Willi Schatz
Encyclopedia
Willi Schatz was a Nazi SS-Obersturmführer (Lieutenant) as a SS-KZ Zahnarzt (Concentration Camp Dentist) who served in Auschwitz and Neuengamme
.
. Because of his facilitation with abortion in 1939 he was excluded from the party until he was called to the Heer
on June 10, 1940 as he worked as a dentist in Hanover. On 3 July 1943, he retired from the Army and on July 22, 1943 he became a member of the Waffen-SS
.
as a SS-Untersturmführer and was used in the SS-Hauptquartier (Headquarters) in Oranienburg
. From January 20, 1944 until the fall of 1944 he became the second in charge by his superior, SS-KZ Zahnarzt Willi Frank at Auschwitz. He was then transferred to Neuengamme
where he served until the war's end in the same function. In 1945 he was promoted again to SS-Obersturmführer.
.
. He was accused of having selected prisoners at Auschwitz which he denied that he took part of. Since this ultimately could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt, he was acquitted on August 20, 1965.
Neuengamme
The Neuengamme concentration camp, a Nazi concentration camp, was established in 1938 by the SS near the village of Neuengamme in Bergedorf district within the City of Hamburg, Germany. It was in operation from 1938 to 1945. By the end of the war, more than half of its estimated 106,000 prisoners...
.
Early life
Schatz was born in 1905, the son of a dentist. He first attended elementary school and then a high school in Hannover from where he graduated. Like his father, he then studied dentistry at the University of Göttingen and received his doctorate in 1933. In 1933 he became the member of the NSDAP and the SASA
-Organizations:* S.A. , a type of corporation in various countries* Salvation Army, a Christian denomination founded by William Booth* Sewickley Academy, a private school in the United States...
. Because of his facilitation with abortion in 1939 he was excluded from the party until he was called to the Heer
Heer
Heer is German for "army". Generally, its use as "army" is not restricted to any particular country, so "das britische Heer" would mean "the British army".However, more specifically it can refer to:*An army of Germany:...
on June 10, 1940 as he worked as a dentist in Hanover. On 3 July 1943, he retired from the Army and on July 22, 1943 he became a member 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...
.
World War II
In the fall 1943 Schatz graduated from one of the SS-Medizinischen Akademie (Medical Academies) in GrazGraz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
as a SS-Untersturmführer and was used in the SS-Hauptquartier (Headquarters) in Oranienburg
Oranienburg
Oranienburg is a town in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Oberhavel.- Geography :Oranienburg is a town located on the banks of the Havel river, 35 km north of the centre of Berlin.- Division of the town :...
. From January 20, 1944 until the fall of 1944 he became the second in charge by his superior, SS-KZ Zahnarzt Willi Frank at Auschwitz. He was then transferred to Neuengamme
Neuengamme
The Neuengamme concentration camp, a Nazi concentration camp, was established in 1938 by the SS near the village of Neuengamme in Bergedorf district within the City of Hamburg, Germany. It was in operation from 1938 to 1945. By the end of the war, more than half of its estimated 106,000 prisoners...
where he served until the war's end in the same function. In 1945 he was promoted again to SS-Obersturmführer.
Post War
At the end of the war he fell in British captivity from which he was dismissed in January 1946. Soon after he opened a dental practice in HanoverHanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
.
Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials
Schatz was arrested in 1959 and stood trial for his crimes in the camps before the Assize Court in Frankfurt am Main which became known as the Frankfurt Auschwitz TrialsFrankfurt Auschwitz trials
The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials, known in German as der Auschwitz-Prozess or der zweite Auschwitz-Prozess, was a series of trials running from December 20, 1963 to August 10, 1965, charging 22 defendants under German penal law for their roles in the Holocaust as mid- to lower-level officials in the...
. He was accused of having selected prisoners at Auschwitz which he denied that he took part of. Since this ultimately could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt, he was acquitted on August 20, 1965.