__NOTOC__ Jürgen Wagner (9 September 1901 – 27 June 1947) was a ''

Brigadeführer ''Brigadeführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that was used between 1932 and 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as '' Untergruppenführer'' in ...

'' 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 ...

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 ...

, the commander of the SS Division Nederland and was awarded the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves 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 lower in precedence than the Grand C ...

. In April 1944 Wagner was promoted to SS-''

und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS'' and given command of the

4th SS Polizei Division The 4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division (4. SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier-Division) or SS Division Polizei was one of the thirty-eight divisions fielded as part of the Waffen-SS during World War II. Formation The division was formed in October ...

. In August 1944, Wagner was given command of a ''

Kampfgruppe In military history, the German term (pl. ; abbrev. KG, or KGr in usage during World War II, literally "fighting group" or " battlegroup") can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the of Nazi Germa ...

'' (battle group), against the Tartu Offensive of the Soviet

3rd Baltic Front The 3rd Baltic Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. It was set up on 21 April 1944 and disbanded on 16 October that year after a series of campaigns in the Baltic states that culminated with the capture of Riga Octobe ...

.Hiio 2006, pp. 1035–1094. After the war ended, Wagner was taken prisoner by the Americans. He was extradited 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 ...

in 1947. There, he was put on trial before the military tribunal of the 3rd Yugoslav Army from 29 May to 6 June 1947 in

Zrenjanin Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city urban area has a population of 67,129 inh ...

. It is not precisely known for what he was indicted. However, his orders for the mass executions of civilians in 1941 and later on reportedly played a role in his conviction. Found guilty of the charges, he was sentenced to

death by firing squad Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose shor ...

and executed on 27 June 1947.

Awards

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 ...

(1939) 2nd Class (16 May 1940) & 1st Class (1 July 1940)Thomas 1998, p. 407. *

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 ...

in Gold on 8 December 1942 as SS-''Standartenführer'' in SS-Infanterie-Regiment "Germania"Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 492. *

** Knight's Cross on 24 July 1943 as SS-''Oberführer'' and commander of SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment "Germania".Scherzer 2007, p. 764. ** 680th Oak Leaves on 11 December 1944 as SS-''Brigadeführer'' and ''Generalmajor'' of the Waffen-SS and commander of the 4. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Brigade "Nederland"

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Böhme, Kurt W. (1964). ''Zur Geschichte der deutschen Kriegsgefangenen des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Die deutschen Kriegsgefangenen in Jugoslawien 1949-1953.'' Vol. I/2, Gieseking, Ernst und Werner, GmbH, Verlag. . * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Jurgen 1901 births 1947 deaths 20th-century Freikorps personnel Executed German mass murderers Military personnel from Strasbourg German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States People extradited from Germany People extradited to Yugoslavia Military personnel from Alsace-Lorraine Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves SS-Brigadeführer Waffen-SS personnel

Awards

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography