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, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

military officer from Kösling,

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...

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

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

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he was appointed military governor of

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

. After the war, he was tried and imprisoned for

war crime A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...

s 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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 two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

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

security police Security police usually describes a law enforcement agency which focuses primarily on providing security and law enforcement services to particular areas or specific properties. They may be employed by governmental, public, or private institutio ...

, 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 extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

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 ''Fallschi ...

as the Commander-in-Chief of "

Fortress Crete Fortress Crete () was the term used during World War II by the German occupation forces to refer to the garrison and fortification of Crete. Background The Greek island of Crete was seized by the Axis after a fierce battle at the end of May 1 ...

". 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), known as Xan Fielding, was a British author, translator, journalist and traveller, who served as a Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent in Crete, France and East Asia during ...

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 (, 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 in central Berlin, Germany, which ...

, 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. ...

. 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 (), operating as Panzer Group 4 () from its formation on 15 February 1941 to 1 January 1942, was a German panzer formation during World War II. As a key armoured component of the Wehrmacht, the army took part in the crucial ...

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 Military personnel from the Province of Silesia Generals of Aviators German Army personnel of World War I Prussian Army personnel Crete in World War II German occupation of Greece during World War II German people imprisoned abroad German prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Greece Generals of Artillery (Wehrmacht) Luftwaffe personnel convicted of war crimes Deutsche Reichspartei politicians