Wilhelm Zoepf
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Zoepf was a German
Schutzstaffel
(SS) Sturmbannführer
and a figure in the Holocaust
.
until 1936. He joined the SS in 1937.
. In this capacity Zoepf was sent by Eichmann in 1941 to the Netherlands
in order to work alongside the Sicherheitspolizei
in deportations. Here he became directly subordinate to SS General Wilhelm Harster
, the pair being old friends. From their base in the Hague
the duo ran the Department of Jewish Affairs for the Nazi occupiers in the Netherlands. In this role Zoepf oversaw the deportation of Jews to the concentration camps in the east. Most of work was that of a bureaucrat although he took steps to ensure that deportation would not be disrupted, notably intercepting and destroying South American passports that were sent to some Jews and which would save them from deporation.
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...
Schutzstaffel
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...
(SS) Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
and a figure in the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
.
Early years
Educated at the Maximiliansgymnasium München, Zoepf was a lawyer by profession. He married in 1938 and divorced in 1957. Zoepf joined the Nazi Party in May 1933, also serving with the Hitler YouthHitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
until 1936. He joined the SS in 1937.
Netherlands
Zoepf was attached RSHA Referat IV B4 (RSHA Sub-Department IV-B4), the Jewish affiars and deportation agency headed by Adolf EichmannAdolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
. In this capacity Zoepf was sent by Eichmann in 1941 to 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...
in order to work alongside the Sicherheitspolizei
Sicherheitspolizei
The Sicherheitspolizei , often abbreviated as SiPo, was a term used in Nazi Germany to describe the state political and criminal investigation security agencies. It was made up by the combined forces of the Gestapo and the Kripo between 1936 and 1939...
in deportations. Here he became directly subordinate to SS General Wilhelm Harster
Wilhelm Harster
Wilhelm Harster was an SS and Police Leader. He was twice convicted of war crimes, by the Dutch and later by West Germany...
, the pair being old friends. From their base 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...
the duo ran the Department of Jewish Affairs for the Nazi occupiers in the Netherlands. In this role Zoepf oversaw the deportation of Jews to the concentration camps in the east. Most of work was that of a bureaucrat although he took steps to ensure that deportation would not be disrupted, notably intercepting and destroying South American passports that were sent to some Jews and which would save them from deporation.