Werner Grothmann
Werner Grothmann | |
|---|---|
Frankfurt am Main, German Empire | |
| Died | 26 February 2002 (aged 86) |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |  SS |
| Years of service | 1933–45 |
| Rank | Obersturmbannführer |
| Commands held | SS-Sturmbann Nº 13 |
Werner Grothmann (23 August 1915 – 26 February 2002) was a mid-ranking commander in the
Biography
Grothmann was born in
During the last few days of the war in Europe, Himmler, Grothmann and
Unwanted by his former colleagues and hunted by the Allies, Himmler attempted to go into hiding. Himmler had not made extensive preparations for this, but he had equipped himself with a forged paybook under the name of Sergeant Heinrich Hitzinger of the Geheime Feldpolizei (Secret Field Police), which was a mistake since members of this organization were sought after by the occupation forces. Grothmann and Macher were both dressed as army privates.[3] Grothmann, Himmler, and Macher were stopped at a checkpoint, which had been set up by former Soviet POWs, on 21 May and detained. The three men were taken to an Allied barracks in Lüneburg on 23 May.[3] During a routine interrogation, Himmler admitted who he was, and was then taken to the headquarters of the Second British Army. During an attempted medical examination, Himmler bit into a hidden cyanide pill and died.[4] After Himmler's suicide, Grothmann and Macher were arrested.
Grothmann was taken to a barracks at Lübeck, where he was extensively questioned. He denied any knowledge of Operation Reinhard. Then he was taken to an SS prison camp. Grothmann served as a prosecution witness against several SS officials between 1946 and 1948,[5] but during the trial of Karl Wolff he denied having any knowledge of the Final Solution. After release from Allied internment, Grothmann was denazified, considered part of category III (Lesser Offenders), by a court in Freising in March 1949.[6]
Grothmann remade his life as a businessman and granted a few interviews in the 1970s in which he disparaged Himmler's character. He also gave a eulogy at the funeral of Richard Schulze-Kossens. Grothmann died in 2002.
Notes
- ^ Longerich 2012, pp. 733–734.
- ^ Manvell & Fraenkel 2007, pp. 239, 243.
- ^ a b Weale 2010, p. 410.
- ^ Weale 2010, pp. 410, 411.
- ^ Records of the United States Nuernberg War Crimes trials Interrogations 1946–1949 (PDF; 186 kB), published 1977
- Institut für Zeitgeschichte: Werner Grothmann – Zeugenschrifttum(PDF; 1,8 MB)
References
- ISBN 978-0-19-959232-6.
- Manvell, Roger; Fraenkel, Heinrich (2007) [1965]. Heinrich Himmler: The Sinister Life of the Head of the SS and Gestapo. London; New York: Greenhill; Skyhorse. ISBN 978-1-60239-178-9.
- ISBN 978-1408703045.
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