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Wilhelm Schäfer (SS)
Wilhelm Schäfer (20 October 1911 – 16 June 1961) was an SS-''Hauptscharführer'' who was complicit in numerous war crimes, including the executions of hundreds of prisoners in Buchenwald concentration camp. He was exposed as a war criminal, put on trial, and executed after he was recognized by a survivor of Buchenwald. Early life and SS career Schäfer was born in a farmer's village in Obhausen. His father was extremely nationalistic. As a young adult, Schäfer got into the bricklayer's trade. After becoming unemployed, he got a job as a farmhand in his hometown. Schäfer joined the Nazi Party in 1932 and the SS in 1933. During this time, he got into street fights with political opponents. Between 1935 and 1937, Schäfer served at Lichtenburg concentration camp, where he was complicit in the abuse and killings of prisoners. Between 1937 and 1943, he served at Buchenwald concentration camp, where he was the deputy commandant of camp laundry area and a ''Blockführer'' for va ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Obhausen
Obhausen is a municipality in the Saalekreis district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In January 2010 it absorbed the former municipality Esperstedt. Statistisches Bundesamt
The Federal Statistical Office (, shortened ''Destatis'') is a federal authority of Germany. It reports to the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
The Office is responsible for collecting, processing, presenting and analysing statistical informati ...
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20th Waffen Grenadier Division Of The SS (1st Estonian)
The 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian) was a foreign infantry division of the Waffen-SS that served alongside the ''Wehrmacht'' during World War II. According to some sources, the division was under ''Reichsführer-SS'' Heinrich Himmler's overall command but was not an integral part of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS). It was officially activated on 24 January 1944, and many of its soldiers had been members of the Estonian Legion and/or the 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade, which had been fighting as part of German forces since August 1942 and October 1943 respectively. Both of the preceding formations drew their personnel from German-occupied Estonia. Shortly after its official activation, widespread conscription within Estonia was announced by the German occupying authorities. The division was formed in Estonia around a cadre comprising the 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade, and was initially known as the 20th Estonian SS Volunteer Division. By 1944, a total ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Querfurt
Querfurt () is a town in the Saalekreis district, or ''Kreis'', in southern Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is located in a fertile area on the Querne, west from Merseburg. In 2020, the town had a population of 10,454. The town Querfurt consists of Querfurt proper and the following 8 ''Ortschaften'' or municipal divisions: Gatterstädt, Grockstädt, Leimbach, Lodersleben, Schmon, Vitzenburg, Weißenschirmbach and Ziegelroda.Hauptsatzung der Stadt Querfurt October 2015. Querfurt is known as the birthplace of Saint Bruno of Querfurt. History For some time, Querfurt was the capital of a |
SS Blood Group Tattoo
SS blood group tattoos () were worn by members of the ''Waffen-SS'' in Nazi Germany during World War II to identify the individual's blood type. After the war, the tattoo was taken to be ''prima facie'' evidence of being part of the ''Waffen-SS'', leading to potential arrest and prosecution. Description and purpose The SS blood group tattoo was applied, in theory, to all ''Waffen-SS'' members, except members of the British Free Corps. It was a small black ink tattoo located on the underside of the left arm near the armpit. It generally measured around long and was placed roughly above the elbow. The tattoo consisted of the soldier's blood type letter, either A, B, AB or O. The discovery of the Rh D antigen had been made in 1937, but was not fully understood during World War II, so was not implemented. In the early part of the war, tattoos were printed in Fraktur, while later on they were printed in Antiqua. The purpose of the tattoo was to identify a soldier's blood type i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bandenbekämpfung
In Military history of Germany, German military history, (), also referred to as Nazi security warfare during World War II, refers to the concept and military doctrine of Counterinsurgency, countering Resistance movement, resistance or insurrection in the Rear (military), rear area during wartime with extreme brutality. The doctrine provided a rationale for disregarding the established Law of war, laws of war and for targeting any number of groups, from Guerrilla warfare, armed guerrillas to civilians, as "bandits" or "members of gangs". As applied by the German Empire and later Nazi Germany, it became instrumental in the crimes against humanity committed by the two regimes, including the Herero and Nama genocide and the Holocaust. Historian Alex J. Kay estimates that around one million civilians died as a result of German anti-partisan warfare—excluding actual partisans—among the 13 to 14 million people murdered by the Nazis during World War II. Background According to his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genickschussanlage
(German language, German for "neck shooting facility") is the official name of a facility used for surprise executions in Nazi Germany. The victim was placed, under the pretext of a medical examination, in a position where a Gunshot, shot could be fired into the back of their neck from the neighbouring room. For that purpose, the facilities were partly disguised as height measuring devices or medicinal instruments. The facilities are mostly known from concentration camps (such as Sachsenhausen concentration camp, Sachsenhausen), where they were not only used to carry out official death sentences but also to carry out inconspicuous murder of larger groups of victims. In the Buchenwald concentration camp In the Buchenwald concentration camp, after 1941, the facility was mostly used to execute Soviet Union, Soviet prisoners of war. These prisoners, who were brought to the camp from other concentration camps, were placed in a former horse stable converted to a rudimentary medical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blockführer
''Blockführer'' (Block Leader; female rank name: ''Blockführerin'') was a paramilitary title specific to the SS-Totenkopfverbände, SS-Death's Head Units in Concentration Camp Service. An SS-Block Leader was typically in charge of prisoner barracks ranging from two hundred to three hundred Nazi concentration camps, concentration camp prisoners; in larger camps, the number of prisoners could reach as high as a thousand. The Block Leader was in charge of daily attendance, supervising daily work details, and distributing rations to prisoners. Assisting in this case were several prisoner trustees, known as ''Kapo (concentration camp), kapos''. The position of Block Leader was usually held by an SS soldier holding the rank of Unterscharführer, SS-Corporal or non-commissioned officer rank of Scharführer, SS-Sergeant. In the Nazi death camps, the task of gassing prisoners with Zyklon B was performed by a Block Leader. A similar title, known as ''Blockleiter'' (Block Warden), als ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the insignia of the medieval Teutonic Order and borne by its knights from the 13th century. As well as being a military medal, it has also been used as an emblem by the Prussian Army, the Imperial German Army, and the of the Weimar Republic, while the ''Balkenkreuz'' (bar cross) variant was used by the ''Wehrmacht''. The Iron Cross is now the emblem of the , the modern German armed forces. King Frederick William III of Prussia established the Iron Cross award on 17 March 1813 during the Napoleonic Wars (EK 1813). The award was backdated to the birthday (10 March) of his late wife, Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen Louise, who was the first person to receive it (posthumously). The Iron Cross was also awarded during the Franco-Prussian War ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Russia. The territory of Estonia consists of the mainland, the larger islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, and over 2,300 other islands and islets on the east coast of the Baltic Sea. Its capital Tallinn and Tartu are the two largest List of cities and towns in Estonia, urban areas. The Estonian language is the official language and the first language of the Estonians, majority of its population of nearly 1.4 million. Estonia is one of the least populous members of the European Union and NATO. Present-day Estonia has been inhabited since at least 9,000 BC. The Ancient Estonia#Early Middle Ages, medieval indigenous population of Estonia was one of the last pagan civilisations in Europe to adopt Christianity following the Northern Crusades in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total population of over 84 million in an area of , making it the most populous member state of the European Union. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands to the west. The Capital of Germany, nation's capital and List of cities in Germany by population, most populous city is Berlin and its main financial centre is Frankfurt; the largest urban area is the Ruhr. Settlement in the territory of modern Germany began in the Lower Paleolithic, with various tribes inhabiting it from the Neolithic onward, chiefly the Celts. Various Germanic peoples, Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nazism
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequently referred to as Hitler Fascism () and Hitlerism (). The term " neo-Nazism" is applied to other far-right groups with similar ideology, which formed after World War II, and after Nazi Germany collapsed. Nazism is a form of fascism, with disdain for liberal democracy and the parliamentary system. Its beliefs include support for dictatorship, fervent antisemitism, anti-communism, anti-Slavism, anti-Romani sentiment, scientific racism, white supremacy, Nordicism, social Darwinism, homophobia, ableism, and the use of eugenics. The ultranationalism of the Nazis originated in pan-Germanism and the ethno-nationalist '' Völkisch'' movement which had been a prominent aspect of German ultranationalism since the late 19th centu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and administratively lies in the Harju County, Harju ''Counties of Estonia, maakond'' (county). Tallinn is the main governmental, financial, industrial, and cultural centre of Estonia. It is located northwest of the country's second largest city, Tartu, however, only south of Helsinki, Finland; it is also west of Saint Petersburg, Russia, north of Riga, Latvia, and east of Stockholm, Sweden. From the 13th century until the first half of the 20th century, Tallinn was known in most of the world by variants of its other historical Names of Tallinn in different languages, name Reval. “Reval” received Lübeck law, Lübeck city rights in 1248; however, the earliest evidence of human settlement in the area dates back nearly 5,000 years. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
