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Sepp Dietrich
Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (28 May 1892 – 21 April 1966) was a German general, politician and war criminal in the Schutzstaffel (SS) during the Nazi era.
Despite having no formal staff officer training (and little formal education at all), Dietrich rose to become (along with Paul Hausser) SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer, the highest-ranking commissioned officer rank in the Waffen-SS, the military branch of the SS, commanding units up to the army level during World War II. He joined the Nazi Party in 1928 and was elected to the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic in 1930. Prior to 1929, Dietrich was Adolf Hitler's chauffeur and bodyguard.
Dietrich was assessed to be more valuable for his political loyalty than his military ability, and was considered to have been elevated above his military competence. Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt considered Dietrich to be "decent but stupid". As commanding officer of the 6th Panzer Army during the Battle of the Bulge, Dietrich bore responsibility for the Malmedy massacre, the murder of U.S. prisoners of war in December 1944.
After the war, an American military tribunal convicted Dietrich of war crimes at the Malmedy massacre trial. Upon his release from Landsberg Prison in 1955, Dietrich became active in HIAG, a denialist and lobbying group established by former high-ranking Waffen-SS personnel. He died in 1966 at the age of 73.
Josef "Sepp" Dietrich was born on 28 May 1892 in Hawangen, near Memmingen in the Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire.
A butcher’s apprentice, Dietrich joined the Bavarian Army with the 4. Bayerische Feldartillerie-Regiment "König" (4th Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment "King") in Augsburg. In the First World War he served with the Bavarian field artillery. He was promoted to Gefreiter (Corporal) in 1917 and awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class. In 1918 he was promoted to Unteroffizier (Sergeant). His last Bavarian Army record lists Dietrich as recipient of the Iron Cross 1st class.
After the Great War ended, Dietrich worked at several jobs, including policeman and customs officer. He joined the Freikorps and fought against Polish insurgents during the Silesian Uprisings, but lost his job as a police officer due to his suspected involvement in the Beer Hall Putsch. Dietrich joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in 1928, then was hired at Eher Verlag, the NSDAP publisher, and became commander of Hitler's Schutzstaffel (SS) bodyguard. His NSDAP number was 89,015 and his SS number was 1,117. Dietrich had been introduced to Nazism by Christian Weber, who had been his employer at the Tankstelle-Blauer-Bock filling station in Munich. He accompanied Hitler on his tours around Germany. Later Hitler arranged other jobs for him, including various SS posts, and let him live in the Reich Chancellery. At the election of 14 September 1930, he was elected as a deputy to the Reichstag from the electoral list of the Nazi Party. He would remain in the Reichstag until the fall of the Nazi regime in May 1945, representing several different electoral districts: Upper Bavaria–Swabia (Wahlkreis #24, from the election of July 1932), Lower Bavaria–Upper Palatinate (#25, from the election of November 1933) and Frankfurt an der Oder (#5, from the election of April 1938).
By 1931, Dietrich had been promoted to SS-Gruppenführer. When the Nazi Party seized power in 1933, he rose swiftly through the hierarchy. At the end of 1933, Prussian Minister President Hermann Göring appointed Dietrich to the recently reconstituted Prussian State Council, where he would continue to serve until 1945. Responsible for Hitler's personal security detail since February 1932, Dietrich became the commander of the SS–Sonderkommando Berlin (SS–Special Command Unit Berlin) on 2 August 1933. This special bodyguard unit was renamed Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) on 13 April 1934. As one of Hitler's intimates, Dietrich was often able to disregard his SS superior, Heinrich Himmler, at one time even banning Himmler from the Leibstandarte barracks. The LSSAH eventually grew into an elite division of the Waffen-SS. Although the unit was nominally under Himmler, Dietrich was the real commander and handled day-to-day administration.
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Sepp Dietrich
Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (28 May 1892 – 21 April 1966) was a German general, politician and war criminal in the Schutzstaffel (SS) during the Nazi era.
Despite having no formal staff officer training (and little formal education at all), Dietrich rose to become (along with Paul Hausser) SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer, the highest-ranking commissioned officer rank in the Waffen-SS, the military branch of the SS, commanding units up to the army level during World War II. He joined the Nazi Party in 1928 and was elected to the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic in 1930. Prior to 1929, Dietrich was Adolf Hitler's chauffeur and bodyguard.
Dietrich was assessed to be more valuable for his political loyalty than his military ability, and was considered to have been elevated above his military competence. Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt considered Dietrich to be "decent but stupid". As commanding officer of the 6th Panzer Army during the Battle of the Bulge, Dietrich bore responsibility for the Malmedy massacre, the murder of U.S. prisoners of war in December 1944.
After the war, an American military tribunal convicted Dietrich of war crimes at the Malmedy massacre trial. Upon his release from Landsberg Prison in 1955, Dietrich became active in HIAG, a denialist and lobbying group established by former high-ranking Waffen-SS personnel. He died in 1966 at the age of 73.
Josef "Sepp" Dietrich was born on 28 May 1892 in Hawangen, near Memmingen in the Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire.
A butcher’s apprentice, Dietrich joined the Bavarian Army with the 4. Bayerische Feldartillerie-Regiment "König" (4th Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment "King") in Augsburg. In the First World War he served with the Bavarian field artillery. He was promoted to Gefreiter (Corporal) in 1917 and awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class. In 1918 he was promoted to Unteroffizier (Sergeant). His last Bavarian Army record lists Dietrich as recipient of the Iron Cross 1st class.
After the Great War ended, Dietrich worked at several jobs, including policeman and customs officer. He joined the Freikorps and fought against Polish insurgents during the Silesian Uprisings, but lost his job as a police officer due to his suspected involvement in the Beer Hall Putsch. Dietrich joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in 1928, then was hired at Eher Verlag, the NSDAP publisher, and became commander of Hitler's Schutzstaffel (SS) bodyguard. His NSDAP number was 89,015 and his SS number was 1,117. Dietrich had been introduced to Nazism by Christian Weber, who had been his employer at the Tankstelle-Blauer-Bock filling station in Munich. He accompanied Hitler on his tours around Germany. Later Hitler arranged other jobs for him, including various SS posts, and let him live in the Reich Chancellery. At the election of 14 September 1930, he was elected as a deputy to the Reichstag from the electoral list of the Nazi Party. He would remain in the Reichstag until the fall of the Nazi regime in May 1945, representing several different electoral districts: Upper Bavaria–Swabia (Wahlkreis #24, from the election of July 1932), Lower Bavaria–Upper Palatinate (#25, from the election of November 1933) and Frankfurt an der Oder (#5, from the election of April 1938).
By 1931, Dietrich had been promoted to SS-Gruppenführer. When the Nazi Party seized power in 1933, he rose swiftly through the hierarchy. At the end of 1933, Prussian Minister President Hermann Göring appointed Dietrich to the recently reconstituted Prussian State Council, where he would continue to serve until 1945. Responsible for Hitler's personal security detail since February 1932, Dietrich became the commander of the SS–Sonderkommando Berlin (SS–Special Command Unit Berlin) on 2 August 1933. This special bodyguard unit was renamed Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) on 13 April 1934. As one of Hitler's intimates, Dietrich was often able to disregard his SS superior, Heinrich Himmler, at one time even banning Himmler from the Leibstandarte barracks. The LSSAH eventually grew into an elite division of the Waffen-SS. Although the unit was nominally under Himmler, Dietrich was the real commander and handled day-to-day administration.
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