Gustav Lombard
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Gustav Lombard (10 April 1895 – 18 September 1992) was a high-ranking member in the SS 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 ...
. During the war, Lombard commanded 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer and the
31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division The 31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division (Official designation in German language as to „Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv“ in Freiburg im Breisgau, stores of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. ( ( was a Nazi Germany, German infantry Division (military), ...
. He was a recipient of the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...
of
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
for so-called "anti-partisan" operations around
Kovel Kovel (, ; ; ) is a city in Volyn Oblast, northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion within the oblast. Population: Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest runic inscriptions which were lost during World War I ...
which involved killing of civilians and burning down villages. Lombard perpetrated mass murder in the Holocaust, serving as commanding officer of the 1st Regiment of the SS Cavalry Brigade during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Lombard was convicted of war crimes by a Soviet military tribunal in 1947 and was released in 1955. He was subsequently tried by a West German court in the 1960s and found not guilty.


Early life and SS career

Gustav Lombard was born in Klein Spiegelberg, near
Prenzlau Prenzlau (; ) is a town in Brandenburg, in north-eastern Germany, the administrative seat of Uckermark District. It is also the centre of the historic Uckermark region. Geography The town is located on the Ucker river, about north of Berlin. ...
,
Province of Brandenburg The Province of Brandenburg () was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1947. Brandenburg was established in 1815 from the Kingdom of Prussia's core territory, comprised the bulk of the historic Margraviate of Brandenburg (excluding Altmark) and ...
, Germany. After his father's death in 1906 he visited his relatives in the United States in 1913, where he graduated from high school and started studying Modern Languages at the
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...
. After the end of
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 returned to Germany in Autumn 1919 and worked for
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and the Chrysler Motor Company in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. Lombard joined the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
(NSDAP) and SS after the ''
Machtergreifung The rise to power of Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919, when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He quickly rose t ...
'', the Nazi takeover of power, in 1933; once in the Party, Lombard joined the SS Cavalry. As an instructor of equitation at the SS riding club, Lombard became acquainted with Jochen Peiper, a future adjutant to
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 ...
; throughout the War, Peiper and Lombard remained comrades in arms. After months of ''
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
'' soldiering in the
German invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
, Lombard was promoted to Commander of the 3rd Squadron of the SS Totenkopf-Reiter-Standarte in December 1939. In Poland, on 7 April 1940, Lombard's unit was ordered to occupy the district of Krolowiec, near the city of
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
. That in case of resistance, commander Lombard gave orders that his soldiers hunt and kill any non-German boy and man between the ages of 17 and 60 years. In the after-action report,
Hermann Fegelein Hans Otto Georg Hermann Fegelein (30 October 1906 – 28 April 1945) was a high-ranking commander in the ''Waffen-SS'' of Nazi Germany. He was a member of Adolf Hitler's entourage and brother-in-law to Eva Braun through his marriage to ...
, commander, 1st SS Totenkopf-Reiter-Standarte, documented and reported a body count of 250 Polish men and boys executed throughout the district of Krolowiec.


Operation Barbarossa

In the end of July 1941 Lombard was commander of a mounted detachment of the 1st SS Cavalry Regiment deployed east of Brest-Litovsk, where he allegedly first used the term ” Entjudung” (De–jewification).


Pripyat Marshes massacres

On 19 July 1941, by order of Himmler, the 1st and 2nd SS Cavalry Regiments were assigned to the general command of
Higher SS and Police Leader The title of SS and Police Leader (') designated a senior Nazi Party official who commanded various components of the SS and the German uniformed police ('' Ordnungspolizei''), before and during World War II in the German Reich proper and in the ...
(HSSPF) Erich von dem Bach-Zalewski. Combined into the SS Cavalry Brigade under the command of Hermann Fegelein, they were to take part in the action in the area of the
Pripet marshes __NOTOC__ The Pripet Marshes or Pripyat Marshes (), also known as Pinsk Marshes (), the Polesie Marshes, and the Rokitno Marshes, are a vast natural region of wetlands in Polesia, along the forested basin of the Pripyat River and its tributaries f ...
, a large area of land that covered parts of
Belorussia Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
and Northern
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
. This action became known as the Pripyat Marshes massacres (); it was conducted by the combined SS and Wehrmacht forces in July and August 1941 as the "systematic combing" of the area for Jews, 'partisans' and Red Army stragglers. The beginning date of the operation is considered to be 28 July 1941. General instructions were given to 'cleanse' the area of partisans and Jewish collaborators. Jewish women and children were to be driven away. Fegelein interpreted these orders as follows: Enemy soldiers in uniform were to be taken prisoner, and those found out of uniform were to be shot. Jewish males, with the exception of a few skilled workers such as doctors and leather workers, would be shot. Fegelein split the territory to be covered into two sections divided by the
Pripyat River The Pripyat or Prypiat is a river in Eastern Europe. The river, which is approximately long, flows east through Ukraine, Belarus, and into Ukraine again, before draining into the Dnieper at Kyiv Reservoir. Name etymology Max Vasmer notes in h ...
, with Lombard's 1st Regiment taking the northern half and the 2nd Regiment the south, under the command of Franz Magill. On 1 August, Himmler met with Bach-Zelewski and Fegelein in Minsk, where Himmler ordered that 'all Jews must be shot. Drive female Jews into the swamps'. Following the meeting, Fegelein advised his men that Himmler told him that 'uncompromising severity' was necessary in dealing with the Jewish enemy. He reminded them that he would deal harshly with any commanders that showed weakness. Historian Peter Longerich notes that most orders to carry out criminal activities such as the killing of civilians were vague, and couched in terminology that had a specific meaning for members of the regime. Leaders were given briefings that all Jews were to be viewed as potential enemies that had to be dealt with ruthlessly. The operation's command staff applied their own interpretation to the orders. On the evening of 1 August, Lombard informed his troops that 'in future not one male Jew is to remain alive, not one family in the villages.' In the following days, he "detailed a new action in which ''all'' Jews, including women and children, were murdered with liberal use of automatic weapons" (emphasis in the original). By 11 August Lombard reported that 11,000 men, women and children had been killed – more than 1,000 each day. His unit also killed 400 dispersed Soviet soldiers. Magill was apparently not as energetic, as, on 12 August, he had to explain that he had not completely eradicated the Jewish 'plunderers' because 'the swamps were not deep enough.'Martin Cüppers, "Vorreiter der Shoah, Ein Vergleich der Einsätze der beiden SS-Kavallerieregimenter im August 1941" in Timm C. Richter: "Krieg und Verbrechen", Meidenbauer Martin Verlag 2006, By 13 August, the combined forces reported 13,788 'plunderers' killed, with only 714 taken prisoner. At the same time, the entire SS cavalry brigade of 4,000 strong suffered 2 casualties dead and 15 wounded. Fegelein's final report on the operation, dated 18 September 1941, states that they killed 14,178 Jews, 1,001 partisans, 699 Red Army soldiers, with 830 prisoners taken and losses of 17 dead, 36 wounded, and 3 missing. The historian Henning Pieper estimates the actual number of Jews killed was closer to 23,700. Thus Fegelein's units were among the first in
the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
to wipe out entire Jewish communities. Lombard's zeal and initiative were noted as he was promoted to regimental commander, while Magill was not and saw himself soon reassigned to an unimportant posting. On 3 September 1941, Lombard was awarded
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 in ...
1st class for 'bravery in battle'.


Mogilev conference

Despite low threat from insurgents in the rear in the first months of the invasion, Wehrmacht's aggressive rear security doctrine and the use of the civilian 'danger' as a cover for genocidal policies resulted in close cooperation between the army and the security apparatus behind the front lines. One of the examples of such cooperation was a three-day field conference organized in the town of
Mogilev Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, about from the Belarus–Russia border, border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, ...
by General Max von Schenckendorff, chief of Army Group Center Rear Area, to create an 'exchange of experiences' for the benefit of Wehrmacht's rear unit commanders. Participating officers were selected based on their 'achievements' in operations already undertaken. The conference got underway on 24 September and focused on 'combatting partisans' (''Bekämpfung von Partisanen''). Talks presented included the evaluation of Soviet 'bandit' organisation and tactics; why it was necessary to execute political commissars immediately upon capture; and the connection between Jews and partisans. In addition to Lombard, the speakers included: Higher SS and Police Leader
Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-N ...
; Max Montua, commander of Police Regiment Centre; Hermann Fegelein, commander of the SS Cavalry Brigade; Arthur Nebe, commander of ''
Einsatzgruppe (, ; also 'task forces') were (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II (1939–1945) in German-occupied Europe. The had an integral role in the impl ...
'' B; and others. The conference included three field exercises. On the second day, participants traveled to the settlement of Knyazhichi (Knjaschitschi in the German rendering). According to the after-action report, 'suspicious strangers' (''Ortsfremde''), that is 'partisans', could not be found, but the screening of the population revealed 51 Jewish civilians; of these, 32 were shot. Thus the conference participants were presented with the default targeting of Jews as part of the anti-partisan warfare. The conference, while ostensibly an 'anti-partisan training', was in fact a means 'to promote the annihilation of Jews for racial reasons', as a post-war West German court put it. The conference marked a dramatic increase in the violence against Jews and other civilians in the last three months of 1941.


Later war

On 15 January 1944, Lombard was appointed Chief of Staff of ''Stossgruppe von dem Bach'', a rapid deployment assault unit under the command of Bach-Zalewski. Established to defend
Kovel Kovel (, ; ; ) is a city in Volyn Oblast, northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion within the oblast. Population: Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest runic inscriptions which were lost during World War I ...
, the unit was composed of the 17th SS Cavalry Regiment, and army artillery, pioneer and assault-gun detachments. Through March 1944, the unit conducted defensive operations and counter-strokes against both partisan formations in the rear and the Red Army forces trying to encircle the city. During the Kovel operations, SS troops and police allegedly perpetrated atrocities in the surrounding area, shooting civilians and burning down villages.


Post-war

Lombard became a prisoner of war in the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
in April 1945 and was sentenced as a war criminal to 25 years in prison in 1947. In 1955 he returned to
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
after Chancellor
Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman and politician who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of th ...
negotiated the release of the remaining German POWs and war criminals from the Soviet Union. He was tried by a West German court in the 1960s; the court case lasted a decade and did not result in a conviction. Lombard worked for the
Allianz Allianz SE ( , ) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core businesses are insurance and asset management. Allianz is the world's largest List of largest insurance ...
Insurance company 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 ...
. He died in 1992 in
Mühldorf am Inn Mühldorf am Inn (, ; Central Bavarian: ''Muihdorf am Inn'') is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the Mühldorf (district), district Mühldorf on the river Inn (river), Inn. It is located at , and had a population of ab ...
at the age of 97.


Awards

*
German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...
on 11 February 1943 as SS-'' Obersturmbannführer'' in Reiter-Regiment 1./SS-Kavallerie-Division *
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...
on 10 March 1943 as SS-''Obersturmbannführer'' and commander of SS-Kavallerie-Regiment 1


See also

* List SS-Brigadeführer


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lombard, Gustav 1895 births 1992 deaths People from Uckermark (district) Military personnel from the Province of Brandenburg Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Recipients of the Gold German Cross SS-Brigadeführer Holocaust perpetrators in Russia University of Missouri alumni Waffen-SS personnel German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union Military personnel from Brandenburg Nazis convicted of war crimes