German SS general, war criminal
Erich Naumann
(29 April 1905 ? 7 June 1951) was an
SS
-
Brigadefuhrer
, member of the
SD
, and a convicted war criminal. Naumann had a key role in
the Holocaust
in Eastern Europe as the commander of
Einsatzgruppe VI
and the commander of
Einsatzgruppe B
.
Early life and career
[
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Born 29 April 1905, in
Meissen
,
Saxony
, Erich Naumann left school at the age of sixteen and was employed in a commercial firm in his home town of Meissen. He joined the
Nazi Party
in November 1929 (nr. 170257). In 1933, Naumann joined the SA in a full-time capacity and then became an official and officer of police. He joined the SD in 1935. Naumann was the commander of Einsatzgruppe VI during its short-lived existence. During the
invasion of Poland
, the unit murdered over 6000 people as part of
Operation Tannenberg
. Afterwards, Naumann was Chief of Einsatzgruppe B from November 1941 until February or March 1943.
[1]
During November 1941, reports he sent to
Adolf Eichmann
state that he was responsible for the deaths of 17,256 people in
Smolensk
. Under his command, he admitted that his
Einsatzgruppe
possessed three gas vans which "were used to exterminate human beings". In another report, dated 15 December 1942, Naumann reported that the Einsatzgruppe B had shot a total of 134,298 people.
[2]
From September 1943 to July 1944, Naumann was the commander of the Security Police and SD in the
Netherlands
. In this position, he assisted the perpetrators of
Operation Silbertanne
and approved of executions carried out by
Henk Feldmeijer
and Feldmeijer's death squad.
[3]
War crimes trial and execution
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]
After capture by the
Allies
, Naumann stood trial in front of a U.S. military court during the
Einsatzgruppen trial
. During the proceedings he repeatedly stated that he did not consider his actions during his tenure as commanding officer of
Einsatzgruppe B
wrong.
[2]
When asked on the witness stand whether he saw anything morally wrong about the Fuhrer's orders, he replied specifically that he:
"No, your Honor, I considered the decree to be right, because it was part of our aim of the war and therefore it was necessary."
The tribunal asked Naumann to clarify, "Then the Tribunal will accept from your answer that you saw nothing wrong with the order, even though it did involve the killing of defenseless human beings. That is what we draw from your answer." Naumann replied, "Yes, your Honor."
[4]
Naumann was found guilty of
war crimes
,
crimes against humanity
, and membership in a criminal organization, namely the SS and the SD. Naumann was sentenced to death and hanged shortly after midnight on 7 June 1951.
[5]
References
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External links
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