Franz Egbert Riedweg (10 April 1907, in

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

– 22 January 2005, in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

far-right activist in the

National Front (Switzerland) The National Front was a far-right party in Switzerland that flourished during the 1930s. At its peak the group had as many as 9,000 members, according to the ''Historical Dictionary of Switzerland'', and "may have had a membership of 25,000 or s ...

who, 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 ...

, served in the

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

as well as becoming a close associate of

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

. Riedweg himself spent most of the war in

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 popu ...

. He was taken prisoner by the Americans on 3 May 1945. He was released after making false statements, but rearrested by the British, and was interned until 1948. In December 1947, Riedweg was sentenced in absentia by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court to 16 years in prison for treason, albeit the government never sought his extradition, partly due to the influence of certain Swiss politicians and civil servants, such as Heinrich Walther. Riedwig later became active in

HIAG HIAG () was a Advocacy group, lobby group and a denialist veterans' organisation founded by former high-ranking Waffen-SS personnel in West Germany in 1951. Its main objective was to achieve legal, economic, and historical rehabilitation of the ...

, a lobbyist group for Waffen-SS veterans.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riedweg, Franz 1907 births 2005 deaths SS-Obersturmbannführer Swiss emigrants to Germany Swiss Nazis Swiss neo-Nazis Swiss people imprisoned abroad Swiss Waffen-SS personnel Members of HIAG Nazis convicted in absentia People convicted of treason against Switzerland World War II prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom World War II prisoners of war held by the United States