Karl Leib
Encyclopedia
Karl Leib was a German
SS
officer.
Leib was son-in-law of the head if the SS-Hauptamt
Gottlob Berger
, and served as a SS officer in that office during World War II
. In 1940 he was appointed as head of the SS office Ergänzungstelle Norwest in the Hague
in the Netherlands
.
With the rank of SS-Sturmbannführer (Major), Leib was in charge of the Norwegian recruitment and propaganda office Germanische Leitstelle
, at Drammensveien in Oslo
. His office also published Germansk Budstikke and SS-Heftet, which was the Norwegian edition of SS-Leitheft
. The recruiting footwork was done by the Norwegian SS-Untersturmführers Felix Thoresen and Brun Evers from Haugesund. The latter was killed in 1944 at Narva
, fighting in 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
. Before that Evers was said to have recruited the third company of the Norwegian skijegerbatallion, which became part of the 6th SS Mountain Division Nord
.
Leib had broad contacts in Norwegian society. He was versatile and popular among the volunteers. Much to his consternation he was arrested in 1945 and imprisoned at Akershus
fortress. In his defence note he portrayed himself as some sort of social welfare officer and his superior Wilhelm Rediess
as an evil influence, although some of Rediess' speeches must have been written at Leib's office. Leib received a rather light sentence, as did most of the German SS-officers in Norway. After serving his sentence, Leib immigrated to the united states along with most of his family and was married, and had children. The location of his wife and children are unknown.
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...
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...
officer.
Leib was son-in-law of the head if the SS-Hauptamt
SS-Hauptamt
The SS-Hauptamt was the central command office of the German Schutzstaffel in Nazi Germany until 1940.-Formation:...
Gottlob Berger
Gottlob Berger
Gottlob Berger was a German Nazi who held the rank of Obergruppenführer during World War II and was later convicted of war crimes.In 1939, he was Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler's main recruiting officer...
, and served as a SS officer in that office 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...
. In 1940 he was appointed as head of the SS office Ergänzungstelle Norwest in the Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
in 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...
.
With the rank of SS-Sturmbannführer (Major), Leib was in charge of the Norwegian recruitment and propaganda office Germanische Leitstelle
Germanische Leitstelle
During World War II, Germanische Leitstelle was a department of the SS-Hauptamt under the command of Obergruppenführer Gottlob Berger . It oversaw the recruitment and propaganda offices for the Waffen SS in Oslo, Copenhagen, Brussels and The Hague....
, at Drammensveien in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. His office also published Germansk Budstikke and SS-Heftet, which was the Norwegian edition of SS-Leitheft
SS-Leitheft
SS-Leitheft was a Nazi periodical from 1934 to 1945.This "SS-leadership magazine", as it is often called, was published in German in Berlin from 1934 onward, and in the beginning mostly circulated among professional officers in the SS. The publisher was the SS-Hauptamt, the Main Office of the...
. The recruiting footwork was done by the Norwegian SS-Untersturmführers Felix Thoresen and Brun Evers from Haugesund. The latter was killed in 1944 at Narva
Narva
Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. It is located at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, by the Russian border, on the Narva River which drains Lake Peipus.-Early history:...
, fighting in 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland
The 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, also known as Kampfverband Waräger, Germanische-Freiwilligen-Division, SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 11 or 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division Nordland, was a Waffen SS, Panzergrenadier division recruited from foreign volunteers...
. Before that Evers was said to have recruited the third company of the Norwegian skijegerbatallion, which became part of the 6th SS Mountain Division Nord
6th SS Mountain Division Nord
The 6th SS Mountain Division "Nord" was a German unit of the Waffen SS during World War II, formed in February 1941 as SS Kampfgruppe Nord ....
.
Leib had broad contacts in Norwegian society. He was versatile and popular among the volunteers. Much to his consternation he was arrested in 1945 and imprisoned at Akershus
Akershus
- Geography :The county is conventionally divided into the traditional districts Follo and Romerike, which fill the vast part of the county, as well as the small exclave west of Oslo that consists of Asker and Bærum...
fortress. In his defence note he portrayed himself as some sort of social welfare officer and his superior Wilhelm Rediess
Wilhelm Rediess
Wilhelm Rediess was the SS and Police Leader during the German occupation of Norway in the Second World War. He was also the commanding General of all SS troops stationed in occupied Norway, assuming command on 22 June 1940 until his death in 1945.- Early life :Rediess was born in Heinsberg,...
as an evil influence, although some of Rediess' speeches must have been written at Leib's office. Leib received a rather light sentence, as did most of the German SS-officers in Norway. After serving his sentence, Leib immigrated to the united states along with most of his family and was married, and had children. The location of his wife and children are unknown.
Literature
- Loock, Hans-Dietrich, Zur ’Großgermanischen Politik’ des Dritten Reiche, ’’Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte’’, 1960/1, p. 55-63.
- De Wever, Bruno, Rebellen an der Ostfront. Die flämischen Freiwilligen der Legion ’Flandern’ und der Waffen-SS, ’’Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte’’, 1991/4, p. 593-596.
- Eggen; Eystein, The boy from Gimle, Oslo 1993