SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Polizei Dr jur Wilhelm Harster

SOME OF THE PRISONERS HELD AT
SPECIAL CAMP 11

Then SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Polizei Dr. jur. Wilhelm Harster (left) in the company of SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS Karl-Maria Demelhuber (pointing), Commander of the Waffen-SS in the Netherlands.

A special thanks to Phil Nix and Michael Miller for kindly sharing their excellent research work on this officer.

NAME: SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Polizei Dr. jur. Wilhelm Harster

PW NO: 209222

RANK: SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Polizei

CAPTURED: Bozen (Bolzano), Italy

DATE: 10 May 1945

PERSONAL
DATE OF BIRTH: 21 July 1904

PLACE OF BIRTH: Kelheim/Niederbayern

DATE OF DEATH: 25 December 1991

PLACE OF DEATH: München/Bayern

NATIONALITY: German

RELIGION: Evangelical until 1938, then declared himself “gottgläubig” (“believer in God”)

OCCUPATION: Police Officer

HEIGHT: 170cm

WEIGHT:

HAIR COLOUR:

EYE COLOUR:

NSDAP-NUMBER: 3,226,954 (Joined 1 May 1933)

SS-NUMBER: 225,932 (Joined 9 November 1933)

NEXT OF KIN:

Wife: Married Maria Hirsch on 30 September 1930 – two sons.

Promotions:

Regierungsassessor: 16 October 1929
Regierungsrat: 16 July 1931
SS-Anwarter: 9 November 1933
SS-Mann: 9 August 1934
SS-Rottenführer: 30 January 1936
SS-Scharführer: 20 April 1936
SS-Hauptscharführer: 20 April 1937
SS-Untersturmführer: 9 November 1937
SS-Obersturmführer: (Bypassed this rank altogether)
SS-Hauptsturmführer: (Bypassed this rank altogether)
SS-Sturmbannführer: (Bypassed this rank altogether)
SS-Obersturmbannführer: 1 August 1938
SS-Standartenführer: 1 August 1940
Oberst der Polizei: 1 January 1941
SS-Oberführer: 9 November 1941
SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Polizei: 9 November 1942
SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Polizei: 9 November 1944
Regierungsrat: 1956
Oberregierungsrat: 1958

Commands & Assignments:

1910-1913: Attended Volksschule in München.
1913-1919: Attended the Humanist Ludwigs-Gymnasium (High School) in München; obtained his Abitur or certificate of graduation in 1922.
1922-1926: Attended the University of München for eight semesters; studied legal jurisprudence and passed his first state law examination in 1926.
1927: Earned a Doctorate of Law degree (Dr. jur.).
Spring 1929: Passed his second state law examination.
January 1920-Autumn 1926: Member of the 1st Company, I. Battalion of the Bund Oberland.
1 October 1923-4 November 1923: Training with the 4th (Machinegun) Company of the 19th (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment.
1921-1929: Youth Leader in the Bavarian Wehrkraftsverein.
1929: Joined the Criminal Police (Kripo).
16 October 1929-Spring 1931: Regierungsassessor (i.e., a graduate government civil servant who had completed his traineeship) in the Criminal Police of the Stuttgart Police Presidium.
Spring 1931-1933: Member of the Political Police of the Stuttgart Police Presidium.
1933-15 January 1934: Deputy Leader of the Political Police Office of the Stuttgart Police Presidium.
15 January 1934-22 May 1934: Police Director of Tübingen.
15 January 1934-22 May 1934: At the same time, Leader of the Branch Office of the Political Landespolizei Office of Tübingen.
11 May 1934-June 1934: Deputy Leader of the Political Landespolizei Office of Württemberg.
9 November 1933: Joined the SS.
9 November 1933-1 February 1934: Member of the 13.SS-Standarte.
1 February 1934-1 October 1934: Member of the 2.Sturm of the 63.SS-Standarte.
1 October 1934-29 October 1935: Member of the 2.Reservesturm of the 63.SS-Standarte.
29 October 1935: Joined the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) [Security Service].
15 January 1934-9 November 1937: Attached to the SS-Oberabschnitt [Main District] “Südwest.”
9 November 1937-27 September 1939: Leader in the SD Main Office.
27 September 1939-8 May 1945: Leader in the Reich Security Main Office.
June 1934-31 March 1938: Leader of the State Police Regional Office in Berlin. [Harster succeeded then SS-Sturmbannführer Dr. jur. Hermann Behrends to this post. Although Harster remained titular office head until 31 March 1938, he was replaced on a temporary basis by SS-Obersturmbannführer Paul Kanstein on 1 October 1937.]
13 November 1935-15 January 1936: At the same time, military training in the Army as a Schütze and Unterführeranwarter in Replacement Battalion 30, Weingarten.
31 March 1938-1 June 1940: Leader of the State Police Regional Office in Innsbruck.
1 November 1939-December 1939: At the same time, Commander of the Security Police and SD in Krakow, General Government.
30 November 1939-1 March 1941: Inspector of the Security Police and SD in Kassel.
2-27 June 1940: Recalled to the Army and served in the 4th (Machinegun) Company of Gebirgsjäger Replacement Regiment 136.
19 July 1940-29 August 1943: Commander of the Security Police and SD in the Netherlands (headquarters in The Hague).
29 August 1943-10 May 1945: Commander of the Security Police and SD attached to the Supreme SS and Police Leader “Italy” (SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Karl Wolff).
10 May 1945-1947: Prisoner of war.
- 1 April 1946: Transferred to the London District Cage (LDC) from Island Farm Special Camp 11 (arrival date at Island Farm not known but presumed to be January 1946 when the first prisoners arrived).
1947-1949: Transferred to Dutch custody.
1949-1953: Tried in 1949 by a Dutch court in The Hague and sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment for his role in the deportation and execution of Dutch Jews and for his negligence in supervising the staff at the Amersfoort concentration camp. He was released from prison in 1953.
1956-1963: Civil servant (Regierungsrat and then Oberregierungsrat in 1958) in the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior in München.
1963: Retired with a pension due to public and media pressure over his Nazi past.
1966: Arrested by the German authorities in München.
1967: Tried by a German court in München for organizing and participating in the deportation of Dutch Jews to the Auschwitz and Sobibor concentration camps. He was convicted of complicity in the murder of almost 83,000 Dutch Jews (including Anne Frank) and sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment with credit for time served.
1969: Pardoned as he had shown remorse during his trial.

Decorations & Awards:

German Cross in Gold: 7 February 1945, SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Polizei, Commander of the Security Police and SD attached to the Supreme SS and Police Leader “Italy.”
Iron Cross, 1st Class (1939): 27 January 1945.
Iron Cross, 2nd Class (1939): 1944.
War Merit Cross, 1st Class with Swords
War Merit Cross, 1st Class (without Swords)
War Merit Cross, 2nd Class with Swords
War Merit Cross, 2nd Class (without Swords)
Police Long Service Award, 3rd Class (8-Year Service Medal)
Commemorative Medal of 13 March 1938
Commemorative Medal of 1 October 1938
German National Sports Badge in Silver
German National Sports Badge in Bronze
SA Sports Badge in Bronze
Honor Sword of the Reichsführer-SS
Totenkopf [Death’s Head] Ring of the SS

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