Hermann Johann Heinrich Behrends (11 May 1907 – 4 December 1948) was a

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 ...

member and SS official with the rank of SS-'' Gruppenführer'' and ''

Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...

'' of police. He served as a Higher SS and Police Leader in Yugoslavia during the

Second World War 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 ...

and was tried and executed in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

for war crimes. Born in Rüstringen, Oldenburg, the son of a provincial innkeeper, he was educated to doctorate level in law at Marburg University but struggled to find employment in an economically depressed Weimar Germany. He joined the Nazi Party in January 1932 and the SS the following month. With no military experience he initially floundered but soon attracted the attentions of

Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( , ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a German high-ranking SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust. He held the rank of SS-. Many historians regard Heydrich ...

, who valued academic expertise, and he was transferred to the '' Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD). Becoming a close friend of Heydrich, Behrends was the first chief of the SD in Berlin. In March 1939, Behrends was appointed to a seat in the '' Reichstag'' as a deputy from the electoral constituency Ostmark, to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Hubert Klausner; he retained this seat until Germany's surrender. He also served as Chief of Staff to Werner Lorenz in his capacity as head of the Hauptamt Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle (VOMI). During the

he was sent to

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

to lead the regional arm of the VOMI. In March 1944, he was appointed the Higher SS and Police Leader for "Serbien, Montenegro und Sandschak". His star had fallen somewhat after Heydrich's death as

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 ...

was unimpressed by him, sensing that he was too ambitious. On 5 July 1945, he was captured by the British services in

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...

. He was interned with the number 560294 in the

Island Farm Island Farm, also called Camp 198, was a prisoner of war camp on the outskirts of the town of Bridgend, South Wales. It hosted a number of Axis Powers, Axis prisoners, mainly German, and was the scene of the largest escape attempt by German POWs ...

Special Camp in

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

, South Wales.Hermann Behrends profile in the Island Farm website
/ref>

requested his extradition in February 1947 and he was handed over to Yugoslavian authorities later that year. He was placed on trial, convicted and sentenced to death. He was hanged in

on 4 December 1948. His date of death is sometimes given as 21 December 1947.

Decorations and awards

* 1939

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 ...

2nd Class with Swords * War Merit Cross 1st and 2nd Class with Swords

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Behrends, Hermann 1907 births 1948 deaths Executed people from Lower Saxony German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom Gestapo personnel Lawyers in the Nazi Party Members of the Reichstag 1938–1945 Nazi Party politicians Nazis executed by Yugoslavia by hanging People extradited from the United Kingdom People extradited to Yugoslavia People from Wilhelmshaven SS and police leaders SS-Gruppenführer University of Marburg alumni Waffen-SS personnel