Born: October 4, 1903
Died: October 16, 1946
Herr Dr. Kaltenbrunner was born in Ried im Innkreis, Austria. In 1926, he obtained a doctorate in law from Graz University. Kaltenbrunner joined the Austrian National Socialist party and the SS in 1932.
He was imprisoned on two occasions:
1. January 1934 – jailed with other Austrian Nazis by Dollfuss government.
2. Later in 1934 – received six months for Conspiracy. Also suspected of High Treason in the assassination of Engelbert Dollfuss.
By 1935, Kaltenbrunner was the head of the Austrian SS. He assisted in the Anschluss (German annexation of Austria), evidenced by his promotion within the SS on the day of its completion.
Ernst Kaltenbrunner earned his infamous position in history when he replaced Reinhard Heydrich as Head of the RHSA (Reich Security Head Office), which is composed of the Security Police (Sipo) & the SD (intelligence service) – a position of extreme power within the Nazi party.
As head of the RSHA, Kaltenbrunner had direct responsibility for:
- Mass murders of civilians of occupied countries by Einsatzgruppen (execution squads which followed the German army into occupied territory).
- Screening of prisoner of war camps and executing racial and political undesirables.
- The taking of recaptured prisoners of war to concentration camps, where in some cases they were executed.
- Establishing concentration camps and committing racial and political undesirables to concentration and annihilation camps for slave labor and mass murder.
- Deportation of citizens of occupied countries for forced labor and disciplining of forced labor.
- The execution of captured commandos and paratroopers and protection of civilians who lynched Allied fliers.
- The taking of civilians of occupied countries to Germany for secret trial and punishment.
- Punishment of citizens of occupied territories under special criminal procedure and by summary methods.
- The execution and confinement of people in concentration camps for crimes allegedly committed by their relatives.
- Seizure and spoliation of public and private property.
- Murder of prisoners in SIPO and SD prisons.
- Persecution of Jews.
- Persecution of the churches.
Click here for a more detailed list. Better yet, click here.
As the war in Europe was coming to a close and it became abundantly clear Germany would suffer defeat. Kaltenbrunner fled. He was captured by the Allies and gave a false name. He was identified, imprisoned and tried at Nuremberg.
At Nurmenberg, Dr. Ernst Kaltenbrunner was charged with conspiracy to commit crimes against peace, war-crimes and crimes against humanity. He was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. The sentence was carried out on October 16, 1946 – twelve days after his 43rd birthday.
In the very end, he claimed to have no knowledge of any crimes committed by the Nazis. Funny, then why did he give a fake name when apprehended by the Allies?
November 11, 2008 at 2:02 am |
OK, now I want to see Shimon Peres and Ehud Olmert hanged for crimes against humanity, palestinian slaughter,…
November 21, 2008 at 2:58 pm |
John you’re a consumate idiot. You cannot compare the brutality of Nazi crimes to the tit-for-tat Israeli Palestinian problem. Whilst I do not condone the policies of the Israeli government you cannot conversely accuse jews in Nazi occupied Europe of hurling rockets at the Nazis or blowing up their buses full of school kids.
Now go look for your thinking cap….
March 16, 2009 at 8:01 am |
I wonder why anyone in his right mind would defend this Kaltenbrunner. One thing has nothing to do with another: the attack on Gaza by Israel was in retaliation for rocket attacks on their citizens. While it may be arguable how strong they should have retaliated , that is not at all comparable.
April 6, 2009 at 8:49 pm |
Kaltenbrunner was Eichmans boss incharge of the RSHA deportations of Jews to the extermination camps & successor from Hedrich. He was tried at Nurembourg and actually called Hoss (commandant of Auschwitz) as his witness as he claimed to be unaware of the Genocide that he orchestrated.
As for the comment of John – he deserves nothing but contempt . His grossly ignorant remarks are hardly worthy of a reponse and is best ignored.
June 21, 2009 at 11:33 pm |
Sorry, I got heated passion after reading about this Kaltenbrunner, whom I knew little about.
The interesting thing is that many of the Nazis had prior convictions for treason and murder. Hitler, Hoess (Commandant of KZ Auschwitz), Kaltenbrunner, and many others. Killing for them was the natural order of things.
July 6, 2009 at 4:17 am |
http://inquery.ushmm.org/uia-cgi/uia_doc/query/65?uf=uia_yfpSFi
Karl Hoecker, or Hocker, adjutant to the Commandant of Auschwitz.
July 6, 2009 at 4:18 am |
Karl Hocker served about 5 1/2 years in prison. He was a free man for at least 49 years after the war, and died in 2000.
August 22, 2009 at 4:00 pm |
There were no gas chambers.
6 million did NOT die.
Of all the tens of thousands of photographs taken by German soldiers during the war (and they photographed lots of executions) there is not one showing evidence of gas chambers…..not one !
The whole thing was a propaganda excersise by the Russians this was taken up eagerly by the compensation seeking whining Jews….and used to justify their vile treatment of the Palestinians
November 2, 2009 at 10:40 pm |
So, then Archen, The Wannsee Protocol means nothing to you then. This document talks about the ‘territorial solution’ to the Jewish population of Germany and Eastern Europe. Also the SS and Wehrmacht psychological studies on members of the firing squads who were tasked with executing large numbers of Jewish and other political ‘undesireables’. The studies found that as well as being stressful for the firing squads, it had a huge negative effect on the morale and was very expensive. The outcome of the study demanded and more efficient and expidient way of murdering people. Hence gas vans in the outset, leading to gas chambers and the use of Zyklon B on millions of people. Also, the Auschwitz death records showing literaly thousands of people dying of heart failure every day. How’s that for you?? Want more?? Look up Kommando 1005 which was commanded by one Paul Blobel who was tasked with disposing of the bodies burried prior to the building of the crematoria. Plent of evidence there!! Opinions are one thing, but arguing with established fact. The russians conquered Germany and established themselves as a world power in the process. They had no need to demonise Germany, Hitler and his bunch of gangsters accomplished that by themselves.
August 27, 2009 at 8:16 pm |
dear daniel heinzel archen,first i want to tell you i am from holland and my english writing is not perfect.i have heard about people like you who denie the gaschambers and the six million killed jews and i have a few questions to you.how old are you,what country are you born,who are your parents and what do they do.i have 4 uncles who served bu the dutch waffen ss and i am not proud of that but they have seen enough shit in the east and auschwitz.so i can not believe that you realy mean and believe the things that you wrote down and if its so i feel very sorry fore you,greetings cujo
September 14, 2009 at 12:02 am |
malditos judios deben de desaparecer de la faz de la tierra no necesitan estar en este mundo todo lo que actualmente estan haciendo hambriando al planeta entero.esos señores que murieron en nuremberg son protectores de la humanidad que dios los tenga en su gloria gracias por desaparecer a estos judios bastardos.
September 22, 2009 at 4:30 am |
Cesar Feijoo, Do you not write in english because you’re araid they might understand you, what a coward!
I dont condone what the nazis did but I’m not on the jewish side either because I am not a kiss-up. But I do think there needs to be far more research and focus on time and events when all this occured rather then being bias to either side.
November 2, 2009 at 10:23 pm |
Interestingly, Kaltenbrunner was also instrumental in setting up the Nazi Wehrwolf organisation, or part thereof, in order to keep the National Socialist “dream” alive in postwar Germany. Obviously, he was not succesful as, although there were numerous incidents of violence towards the occupation forces in the immediate aftermath of Germany’s defeat, Wehrwolf activity ceased by 1947.