Curt Gustav Friedrich Walther von Gottberg (11 February 1896 – 31 May 1945) was a high-ranking
SS ''
Obergruppenführer'' who served as
Higher SS and Police Leader for central Russia and, from September 1943, as the ''Generalkommissar'' (Commissioner-General) of
occupied Belarus, combining the highest civil and police powers in that jurisdiction during the
Second World War
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
Gottberg personally ordered many
war crimes and commanded units that committed atrocities against the civilian population of occupied territories. After the end of the war, he was arrested and committed suicide while in custody.
Early life
Gottberg was born in
East Prussia, to an old
Farther Pomeranian aristocratic family. After a training in agricultural management, from 1912, he fought in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, serving from 2 August 1914. He served through nearly the entire war, receiving numerous bullet and shell wounds, and was decorated with the
Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class. Along with other demobilised officers, he then joined the ''
Marinebrigade Ehrhardt'' (a ''
Freikorps
(, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European military volunteer units, or paramilitary, that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenary or private armies, reg ...
''). Gottberg returned to East Prussia in 1924, finished his agricultural training and until the end of the 1920s managed personal estates near Königsberg.
Early SS career
Following a common route for former ''Freikorps'' members, Gottberg joined the
SA in 1931, and the
NSDAP in February 1932. In September 1932 he joined the
SS. By the end of 1933, as an ''SS-Sturmbannführer'', he was head of the 3rd battalion of the SS ''
Verfügungstruppe'' regiment 1 in
Ellwangen: the desire to construct a military force (the basis for the ''
Waffen-SS'') compelled the SS leadership to rely on trained military personnel from World War I.
In 1936, Gottberg assumed leadership of the 49th ''SS-Standarte'' in
Brunswick. In January 1936 Gottberg was involved in a car accident, and his left leg was amputated below the knee.
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
personally intervened on his behalf: the cost of medical care and of the damaged car (which was not Gottberg's) was covered. Himmler also intervened so that Gottberg was promoted to head of the Office for Settlement into the Race and Settlement (RuSHA) in July 1937. However, Gottberg became overwhelmed by his duties; by summer 1939 he was also the acting Commissar of Land Management for
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. Gottberg's financial mismanagement in these roles (dubious transactions, "donations", loans to private individuals, lack of supervision of subordinates, losses running into the millions) led to a scandal within the SS administration. In November 1939 his superior at RuSHA,
Günther Pancke
Günther Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Pancke (1 May 1899 – 17 August 1973) was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era who served as Higher SS and Police Leader of Denmark.
History
Pancke was born in Gnesen (Gniezno), Province of Posen, Ger ...
, called for Gottberg's resignation, even threatening him with dispatch to a concentration camp.
His suspension and 'house arrest' lasted until November 1940, after interventions on his behalf. The long-delayed disciplinary proceedings at an internal SS court took place in April 1942, ending with Gottberg's rehabilitation. It was decided that "factual errors" had led him to make "inappropriate" decisions, but that he had also conducted himself with "remarkable" persistence, intelligence and "personal devotion".
Later SS career and war crimes
Gottberg was appointed
SS and Police Leader "Weissruthenien," encompassing Belarus, effective 21 July 1942, and served in that capacity until 22 September 1943 when he was made ''Generalkommissar'' for ''
Generalbezirk Weissruthenien'' after
Wilhelm Kube was assassinated by a bomb in
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...
. In addition, on 5 July 1943, he was appointed standing Deputy and Acting Higher SS and Police Leader (HSSPF) for ''"Russland-Mitte und Weissruthenien,"'' when the incumbent,
Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, was detailed to lead anti-
partisan activities.
Gottberg developed a new 'strategy' in the fight against
partisans on the occupied territory of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, mounting aggressive operations against suspected 'partisan bases' (generally ordinary villages; Gottberg's strategy seems to have largely involved terrorising the civilian population). Whole regions were classified as "bandit territory" (german: Bandengebiet): residents were expelled or murdered and dwellings destroyed. "In the evacuated areas," said Gottberg in an order, "all people are in future fair game". An order of Gottberg's of 7 December 1942 stated: "Each bandit,
Jew,
gypsy, is to be regarded as an enemy". After his first operation, ''Nürnberg'', Gottberg reported on 5 December 1942: "Enemy dead: 799 bandits, over 300 suspected bandits and over 1800 Jews
..Our losses: 2 dead and 10 wounded. One must have luck".
As a result, ''
Kampfgruppe von Gottberg'', along with the
Dirlewanger
Oskar Paul Dirlewanger (26 September 1895 – ) was a German military officer ('' SS-Oberführer'') who served as the founder and commander of the Nazi SS penal unit "Dirlewanger" during World War II. Serving in Poland and in Belarus, his n ...
and
Kaminski Brigades, under the coordination of Bach-Zelewski, were responsible for the organised mass murder of countless civilians in Belarus. On 21 June 1944, a few days before the collapse of the front, was made permanent HSSPF for Central Russia in succession to Bach-Zelewski and, on 30 June, he was promoted to the rank of ''SS-Obergruppenführer'' and
General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...
of the Waffen-SS and the Police. He was also awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
The defeat of Army Group Centre saw ''Kampfgruppe von Gottberg'' thrown into front-line service against the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
's
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...
,
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...
and
Belostock Offensive Operations, all part of the strategic offensive
Operation Bagration. His forces were tasked with helping to defend Minsk and subsequently
Lida, though in both cases they withdrew (contrary to
Wehrmacht orders) when faced with Soviet attack.
From August to October 1944, Gottberg commanded
XII SS Corps. In September 1944, he was appointed the head of all anti-partisan activity in
occupied France
The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...
but, because of the rapid German retreat, he never actually assumed this post. From December to the end of the war, Gottberg served as Himmler's Deputy Commander of the
Replacement Army. In March 1945, Himmler put Gottberg in charge of screening the railroad system for soldiers who were traveling away from fighting fronts.
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the '' Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to ...
also directed Gottberg that spring as desperate efforts were made to send men who had been released from the Wehrmacht back to combat.
Arrest and suicide
Gottberg was arrested by the
Allies after the war's end. He committed
suicide on 31 May 1945 while in
British captivity in
Flensburg.
Awards and decorations
*
German Cross in Gold on 7 August 1943 as SS-''
Brigadeführer'' and ''
Generalmajor'' of the Polizei, commander of a Kampfgruppe, and SS and
SS and police leader "Weißruthenien"
*
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 30 June 1944 as SS-''
Gruppenführer'' and ''
Generalleutnant'' of the Polizei and leader of ''Kampfgruppe von Gottberg''
References
Citations
Bibliography
* Gerlach, C. ''Kalkulierte Morde. Die deutsche Wirtschafts- und Vernichtungspolitik in Weißrußland 1941 bis 1944'', Hamburger Edition
* Klein, P. ''Curt von Gottberg''. In Mallmann, K. and Paul, G. (eds) ''Karrieren der Gewalt. Nationalsozialistische Täterbiographien'', WBG, Darmstadt 2004,
*
*
*
*Trevor-Roper, H. ''Final Entries 1945: The Diaries of Joseph Goebbels'', G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1978
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gottberg, Curt Von
1896 births
1945 suicides
Belarus in World War II
German amputees
German Army personnel of World War I
Holocaust perpetrators in Belarus
Nazis who committed suicide in Germany
Nazis who committed suicide in prison custody
Officials of Nazi Germany
People from East Prussia
People from Kaliningrad Oblast
People indicted for war crimes
Prisoners who died in British military detention
Prussian Army personnel
Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class
Recipients of the Gold German Cross
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
People of Reichskommissariat Ostland
SS and Police Leaders
SS-Obergruppenführer
20th-century Freikorps personnel
Waffen-SS personnel