang, and Captain Englehorn in the 2005 remake of King Kong.-Early life:Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former...
in the 20042004 in filmThe year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
GermanGermanyGermany , 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...
film Downfall (Der Untergang)Downfall (film)Downfall is a 2004 German/Italian/Austrian epic war film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, depicting the final ten days of Adolf Hitler's life in his Berlin bunker and Nazi Germany in 1945....
. - Fegelein's role in the 2004 film Downfall (Der Untergang) became significant in regards to the internet parodies of the film found on YouTube, in which he is a central parody figure. The fictional depiction of Fegelein is often as a culprit of committing cruel and often comical anticsAnticsAntics is the second studio album by American post-punk revival band Interpol, released in September 2004. The album went on selling 488,000 copies in the U.S. and over 100,000 in the UK...
against Hitler, or as a source of intense frustration for Hitler.