Oskar Dirlewanger
German military officer (1895–1945) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Oskar Dirlewanger (26 September 1895 – c. 7 June 1945) was a German SS commander and habitual offender,[1] convicted of rape and other crimes,[2] he is known for committing numerous war crimes in German-occupied territories during World War II. Dirlewanger was the founder and commander of the SS penal unit, the Dirlewanger Brigade,[3] considered to be the most brutal and notorious Waffen-SS unit.[4][5]
Oskar Dirlewanger | |
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Born | 26 September 1895 Würzburg, Bavaria, German Empire |
Died | c. 7 June 1945(1945-06-07) (aged 49) Altshausen, Baden-Württemberg, Allied-occupied Germany |
Allegiance | German Empire Nazi Germany |
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Rank | SS-Oberführer |
Commands held | Dirlewanger Brigade |
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Alma mater | Goethe University Frankfurt |
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While serving in Poland and Belarus, Dirlewanger has been closely linked to many atrocities, being considered one of the most cruel and brutal individuals throughout the course of the Second World War, with his unit being responsible for the deaths of at least "tens of thousands" in Poland and the Soviet Union.[4] His preferred methods included rape and torture.[6] He also fought in World War I, the post-World War I conflicts, and the Spanish Civil War.[7] He reportedly died after World War II while in the custody of the Western Allies.
According to the historian Timothy Snyder, "in all the theaters of the Second World War, few could compete in cruelty with Oskar Dirlewanger."[8] He has also been described as the "most evil man in the SS" and as "perhaps the most sadistic of all commanders of World War II."[5] According to military historian Tim Heath, Dirlewanger was "a living embodiment of evil and depravity and all the proof that anyone could need that monsters do exist".[9]