Hermann Michel
Encyclopedia
Hermann Michel, sometimes referred to as "Preacher" (born 23 April 1912), was a Nazi
and SS
-Oberscharführer
(Staff Sergeant). During World War II
, he participated in the extermination of Jews at the Sobibor extermination camp
during the Nazi operation known as Aktion Reinhard
. His current whereabouts is unknown.
district of Bavaria
, German Empire
. In the mid 1930s, he began working as a male nurse at the Berlin
-Buch
medical center. By the late 1930s, along with Franz Stangl
and Christian Wirth
, he was working as a head nurse at Hartheim
killing center, where the physically and mentally disabled were exterminated by gassing and lethal injection as part of the T-4 Euthanasia Program.
In April 1942, SS-Obersturmführer
(First Lieutenant) Franz Stangl was appointed commander of Sobibor. Stangl appointed SS-Oberscharführer Hermann Michel as his deputy, due to their prior work relationship and his extensive experience in the enforced euthanasia
programs.
Hermann Michel is described as a tall, graceful man with delicate features and a pleasant voice. His polite and refined speech earned him the nickname "Preacher".
Ada Lichtman, a Sobibor survivor, described how Hermann Michel deceived the new arrivals:
After this convincing speech, the pacified prisoners were directed to hand in their valuables, undress and receive a hair-cut prior to being forced into the gas chambers.
SS-Oberscharführer Kurt Bolender
, Commander of Sobibor Camp 3, testified at his trial as to how the extermination process operated:
On 14 October 1943, there was a successful uprising and escape of Jewish prisoners at Sobibor. The destruction of Sobibor caused Operation Reinhard to come to an end. The surviving 125 Sobibor camp SS personnel, including Hermann Michel, were transferred to Trieste, Italy
. As punishment and to remove potential future witnesses, their superiors assigned them to the most dangerous job they could find: anti-partisan combat. While in prison in 1971, Franz Stangl
stated in an interview, "We were an embarrassment to our [superiors]. They wanted to find ways and means to 'incinerate' us." It was believed by Franz Stangl that Hermann Michel survived World War II and escaped to Egypt
.
Some sources suggest that Hermann Michel died on August 8, 1984, but it has never been conclusively proven.
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
and 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...
-Oberscharführer
Oberscharführer
Oberscharführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that existed between the years of 1932 and 1945. Translated as “Senior Squad Leader”, Oberscharführer was first used as a rank of the Sturmabteilung and was created due to an expansion of the enlisted positions required by growing SA membership...
(Staff Sergeant). 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...
, he participated in the extermination of Jews at the Sobibor extermination camp
Sobibór extermination camp
Sobibor was a Nazi German extermination camp located on the outskirts of the town of Sobibór, Lublin Voivodeship of occupied Poland as part of Operation Reinhard; the official German name was SS-Sonderkommando Sobibor...
during the Nazi operation known as Aktion Reinhard
Operation Reinhard
Operation Reinhard was the code name given to the Nazi plan to murder Polish Jews in the General Government, and marked the most deadly phase of the Holocaust, the use of extermination camps...
. His current whereabouts is unknown.
Biography
Hermann Michel was born on April 23, 1912 in the HolzheimHolzheim, Neu-Ulm
Holzheim is a municipality in the district of Neu-Ulm in Bavaria in Germany....
district of 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...
, 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...
. In the mid 1930s, he began working as a male nurse at the 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...
-Buch
Buch
Buch is a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland.-Coat of arms:The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Gules an Orb Argent banded Or and crossed of the second.-Geography:...
medical center. By the late 1930s, along with Franz Stangl
Franz Stangl
Franz Paul Stangl was an Austrian-born SS commandant of the Sobibor and Treblinka extermination camps during the Operation Reinhard phase of the Holocaust. He was arrested in Brazil in 1967, extradited and tried in West Germany for the mass murder of 900,000 people, and in 1970 was found guilty...
and Christian Wirth
Christian Wirth
Christian Wirth was a German police and SS officer who was one of the leading contributors to the program to exterminate the Jewish people of Poland, known as Operation Reinhard....
, he was working as a head nurse at Hartheim
Hartheim Euthanasia Centre
The Hartheim Euthanasia Centre was a Nazi killing centre that was part of their euthanasia programme, since also referred to as Action T4. It was housed in Hartheim Castle in the municipality of Alkoven near Linz in Austria.- Statistics :...
killing center, where the physically and mentally disabled were exterminated by gassing and lethal injection as part of the T-4 Euthanasia Program.
In April 1942, SS-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) Franz Stangl was appointed commander of Sobibor. Stangl appointed SS-Oberscharführer Hermann Michel as his deputy, due to their prior work relationship and his extensive experience in the enforced euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
programs.
Hermann Michel is described as a tall, graceful man with delicate features and a pleasant voice. His polite and refined speech earned him the nickname "Preacher".
Ada Lichtman, a Sobibor survivor, described how Hermann Michel deceived the new arrivals:
We heard word for word how Oberscharfuhrer Michel, standing on a small table, convinced the people to calm down. He promised them that after the baths all their belongings would be returned to them and that it was time for Jews to become a productive element. At present all of them would be going to the UkraineReichskommissariat UkraineReichskommissariat Ukraine , literally "Reich Commissariat of Ukraine", was the civilian occupation regime of much of German-occupied Ukraine during World War II. Between September 1941 and March 1944, the Reichskommissariat was administered by Reichskommissar Erich Koch as a colony...
to live and work. This address aroused confidence and enthusiasm among the people. They applauded spontaneously and sometimes even danced and sang.
After this convincing speech, the pacified prisoners were directed to hand in their valuables, undress and receive a hair-cut prior to being forced into the gas chambers.
SS-Oberscharführer Kurt Bolender
Kurt Bolender
Heinz Kurt Bolender was an SS-Oberscharführer during the Second World War. In 1942 Bolender operated the gas chambers at Sobibor extermination camp, thereby directly perpetrating acts of genocide against Jews and Gypsies during the Nazi operation known as Operation Reinhard.After the war,...
, Commander of Sobibor Camp 3, testified at his trial as to how the extermination process operated:
On 14 October 1943, there was a successful uprising and escape of Jewish prisoners at Sobibor. The destruction of Sobibor caused Operation Reinhard to come to an end. The surviving 125 Sobibor camp SS personnel, including Hermann Michel, were transferred to Trieste, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. As punishment and to remove potential future witnesses, their superiors assigned them to the most dangerous job they could find: anti-partisan combat. While in prison in 1971, Franz Stangl
Franz Stangl
Franz Paul Stangl was an Austrian-born SS commandant of the Sobibor and Treblinka extermination camps during the Operation Reinhard phase of the Holocaust. He was arrested in Brazil in 1967, extradited and tried in West Germany for the mass murder of 900,000 people, and in 1970 was found guilty...
stated in an interview, "We were an embarrassment to our [superiors]. They wanted to find ways and means to 'incinerate' us." It was believed by Franz Stangl that Hermann Michel survived World War II and escaped to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Some sources suggest that Hermann Michel died on August 8, 1984, but it has never been conclusively proven.