Oscar Paul Dirlewanger - Oberfuhrer SS: biography. SS division "Dirlewanger"

Who is Oscar Paul Dirlewanger? The Second World War can not be described without mentioning the name of this cruel murderer. He crippled a huge number of fates, killed thousands of children and tortured hundreds of people. Only those who were considered hopeless were sent to work for him: the most notorious, cruel and merciless criminals. It was believed that the service under his command is a corrective measure, but in fact, it further fueled hatred in the prisoners. Oscar Paul Dirlewanger, whose death was just, committed a lot of evil, but no evil can be committed alone. How did humanity allow this killer's freedom of action, how could it allow him to do his dark deeds and kill hundreds of innocent people around the world? Is there an excuse for him, and is there any possibility of avoiding such internal degradation?

The beginning of military career

Oscar Paul Dirlewanger was born in the family of a small merchant in the autumn of 1895 in Würzburg. Already in 1913 the boy received a certificate of secondary education. In the same year he joined the military service, for a period of one year, in a machine-gun company. In its composition, he participated in the invasions of Belgium and France during the First World War. During the fighting on the Western Front, the young man was several times wounded. He received the rank of lieutenant, as well as the Iron Cross - the German military award. Being a part of a machine-gun company, he participated in the occupation of Ukraine in 1918. After the truce was concluded, the regiment under the command of Dirlewanger was returned to Germany.

Attempts at learning

Oscar Paul Dirlewanger, whose biography was just beginning, in 1919 became a member of one of the francores - the patriotic movement in Germany. Over the next two years he took an active part in street fighting to suppress pro-communist sentiments in the Ruhr, Saxony, Thuringia. In battles, he was particularly cruel and ruthless. Simultaneously with these events, Oscar was trained in Mannheim in a higher commercial school, from where he was later expelled due to the spread of anti-Semitic ideas. Despite this, in 1922 he defended his doctoral dissertation in Frankfurt am Main in order to obtain a doctorate in social and political sciences. The work revealed the principles and principles of planning in the national economy in case of war. In the autumn of 1922 he appeared in the National Socialist German Workers' Party and was successful. After some time, he was expelled from the party because of a gross violation of the law on disarmament, but in 1926 he is again on the list of its members.

Peaceful life

From 1922 to 1928 Oscar led a peaceful and peaceful life. He was a volunteer, and also moved from place to place in various banking institutions in Stuttgart. From 1928 to 1931 he held the post of manager at one of the textile factories in Erfurt. Until 1932 he worked in the tax system. Work in banking institutions, he lost because of reasonable charges of embezzlement, and at the textile factory Oscar was engaged in financial fraud. To avoid trial, he concluded a contract with the owner of the enterprise and compensated him for the damage.

As we know, Oscar Dirlewanger received the Iron Cross. In addition, he was known as a brave and straightforward man, but everyone knew that he had many shortcomings. Despite this, everywhere he worked, he managed to establish contacts with the leadership, to subjugate others and force others to achieve their goals.

Jail

In 1933 the National Socialists came to power, appointing Dirlewanger as manager of the department for amusement and work in Heilbronn. At first, Oscar takes a low position, but soon becomes a boss. While in this post, he was the first to report on the employment of SA members who were his charges. Despite such success and promotion, he was involved in various intrigues and unpleasant situations. In 1934, he was imprisoned for 2 years for raping a 13-year-old girl. Because of this case, he was deprived of his awards, academic degree and military rank, as well as membership in the parties of Germany. The imprisonment took place in Ludwigsburg, where Paul unsuccessfully tried to somehow appeal his sentence. After 2 years he leaves the prison, but soon again gets there in a similar case.

While in the concentration camp, he remembers his companion Gottlob Berger, who then worked in the SS and was an approximate man of Himmler. Gottlob does everything possible to free his friend, ignoring two convictions for violence and Oscar's apparent drunkenness. The liberated Paul joins the Spanish foreign legion, who participates in the war in Spain, defending the side of General Franco. 1937-1939 served in the tank section under the name "Beekeeper". Returning from the war wounded and awarded the Spanish cross, Dirlewanger tries to restore his name. He does seek a review of the case, and he is justified on the lack of direct evidence. The exculpatory act was so sucked from a finger that at first at the university in Frankfurt am Main it was even refused to restore the degree. As a result, Oskar returns it, and is also updated in the membership of the NSDAP. After that, Berger convened a special commission, which was to decide the fate of Dirlewanger. He explained that such people survive only while in military service, and offered to prepare convicts and poachers for the defense of the homeland. As a result, Dirlewanger was appointed manager for the preparation of these categories of people to the soldier's cause.

"Team of poachers Oranienburg"

Education, created by Oscar, in the autumn was renamed the "Special Battalion SS Dirlewanger." Only the most capable, active and cruel fighters were selected. In the summer of 1940, the battalion consisted of only 84 people, but in the autumn of the same year - 300 people. He was replenished at the expense of the convicts, who decided to trade the willless life for aggression and subordination of power.

The head of the division is Gottlob Berger, who in every possible way covers the offenses of his comrade. Soon this formation is sent to Poland to establish order and fight against partisans. Here, Oscar has to follow Friedrich Krueger's orders, which causes a lot of disagreement between them. Soon the brigade will be relocated to Byelorussia. In the winter of 1942, it is declared a volunteer formation, which is subordinated to the SS. She gets permission to recruit foreign volunteers, and in the summer of 1942 Hitler himself decided to increase the number of battalions to two. The recruitment comes from a number of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, as well as from German military servicemen who serve a sentence for misconduct. It is interesting that only those violators were attracted to the service of Dirlewanger, whose actions were equated in peacetime with criminal crimes. Ordinary violations, such as sleep at the workplace or failure to comply with the order, were not considered sufficient reason to be sent to the Oscar brigade. Working with him was a remedy for the notorious offenders who, after serving, could return to his usual position. From this it becomes clear why the Dirlewanger team consisted of the most cruel and immoral soldiers. However, the second battalion was never assembled.

Obtaining the right to own symbols

In 1942, the Oscar team participated in a number of operations to suppress the activities of partisans. In the summer they are working on Operation Adler under the command of Erich Zelevsky, who was the commander of SS troops and police in central Russia. In the autumn, partisan hunters (the Dirlewanger brigade) carry out the operations of Regatta and Frida. In the winter of 1942, the Oscar team has 300 men, and also owns 5 mortars, 22 machine guns, 11 trucks and 2 anti-tank guns. By the winter of 1943, it already has 700 people, of whom 300 are Soviet soldiers. In February, the unit gets the right to wear its own symbolism. The symbol of the division of SS "Dirlewanger" - buttonholes with a picture of a hand grenade and 2 crossed carbines.

II battalion

In the spring of 1943, at last, the second battalion is formed, after which the unit is named "Sonderkommando SS Dirlewanger". The team consisted almost entirely of convicted poachers. Usually Dirlewanger himself led his soldiers into battle, and planning the attack trusted Kurt Weiss. In the summer of 1943, a battle took place near Lake Pelik, which leads to a significant reduction in the size of the brigade. In December 1943, Oscar Paul Dirlewanger received one of the highest rewards of the Reich - the German gold cross, as gratitude for his services. At the same time, the authorities decided to expand the team to 3 battalions. Before this, the brigade fights in the army "North" and "Center" with the guerrillas and incurs significant losses. They had to be restored at the expense of new arrivals. By 1944 the Dirlewanger brigade consisted of 1200 people. At that time Soviet soldiers were no longer involved in it, but only prisoners or poachers, as well as political criminals.

The tragedy of Khatyn

Khatyn is a small village on the territory of Belarus, which was wiped off the face of the earth in March 1943. It was the revenge of the punitive detachment of Dirlewanger for killing their soldiers. It all started with the fact that partisans stayed in the village, who quickly left it and moved towards Pleschenits. A truck with German soldiers drove out to meet them and they were going to the Minsk airfield. On the way, they met a woman who was questioned about the partisans in the district. She replied that she had not seen anyone. Literally after 200 m the team was ambushed by partisans. In battle, the German soldiers lost three of their comrades and the head of the detachment Hans Völke. One of the team members suspected that the woman specifically gave them the wrong information. In order to get even with her, the soldiers called the Dirlewanger brigade. Together they returned to the place where they met a woman. On the spot, 26 innocent women were shot; The rest were captured. The tragedy of Khatyn was due to the fact that the military were furious that G. Wölke, the champion of the Olympic Games and a man personally acquainted with Hitler, died. The military did not stop at killing women. The next day they drove all the villagers into the shed, fueled it with gasoline and set it on fire. Those who tried to escape were shot on the spot. The village consisted of many families who raised 7-9 babies. The Germans burned 149 people, of whom 75 were children under 16 years old.

In the winter of 1966, the memorial complex "Khatyn" was created, which became a symbol of all the destroyed villages in Belarus during the Second World War. The complex occupies about 50 hectares of land, and in its center stands a 6-meter bronze sculpture - a man with a deceased child in his arms.

Bagration

In the summer of 1944 the operation "Bagration" unfolds on the offensive of the Soviet troops on the army "Center". As a result of this battle, our soldiers won, and the small remnants of the "Center" army retreated to the territory of Poland. Nazi war criminals led by Dirlewanger took part in several rearguard battles and retreated without significant losses.

Warsaw

A little later, a special battalion of SS "Dirlewanger", together with the team of Kaminsky, took part in suppressing the uprising in Warsaw. As a result, Oscar receives the title of Oberfuhrer of the SS reserve. The group-fuhrer Reinfart was very impressed with the boldness of Oscar and recommended for rewarding with the Knight's Cross, which he received in September 1944. He also received a gilded sign for the injury he received in Warsaw, because it was already the eleventh for his military career. It is worth noting that the suppression of the Warsaw uprising cost the Dirlewanger team dearly, which after that consisted of only 648 people.

The regiment is enlarged, and after that they are reorganized into the second probe brigade, which in a couple of months becomes an assault brigade. The strength of the team is 4,000, of whom 200 were poachers, 600 were convicted political criminals, 200 were convicted from the Wehrmacht and 1,200 were ordinary prisoners. A small part of the brigade consisted of Soviet communists and socialists, who agreed to be members of the team in the hope of desertion, then to join the Red Army.

Slovakia

In October of the same year, SS Oberfuhrer Dierlewanger leads his brigade to Slovakia to suppress the next uprising. At the end of 1994, the member of the brigade became the cavalier of the German Cross and Brigadenführer SS Fritz Schmedes, who took the place of a tactical officer. Already in December of the same year he was dismissed by Himmler from his business because of his refusal to carry out the senseless, in his opinion, orders. The removal of Schmedes was an instructive lesson for the rest of the team, who could decide on such disobedience in the future. The brigade at that time consisted of two regiments under the command of Erich Buchman and Ewald Ehlers. Each of them included two battalions and two artillery batteries each. The last half of December the brigade fought in Hungary. After a two-week stay of the huge team in the forefront, it is sent to Slovakia for a complete reorganization due to the fact that many soldiers have deserted from the battlefield.

At the same time, from the usual residents of the city receives a huge number of complaints about Oscar people who are accused of robbery, violence and cruelty. Incredibly, some of the members of the team had to be kept in the usual cellars under a strong lock, because in the wild they became simply uncontrollable and struck the rigidity of even their close comrades.

In the winter of 1945 the brigade under the command of Dirlewanger returns to the front, as the situation in Silesia on the Oder River is sharply heated. Initially, the authorities decided to increase the number of the brigade in order to become a division. But before that, she takes part in the battles near Guben. Soon Oscar gets an order to reorganize the team, and just one day after that Oscar Paul Dirlewanger gets seriously wounded, because of which he is sent to the rear for complex treatment. This was the twelfth wound that he received during the war. It was the last for him. Paul got it because of that, decided to lead the counterattack independently. After recovery Oscar no longer returned to the front ever. His place was taken by Shmedes, who remained commander-in-chief of the brigade until the last days of the war. When the war was over, the strength of the Schmedes team was about 6,000.

The war in Silesia continued. As we already know, the brigade was to become a division, but the new divisions were never created. Instead , the SS division replenished with the usual army units. It also included former cadets from the Braunschweig School. A significant number of people were recruited from all the same concentration camps, as well as from Auschwitz, in which the preparation of people for the service of Oberfuhrer Dierlewanger continued for a long time.

Disintegration of the division

In March 1945, the front was broken by Soviet soldiers, so the troops under the command of Shmedes began a retreat to the north-east of Silesia. Simultaneously, deserters became more and more every day. Shmedes and his entourage tried to reorganize the division in April, but to their surprise they found that there was nothing to reorganize, because the division literally collapsed. And this is not an exaggeration, because in some regiments there were only 20-30 people left.

Finally, the last gathering of all the members of the division took place at the end of April, but it did not give the desired results, but only worsened the general situation. Shmedes decided to take even the remaining people to Elba, where in May 1945 he resignedly surrendered to American soldiers. The execution of the punitive division "Dirlewanger" occurred very rapidly. Civilians and military personnel, servicemen and captured Soviet soldiers were also killed. Interestingly, Buchman and Shmedes were never brought to criminal account for all the crimes committed. Moreover, they led an open and quiet life, even after they were released by the German authorities from the prisoner of war camp. Weisset decided to voluntarily surrender to the British, to whom he gave important documents to the Wehrmacht. Having won some confidence, he cleverly escaped from the camp in March 1945 and no one else saw him. Known for its brutality, the SS division broke up in the spring of 1945.

Death

Oscar Paul was treated in the city of Althausen. There he was in the hospital until on the first day of summer 1945 French soldiers brought him to a city prison that was guarded by Polish soldiers who had heard about the atrocities of the Oberfuhrer. For a long time he did not have to be imprisoned, since he died of terrible beatings after 4 days. Despite this, the exact circumstances of the death of this cruel person were not known to anyone. There were many rumors that he was seen in different cities around the world. But in 1960, the researchers found his grave and, after analyzing, were able to identify his remains. This put an end to various rumors.

In 1981, a documentary novel by Ales Adamovich was published, in which it was possible to read that Oskar Paul Dirlewanger had died in Latin America, and after that his remains were transported to Germany, where they were betrayed in his native city of Wurzburg. However, this is a mistake, because Oscar died in Baden-Württemberg. In the autumn of 1960, the remains of Oscar Paul were exhumed by order of the procurators of the city of Ravensburg. A little later it was finally proved that they belonged to Dirlewanger.

Summarizing the article, it should be said that Oscar Paul Dirlewanger created a name for himself on the corpses of other people. His example in history shows how far human cruelty can go and how close each person is to animal aggression. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to develop, to go forward, to build the right future, because we can never be absolutely sure that all the worst is over. Every person must be conscious, active and fair in order that the society, starting with the kids, develops along a certain path, which leads to the flourishing of science, knowledge and good!