The Nizkor Project: Remembering the Holocaust (Shoah)

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   Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression, Volume II, Chapter XVI


                                                  [Page 575]
                                                            
A. KALTENBRUNNER ENTERED THE NATIONAL SOCIALIST MOVEMENT IN
ITS EARLY STAGES, AND SUPPORTED IT, AND WAS A LEADER IN lT
UNTIL THE END.

Ernst Kaltenbrunner was born on 4 October 1903 at Ried on
Inn (near Braunau) Austria. He spent his youth in Hitler's
native district. Later he moved to Linz, where he attended
the State Realgymnasium. He studied law and obtained a law
degree in 1926. He spent the first year as apprentice lawyer
at Linze-on-Danube and then worked as a lawyer-candidate,
first at Salzburg and after 1928 at Linz (2938-PS).

Kaltenbrunner joined the Nazi Party and the SS in Austria in
1932. Prior to 1933 he was the District speaker (Gauredner)
and legal counsellor (Rechtsberater) of the SS division
(Abschnitt) VIII. After 1933 he was the fuehrer of regiment
(Standarte) 37 and later of the SS division VIII (2892-PS).

In January 1934 Kaltenbrunner was jailed by the Dollfuss
government on account of his Nazi views, and sent with other
leading National-Socialists into the concentration camp
Kaiser-

                                                  [Page 576]

steinbruch. He is said to have started and led a hunger
strike of the prisoners and thereby to have forced the
government to dismiss 490 National Socialist prisoners. In
the following year he was jailed again because of suspicion
of High Treason and committed to the military court at Wels
(Upper Danube). After an investigation of many months the
accusation of High Treason was dropped, but he was condemned
to six months' imprisonment for conspiracy. His right to
practice law was suspended because of his Nazi activities
(2938-PS).

After the Spring of 1935 Kaltenbrunner was the leader of the
Austrian SS. In the magazine of the SIPO and SD, issue of 15
May 1943, it is stated:

     "It redounds to his credit that in this important
     position he succeeded through energetic leadership in
     maintaining the unity of the Austrian SS, which he had
     built up, in spite of all persecution, and succeeded in
     committing it successfully at the right moment. After
     the annexation, in which the SS was a decisive factor,
     he was appointed State Secretary for Security Matters
     on 11 March 193& in the new National Socialist cabinet
     of Seyss-Inquart. A few hours later he was able to
     report to Reichsfuehrer SS Heinrich Himmler, who had
     landed at Aspern, the Vienna airport, on 12 March 1938,
     3 a.m., as the first National Socialist leader, that
     the Movement had achieved a complete victory and that
     'The SS is in formation and awaiting further orders.' "
     (2938-PS)

Hitler promoted Kaltenbrunner on the date of the Anschluss
to the rank of SS Brigadefuehrer and leader of the SS
Oberabschnitt Donau. On 9/11/1938 he was promoted to the
rank of SS Gruppenfuehrer. During the liquidation of the
Austrian national government and the reorganization of
Austria into Alps and Danube Districts, he was appointed
Higher SS and Police Leader of the governors of Vienna,
Lower Danube, and Upper Danube, in Corps Area (Wehrkreis)
XVII, and in April 1941 was promoted to Major General of the
Police (2938-PS).

On 30 January 1943 Kaltenbrunner was appointed Chief of the
Security Police and SD (RSHA), succeeding Heydrich, who had
been assassinated in Prague in June 1942. Kaltenbrunner held
this position until the end of the war (2644-PS).

On 4 October 1943 at Pozen, Poland, in a speech delivered to
Gruppenfuehrers of the SS, Himmler. made special reference
to "our comrade Obergruppenfuehrer Kaltenbrunner, who has
succeeded our fallen friend Heydrich" (1919-PS).

On 9 December 1944 the decoration known as the Knight's
Cross of the War Merit, Cross with Swords, was given to SS

                                                  [Page 577]
                                                            
Obergruppenfuehrer and General of the Police Dr. Ernst
Kaltenbrunner, Chief of the Security Police and the SD (2770-
PS). -In addition he held the Golden insignia of Honor and
the Blutorden. He was a member of the Reichstag after the
9th election period 1938 (2892-PS).

Toward the end of the war, Kaltenbrunner's power increased
greatly, especially after the attack on Hitler of 20 July
944. He gained direct access to Hitler. He was very friendly
with Fegelein and his wife, who was the sister of Eva Braun.
So powerful had Kaltenbrunner become toward the end that
even Himmler feared him. On 13 April 1945 the chief of the
German foreign intelligence service, Schellenberg, asked
Himmler to receive the representative of the Jewish World
Congress, Mr. Storsch, from Stockholm, and Himmler said,

     "But how am I going to do that in regard to
     Kaltenbrunner? I shall then be completely at his
     mercy!" (2990 PS).

B. DURING KALTENBRUNNER'S TERM IN OFFICE AS CHIEF OF THE
SECURITY POLICE AND SD, NUMEROUS AND VAST CRIMES WERE
COMMITTED BY THE SIPO AND SD IN THE COURSE OF OFFICIAL
DUTIES.

As Chief of the Security Police after 30 January 1943,
Kaltenbrunner was the head of the RSHA and the regional
offices of the Gestapo, SD, and Kripo. Directly under
Kaltenbrunner were the Chiefs of the main offices of the
RSHA, including Amt III (the SD), Amt IV (the Gestapo), Amt
V (the Kripo), and Amt VI (the SD in foreign intelligence)
(L-219).

Kaltenbrunner had direct responsibility over the offices of
the RSHA. All important matters had to be referred to him or
had to be handled under general or special authority granted
by him to office chiefs.

     "All decisions of principal character are signed by the
     Chief of the Security Police personally. An office
     chief has only the authority to sign 'acting for' and a
     chairman 'by order of' if the subjects treated in the
     respective decrees fit into the general laid-down
     principles according to the plan of distribution of
     authority. Ir. case of doubt it was the duty to get the
     question cleared up by reporting it to the Chief of
     Security Police and SD." (L-34)
     
     "To my knowledge no chief of office or any of the
     officials of the RSHA, authorized to sign, had the
     right to sign in any principal affairs of particular
     political significance without consent of the Chief of
     the Security Police -- not even during
     
                                                  [Page 578]
                                                            
     his temporary absence. From my own experience I can
     furthermore declare that the chief of Amt IV, Mueller,
     particularly was very hesitant in signing documents
     concerning questions of general nature and in some
     cases of greater importance, and that he put aside
     events of such nature in most cases for the return of
     the Chief of the Security Police, whereby often much
     time was lost." (L-50).
     
Schellenberg, the Chief of Amt VI of the RSHA, has stated:

     "I know of no limitation placed on Kaltenbrunner's
     authority as Chief of the Security Police and SD
     (RSHA). He promptly entered upon the duties of the
     office and assumed direct charge of the office and
     control over the Amts *** He made it very clear in his
     official relations with all of us who were his Amt
     Chiefs that he was the head of the office exercising
     full executive powers and deciding all matters of
     policy. He permitted us to issue directives within the
     organization in our own names pursuant to fixed
     policies established by him, but all important matters
     had to be submitted to him whether he signed them or we
     signed them. He was constantly informed of all matters
     of importance which went on in the entire organization.
     (2939-PS)

During Kaltenbrunner's term in office as Chief of the
Security Police and SD, the following crimes were committed
by the SIPO and SD pursuant to policy established by the
RSHA or orders issued out of the RSHA for all of which he
was responsible by virtue of his office.

(1) Mass murders of civilians of occupied countries by
Einsatz Groups. A general discussion of this and the
following twelve crimes of the Gestapo and SD appears in
Section 6 of Chapter XV. That this crime continued after
January 1943 is shown by the following documents: 3012-PS;
2752-PS; 2890-PS.

(2) Screening of prisoner of war camps and executing racial
and political undesirables. That this crime continued after
January 1943 is shown by the following document: 2622-PS.

(3) The taking of recaptured prisoners of war to
concentration camps, where in some cases they were executed.
That this crime continued after January 1943 is shown by the
following documents: 1650-PS; L-158; 1514-PS.

(4) Establishing concentration camps and committing racial
and political undesirables to concentration and annihilation
camps for slave labor and mass murder. That this crime
continued after January of 1943 is shown by the following
documents: D-50; D-46; L-41; 701-PS.

                                                  [Page 579]
                                                            
(5) Deportation of citizens of occupied countries for forced
labor and disciplining of forced labor. That this crime
continued after January 1943 is shown by the following
document: 3012-PS; 1063-B-PS.

(6) The execution of captured commandos and paratroopers and
protection of civilians who Iynched Allied fliers. That this
crime continued after January 1943 is shown by the following
documents: 1276-PS; 532-PS; 526-PS; R-110; 745-PS.

(7) The taking of civilians of occupied countries to Germany
for secret trial and punishment. That this crime continued
after January 1943 is shown by the following document: 835-
PS.

(8) Punishment of citizens of occupied territories under
special criminal procedure and by summary methods. That this
crime continued after January 1943 is shown by the following
document: L-5.

(9) The execution and confinement of persons in
concentration camps for crimes allegedly committed by their
relatives. That this crime continued after January 1943 is
shown by the following document: L-37.

(10) Seizure and spoliation of public and private property.
That this crime continued after January 1943 is shown by the
following documents: 2620-PS; L-18.

(11) Murder of prisoners in SIPO and SD prisons. That this
crime continued after January 1943 is shown by the following
document: L-53.

(12) Persecution of Jews. That this crime continued after
January 1943 is shown by the following documents: L-18; 1061-
PS; 2375-PS; 2605-PS.

(13) Persecution of the churches. That this crime continued
after January 1943 is shown by the following document: 1815-
PS.


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