Erich Naumann | |
|---|---|
 Naumann's mugshot after his indictment for theNuremberg Military Tribunal (July 1947) | |
| Born | 29 April 1905 |
| Died | 7 June 1951 (aged 46) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Motive | Nazism |
| Convictions | Crimes against humanity War crimes Membership in a criminal organization |
| Trial | Einsatzgruppen trial |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | 95,000+ |
Span of crimes | 1939–1944 |
| Country | Poland,Belarusian SSR,Russian SFSR, andNetherlands |
| SS career | |
| Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Schutzstaffel |
| Rank | SS-Brigadeführer |
| Commands |
|
Erich Naumann (29 April 1905 – 7 June 1951) was anSS-Brigadeführer and member of theSD. Naumann had a key role inthe Holocaust in Eastern Europe as the commander ofEinsatzgruppe VI and the commander ofEinsatzgruppe B. A convicted war criminal, Naumann was sentenced to death and hanged on 7 June 1951.
He was married to Elisabeth Hauptvogel (born 14 May 1904 in Dresden) since 18 July 1928. They had one son, born 2 September 1931.[1]
Born 29 April 1905, inMeissen,Saxony, Erich Naumann left school at the age of sixteen and was employed in a commercial firm in his home town of Meissen. He joined theNazi Party in November 1929 (nr. 170257). In 1933, Naumann joined the SA in a full-time capacity and then became an official and officer of police. He joined theSicherheitsdienst (SD) in 1935. Naumann was the commander ofEinsatzgruppe VI during its short-lived existence. During theinvasion of Poland, the unit murdered over 6,000 people as part ofOperation Tannenberg. Afterwards, Naumann was Chief ofEinsatzgruppe B from November 1941 until February or March 1943.[2]
During November 1941, reports he sent toAdolf Eichmann state that he was responsible for the deaths of 17,256 people inSmolensk. Under his command, he admitted that hisEinsatzgruppe possessed three gas vans which "were used to exterminate human beings". In another report, dated 15 December 1942, Naumann reported that theEinsatzgruppe B had shot a total of 134,298 people.[3]
From September 1943 to July 1944, Naumann was theBefehlshaber der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD (Commander of the Security Police and SD) in the occupiedNetherlands. In this position, he assisted the perpetrators ofOperation Silbertanne and approved of executions carried out byHenk Feldmeijer and Feldmeijer's death squad.[4]
After capture by theAllies, Naumann stood trial in front of a U.S. military court during theEinsatzgruppen trial. During the proceedings he repeatedly stated that he did not consider his actions during his tenure as commanding officer ofEinsatzgruppe B wrong.[3] When asked on the witness stand whether he saw anything morally wrong about the Führer's orders, he replied...
"No, your Honor, I considered the decree to be right, because it was part of our aim of the war and therefore it was necessary."
The tribunal asked Naumann to clarify, "Then the Tribunal will accept from your answer that you saw nothing wrong with the order, even though it did involve the killing of defenseless human beings. That is what we draw from your answer." Naumann replied, "Yes, your Honor."[5] Naumann was found guilty ofwar crimes,crimes against humanity, and membership in a criminal organization, namely the SS and the SD. Naumann was sentenced to death and hanged shortly after midnight on 7 June 1951.[6]
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
