Alexander Andrae (27 April 1888 – 3 April 1979), whose first name is often mistakenly given as ''Waldemar'', was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

military officer from Kösling,

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...

. Initially pursuing an Army career, he then joined the security police and eventually the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he was appointed military governor of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

. After the war, he was tried and imprisoned for war crimes committed there under his command.

Early life, World War I and Interbellum

Andrae was born in 1888 and joined the army in 1906. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served with the 56th Field-Artillery-Brigade, in the Staffs of the 2nd Army, the 25th Infantry Division, the 9th Landwehr Division and the XVI Army Corps. After the end of World War I, he remained in the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshape ...

, from which he retired in 1920. He then moved to the

security police Security police officers are employed by or for a governmental agency or corporations to provide security service security services to those properties. Security police protect facilities, properties, personnel, users, visitors and enforce cer ...

, where he stayed until 1935 when he re-entered the army. In August 1936, he joined the then newly established

World War II

Serving in the Luftwaffe as the Commander of Air Region Staffs 17 (Poland), 300 (Denmark), Balkans, and Crete, Andrae took part in the campaigns against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and

, respectively. In June 1941, he succeeded

Kurt Student Kurt Arthur Benno Student (12 May 1890 – 1 July 1978) was a German general in the Luftwaffe during World War II. An early pioneer of airborne forces, Student was in overall command of developing a paratrooper force to be known as the '' Fallsch ...

as the Commander-in-Chief of "

Fortress Crete Fortress Crete (german: Festung Kreta) was the term used during World War II by the German occupation forces to refer to the garrison and fortification of Crete. The Greek island of Crete was seized by the Axis after a fierce battle at the en ...

". Under his command, thousands of civilian residents of

were tortured or executed. During 1942, SOE agent

Xan Fielding Alexander Wallace Fielding (26 November 1918 – 19 August 1991) was a British author, translator, journalist and traveller, who served as a Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent in Crete, France and the East Asia during World War II. The pu ...

was considering a plan to capture Andrae. This plan never materialized, since in fall 1942, Andrae was assigned to the

Reich Air Ministry The Ministry of Aviation (german: Reichsluftfahrtministerium, abbreviated RLM) was a government department during the period of Nazi Germany (1933–45). It is also the original name of the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus building on the Wilhelmstrasse ...

, leaving the command of Crete to paratrooper General

Bruno Bräuer Bruno Bräuer (4 February 1893 – 20 May 1947) was a general in the paratroop forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. He served as a commander on Crete (called Fortress Crete by the Germans) and then commanded the 9th Paratroop Division. A ...

. However, the idea of capturing a German general evolved into the abduction of Gen. Kreipe. Andrae retired from service in May 1943, to be called again for active duty as an artillery General in April 1945 with the

4th Panzer Army The 4th Panzer Army (german: 4. Panzerarmee) (operating as Panzer Group 4 (german: 4. Panzergruppe) from its formation on 15 February 1941 to 1 January 1942, when it was redesignated as a full army) was a German panzer formation during World War ...

Post-war

After the surrender of Germany in May 1945, Andrae was captured by the British and then extradited to Greece to be tried for war crimes he was responsible for while in Crete. In 1947, he was condemned to four life sentences. In 1951, his sentence was commuted by King Paul of Greece to four years imprisonment. As a result, after spending four years in prison, he was released in January 1952. Later, Andrae co-founded the German Reich Party.Forkmann, Daniela and Schlieben, Michael. ''Die Parteivorsitzenden in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 1949-2005'', VS Verlag 2005; .

References

External links

A. Andrae bio from Axis Biographical Research
, 25 October 2009)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrae, Alexander 1888 births 1979 deaths People from Kietrz People from the Province of Silesia Generals of Aviators German Army personnel of World War I Prussian Army personnel Crete in World War II German people convicted of war crimes German police officers convicted of crimes German occupation of Greece during World War II Prisoners and detainees of Greece Generals of Artillery (Wehrmacht) Luftwaffe personnel convicted of war crimes German neo-Nazis Nazi Party politicians