Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Encyclopedia
Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont (In German: Josias Georg Wilhelm Adolf Erbprinz zu Waldeck und Pyrmont; 13 May 1896 – 30 November 1967) was the heir apparent
to the throne of the Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont and a General in the SS. From 1946 until his death he was the head of the Princely House of Waldeck and Pyrmont. After World War II he was sentenced to life in prison at the Buchenwald Camp Trial, later commuted to 20 years, for his part in the "common plan" to violate the Laws and Usages of War in connection with prisoners of war held at Buchenwald concentration camp
, but was later released after serving about three years in prison for reasons of ill health.
He was born in Arolsen
at the ruling family's castle, the eldest son and heir of Prince Friedrich of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his consort Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe
. He was the nephew of William II
, King of Württemberg, and Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont
, Queen Regent of the Netherlands
. He was also a cousin of Wilhelmina
, Queen of the Netherlands
, and Charles Edward, Duke of
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
. He enlisted in the German Army
as a cadet
and saw action during the First World War where he suffered serious injuries. At the end of the war his family lost their Principality as Waldeck became a Free State
in the new Weimar Republic
.
After the war Josias studied agriculture
and on 1 November 1929 he joined Adolf Hitler
's Nazi Party becoming a member of the SS on 2 March 1930. He was immediately appointed adjutant
to Sepp Dietrich
a leading member of the SS before becoming Heinrich Himmler
's Adjutant and staff chief in September 1930.
Josias was elected as the Reichstag
member for Düsseldorf
-West in 1933 and was promoted to the rank of SS Lieutenant General. He was promoted again in 1939 when he became the Higher SS and Police Leader
for Weimar
. In this position he had supervisory authority over Buchenwald concentration camp
.
Buchenwald first caught the attention of Waldeck in 1941. In glancing over the death list of Buchenwald, Josias had stumbled across the name of Dr. Walter Krämer, a current head hospital orderly at Buchenwald, which he recognized because Krämer had successfully treated him in the past. The Prince investigated the case and found out that Karl Otto Koch
, the Camp Commandant, had ordered both Krämer and Karl Peixof, a hospital attendant, killed as "political prisoners" because they had treated him for syphilis
and he feared it might be discovered. Waldeck also received reports that a certain prisoner had been shot while attempting to escape. By that time, Koch had been transferred to the Majdanek
concentration camp in Poland, but his wife, Ilse
, was still living at the Commandant's house in Buchenwald. Waldeck ordered a full scale investigation of the camp by Dr. Georg Konrad Morgen
, an SS officer who was a judge in a German court. Throughout the investigation, more of Koch's orders to kill prisoners at the camp were revealed, as well as embezzlement of property stolen from prisoners. It was also discovered that prisoner who was "shot while trying to escape" had been told to get water from a well some distance from the camp, and he was shot from behind, he had also helped treat Koch for syphilis. A charge of incitement to murder was lodged by Prince Waldeck and Dr. Morgen against Koch, to which later added were charged of embezzlement. Other camp officials were charged, including Koch's wife. The trial resulted in Koch being sentenced to death and was executed by firing squad on 5 April 1945. Morgen also did his best to convict Ilse Koch. He was convinced that she was guilty of sadistic crimes, but the charges against her could not be proven. She was imprisoned by German authorities until early 1945.
Adolf Hitler appointed him a member of the Ordnungspolizei
in April 1941 and a year later he was appointed High Commissioner of Police in German occupied France
. One of his first acts in his new role was to announce that French hostages would be placed on German troop trains so as to discourage sabotage attempts on them. He was made a General in the Waffen-SS
in July 1944.
He was arrested on 13 April 1945 and sentenced to life imprisonment by an American court at Dachau
on 14 August 1947. The first of the two charges against him was that while he definitely was never in command of it, the mere fact that the Buchenwald concentration camp
was located in his jurisdictional area was considered sufficient evidence to hold him personally responsible for anything that might have happened there. Incidentally, it should be noted that Buchenwald was never identified as a “death camp” by the Dachau court, and that no such charges were laid against the Prince. Ironically, the second of the two charges on which he was found guilty was that he ordered the execution of the Camp Commandant of Buchenwald, Standartenführer
Koch
, after it was discovered that Koch had disgraced both himself and the SS.
The Buchenwald Camp Trial was also highly controversial. Although commonly referred to as "trials," these proceedings were technically not trials
because the normal rules of court trials in America
or Great Britain
were not followed. Hearsay
testimony was allowed and most of the prosecution witnesses were paid. Affidavits from witnesses were allowed, which meant that the defense had no opportunity to cross-examine the witness who had signed the affidavit. Interrogators questioned the accused before the proceedings began and established that they were guilty. The accused were charged with participating in a "common plan" to commit war crimes and they were presumed to be guilty until proven innocent. They were not called "defendants" because the burden of proof was on them, not on the prosecution as is customary in a court trial. Many of the accused claimed that they had been beaten during interrogation.
Military Governor of Germany, General
Lucius D. Clay
ordered that the sentences of the Buchenwald Trial be re-examined on the basis of extensive records, and on 8 June 1948, Clay confirmed fifteen of the death sentences and commuted seven, most of the imprisonment sentences were also commuted, including Josias's whose sentence was commuted to twenty years. He was taken to Landsberg am Lech
though he only served three years of his sentence before being released in December 1950 for health reasons. He was also granted an amnesty
by the Minister President of Hesse
in July 1953 which resulted in the fine that had been imposed on him being significantly reduced.
Josias became head of the House of Waldeck and Pyrmont on the death of his father on 26 May 1946 while under arrest. He died at his estate Schloss Schaumburg in 1967, and was succeeded as head of the house by his only son Prince Wittekind.
Prince Josias married Duchess Altburg of Oldenburg
(1903–2001) at Rastede
on 25 August 1922 a daughter of the former Grand Duke of Oldenburg, Friedrich August II
. They had five children.
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
to the throne of the Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont and a General in the SS. From 1946 until his death he was the head of the Princely House of Waldeck and Pyrmont. After World War II he was sentenced to life in prison at the Buchenwald Camp Trial, later commuted to 20 years, for his part in the "common plan" to violate the Laws and Usages of War in connection with prisoners of war held at Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
, but was later released after serving about three years in prison for reasons of ill health.
Early years
Bad Arolsen
Bad Arolsen is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany, in Waldeck-Frankenberg district. From 1655 until 1918 it served as the residence town of the Princes of Waldeck-Pyrmont and then until 1929 as the capital of the Waldeck Free State...
at the ruling family's castle, the eldest son and heir of Prince Friedrich of Waldeck and Pyrmont and his consort Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe
Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe
Princess Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe was daughter of Prince William of Schaumburg-Lippe, and consort of Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont.-Early life:...
. He was the nephew of William II
William II of Württemberg
William II was the fourth King of Württemberg, from 6 October 1891 until the abolition of the kingdom on 30 November 1918...
, King of Württemberg, and Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont was Queen consort of William III, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg...
, Queen Regent of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He was also a cousin of Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...
, Queen of the Netherlands
Monarchy of the Netherlands
The Netherlands has been an independent monarchy since 16 March 1815, and has been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since.-Constitutional role and position of the monarch:...
, and Charles Edward, Duke of
Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the fourth and last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, two duchies in Germany , and the head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1900 until his death in 1954...
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha served as the collective name of two duchies, Saxe-Coburg and Saxe-Gotha, in Germany. They were located in what today are the states of Bavaria and Thuringia, respectively, and the two were in personal union between 1826 and 1918...
. He enlisted in the German Army
German Army (German Empire)
The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
as a cadet
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
and saw action during the First World War where he suffered serious injuries. At the end of the war his family lost their Principality as Waldeck became a Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
in the new Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
.
SS and government service
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and on 1 November 1929 he joined 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 Nazi Party becoming a member of the SS on 2 March 1930. He was immediately appointed adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
to Sepp Dietrich
Sepp Dietrich
Josef "Sepp" Dietrich was a German SS General. He was one of Nazi Germany's most decorated soldiers and commanded formations up to Army level during World War II. Prior to 1929 he was Adolf Hitler's chauffeur and bodyguard but received rapid promotion after his participation in the murder of...
a leading member of the SS before becoming 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...
's Adjutant and staff chief in September 1930.
Josias was elected as the Reichstag
Reichstag (Weimar Republic)
The Reichstag was the parliament of Weimar Republic .German constitution commentators consider only the Reichstag and now the Bundestag the German parliament. Another organ deals with legislation too: in 1867-1918 the Bundesrat, in 1919–1933 the Reichsrat and from 1949 on the Bundesrat...
member for Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
-West in 1933 and was promoted to the rank of SS Lieutenant General. He was promoted again in 1939 when he became the Higher SS and Police Leader
SS and Police Leader
SS and Police Leader was a title for senior Nazi officials that commanded large units of the SS, of Gestapo and of the regular German police during and prior to World War II.Three levels of subordination were established for bearers of this title:...
for Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
. In this position he had supervisory authority over Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
.
Buchenwald first caught the attention of Waldeck in 1941. In glancing over the death list of Buchenwald, Josias had stumbled across the name of Dr. Walter Krämer, a current head hospital orderly at Buchenwald, which he recognized because Krämer had successfully treated him in the past. The Prince investigated the case and found out that Karl Otto Koch
Karl Otto Koch
Karl-Otto Koch , a Standartenführer in the German Schutzstaffel , was the first commandant of the Nazi concentration camps at Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen, and later also served as a commander at the Majdanek concentration camp.-Early life:Koch was born in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse on...
, the Camp Commandant, had ordered both Krämer and Karl Peixof, a hospital attendant, killed as "political prisoners" because they had treated him for syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
and he feared it might be discovered. Waldeck also received reports that a certain prisoner had been shot while attempting to escape. By that time, Koch had been transferred to the Majdanek
Majdanek
Majdanek was a German Nazi concentration camp on the outskirts of Lublin, Poland, established during the German Nazi occupation of Poland. The camp operated from October 1, 1941 until July 22, 1944, when it was captured nearly intact by the advancing Soviet Red Army...
concentration camp in Poland, but his wife, Ilse
Ilse Koch
Ilse Koch, née Köhler , was the wife of Karl-Otto Koch, commandant of the Nazi concentration camps Buchenwald from 1937 to 1941, and Majdanek from 1941 to 1943...
, was still living at the Commandant's house in Buchenwald. Waldeck ordered a full scale investigation of the camp by Dr. Georg Konrad Morgen
Georg Konrad Morgen
Georg Konrad Morgen was an SS judge and lawyer who investigated crimes committed in Nazi concentration camps.-Life:...
, an SS officer who was a judge in a German court. Throughout the investigation, more of Koch's orders to kill prisoners at the camp were revealed, as well as embezzlement of property stolen from prisoners. It was also discovered that prisoner who was "shot while trying to escape" had been told to get water from a well some distance from the camp, and he was shot from behind, he had also helped treat Koch for syphilis. A charge of incitement to murder was lodged by Prince Waldeck and Dr. Morgen against Koch, to which later added were charged of embezzlement. Other camp officials were charged, including Koch's wife. The trial resulted in Koch being sentenced to death and was executed by firing squad on 5 April 1945. Morgen also did his best to convict Ilse Koch. He was convinced that she was guilty of sadistic crimes, but the charges against her could not be proven. She was imprisoned by German authorities until early 1945.
Adolf Hitler appointed him a member of the Ordnungspolizei
Ordnungspolizei
The Ordnungspolizei or Orpo were the uniformed regular police force in Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei...
in April 1941 and a year later he was appointed High Commissioner of Police in German occupied 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...
. One of his first acts in his new role was to announce that French hostages would be placed on German troop trains so as to discourage sabotage attempts on them. He was made a General in 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 July 1944.
Arrest and later life
Dachau
Dachau is a town in Upper Bavaria, in the southern part of Germany. It is a major district town—a Große Kreisstadt—of the administrative region of Upper Bavaria, about 20 km north-west of Munich. It is now a popular residential area for people working in Munich with roughly 40,000 inhabitants...
on 14 August 1947. The first of the two charges against him was that while he definitely was never in command of it, the mere fact that the Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
was located in his jurisdictional area was considered sufficient evidence to hold him personally responsible for anything that might have happened there. Incidentally, it should be noted that Buchenwald was never identified as a “death camp” by the Dachau court, and that no such charges were laid against the Prince. Ironically, the second of the two charges on which he was found guilty was that he ordered the execution of the Camp Commandant of Buchenwald, 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...
Koch
Karl Otto Koch
Karl-Otto Koch , a Standartenführer in the German Schutzstaffel , was the first commandant of the Nazi concentration camps at Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen, and later also served as a commander at the Majdanek concentration camp.-Early life:Koch was born in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse on...
, after it was discovered that Koch had disgraced both himself and the SS.
The Buchenwald Camp Trial was also highly controversial. Although commonly referred to as "trials," these proceedings were technically not trials
Criminal procedure
Criminal procedure refers to the legal process for adjudicating claims that someone has violated criminal law.-Basic rights:Currently, in many countries with a democratic system and the rule of law, criminal procedure puts the burden of proof on the prosecution – that is, it is up to the...
because the normal rules of court trials in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or Great Britain
United Kingdom
The 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...
were not followed. Hearsay
Hearsay
Hearsay is information gathered by one person from another person concerning some event, condition, or thing of which the first person had no direct experience. When submitted as evidence, such statements are called hearsay evidence. As a legal term, "hearsay" can also have the narrower meaning of...
testimony was allowed and most of the prosecution witnesses were paid. Affidavits from witnesses were allowed, which meant that the defense had no opportunity to cross-examine the witness who had signed the affidavit. Interrogators questioned the accused before the proceedings began and established that they were guilty. The accused were charged with participating in a "common plan" to commit war crimes and they were presumed to be guilty until proven innocent. They were not called "defendants" because the burden of proof was on them, not on the prosecution as is customary in a court trial. Many of the accused claimed that they had been beaten during interrogation.
Military Governor of Germany, General
General (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
Lucius D. Clay
Lucius D. Clay
General Lucius Dubignon Clay was an American officer and military governor of the United States Army known for his administration of Germany immediately after World War II. Clay was deputy to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1945; deputy military governor, Germany 1946; commander in chief, U.S....
ordered that the sentences of the Buchenwald Trial be re-examined on the basis of extensive records, and on 8 June 1948, Clay confirmed fifteen of the death sentences and commuted seven, most of the imprisonment sentences were also commuted, including Josias's whose sentence was commuted to twenty years. He was taken to Landsberg am Lech
Landsberg am Lech
Landsberg am Lech is a town in southwest Bavaria, Germany, about 65 kilometers west of Munich and 35 kilometers south of Augsburg. It is the capital of the district of Landsberg am Lech....
though he only served three years of his sentence before being released in December 1950 for health reasons. He was also granted an amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
by the Minister President of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
in July 1953 which resulted in the fine that had been imposed on him being significantly reduced.
Head of the House of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Titles and styles
- His Serene Highness The Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, (1896–1946)
- His Serene Highness The Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, (1946–1967)
Family
Duchess Altburg of Oldenburg
Duchess Altburg Marie Matilda Olga of Oldenburg was a daughter of Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg by his second wife Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.-Early life:...
(1903–2001) at Rastede
Rastede
Rastede is a municipality in the Ammerland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 12 km north of Oldenburg. It is the site of the Schloss Rastede.-References:...
on 25 August 1922 a daughter of the former Grand Duke of Oldenburg, Friedrich August II
Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg
Frederick Augustus II was the last ruling grand duke of Oldenburg. He married Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, daughter of Princess Maria Anna of Anhalt-Dessau and Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia...
. They had five children.
- Princess Margarethe (b. 22 May 1923; d. 21 August 2003) married (1952) div. (1979) Count Franz August zu Erbach-Erbach (b. 1925)
- Princess Alexandra (b. 25 September 1924; d. 4 September 2009) married (1949) Prince Botho of Bentheim und Steinfurt (1924–2001)
- Princess Ingrid (b. 2 September 1931)
- Prince Wittekind (b. 9 March 1936) married (1988) Countess Cecilie of Goëss-SaurauCountess Cecilie of Goëss-SaurauCountess Cecilie of Goëss-Saurau is the wife of Wittekind, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, current head of the Princely House of Waldeck and Pyrmont.- Early life :...
(b. 1956) - Princess GudaPrincess Guda of Waldeck and PyrmontPrincess Guda of Waldeck and Pyrmont is the youngest daughter of Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, head of the House of Waldeck and Pyrmont from 1946 to 1967 and first wife of Frederick William, Prince of Wied.-Early life:...
(b. 22 August 1939) married (1958) div. (1972) Frederick William, Prince of WiedFrederick William, Prince of WiedFriedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Wied was the grandson of William Frederick, 6th Prince of Wied. He was the titular Prince of Wied from 1945 until his death.-Early life:...
(1931–2001); married second (1968) Horst Dierkes (b. 1939)
Dates of rank
- SS-SturmbannführerSturmbannführerSturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
: 6 April 1930 - SS-StandartenführerStandartenführerStandartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
: 11 May 1930 - 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...
: 15 September 1931 - SS-GruppenführerGruppenführerGruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
: 15 March 1932 - SS-ObergruppenführerObergruppenführerObergruppenführer 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...
: 30 January 1936 - GeneralGeneral (Germany)General is presently the highest rank of the German Army and Luftwaffe . It is the equivalent to the rank of Admiral in the German Navy .-Early history:...
der PolizeiOrdnungspolizeiThe Ordnungspolizei or Orpo were the uniformed regular police force in Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei...
: 8 April 1941 - GeneralGeneral (Germany)General is presently the highest rank of the German Army and Luftwaffe . It is the equivalent to the rank of Admiral in the German Navy .-Early history:...
der Waffen-SSWaffen-SSThe 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...
: 1 July 1944
Notable decorations
- 1914 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....
Second (?) and First (?) Classes - War Merit CrossWar Merit CrossThe War Merit Cross was a decoration of Nazi Germany during the Second World War, which could be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel...
Second (1939) and First (1939) Classes with Swords - 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...
(?) - 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 (?) - Long Service Award of the NSDAP in Silver (?)
- SS Long Service AwardSS Long Service AwardSS Long Service Awards were given in grades of four years, eight years, twelve years, twenty-five years, and forty years. On its reverse side, each award had emblazoned the inscription, in German: "Für treue Dienste in der SS"...
in 4 (?), 8 (?), and 12 (?) Years - SS-Honour Ring (?)
- Honour Sword of the Reichsführers-SSReichsführer-SSwas 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:...
(?) - Honour Dagger of the SS (1936)
- World War I Sword of Erbprinz Josias Waldeck von Pyrmont (?)
- Clasp to the Iron CrossClasp to the Iron CrossThe Clasp to the Iron Cross was a metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I. It was displayed on the uniforms of many high ranking officers during World War II as most had also served in World War I...
Second (1939) and First (1939) Classes - WWI 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...
in Black (1918) - Golden Party BadgeGolden Party BadgeThe Golden Party Badge was a special badge of the Nazi Party. The first 100,000 members who had joined and had uninterrupted service in the Party were given the right to wear it...
(1933) - Cross of HonorCross of HonorThe Cross of Honor, also known as the Honor Cross or, popularly, the Hindenburg Cross, was a commemorative medal inaugurated on July 13, 1934 by Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg for those soldiers of Imperial Germany who fought in World War I...
(1934) - Turkish War MedalGallipoli Star (Ottoman Empire)The Ottoman War Medal , better known as the Gallipoli Star, or the Iron Crescent was a military decoration of the Ottoman Empire which was instituted by the Sultan Mehmed Reshad V on 1 March 1915 for gallantry in battle...
(so-called "Gallipoli Star") (?)