Dieter Wisliceny
Encyclopedia
Dieter Wisliceny was a member of the Nazi
SS, and a key executioner in the final phase of the Holocaust
.
Wisliceny studied theology
without obtaining a degree. Joining the Nazi Party in 1933, and enlisting in the SS in 1934, Wisliceny eventually rose to the rank of SS-Hauptsturmführer
(Captain) in 1944. During implementation of the Final Solution, his task was the ghetto
ization and liquidation of several important Jewish communities in Nazi
-occupied Europe, including those of Greece
, Hungary
and Slovakia
. Wisliceny also re-introduced the yellow star
in occupied countries, the yellow star being used to distinguish Jews from non-Jews.
Wisliceny was an important witness at the Nuremberg trials
, and his testimony would later prove important in the prosecution of Adolf Eichmann
for war crimes in Israel
in 1961. Wisliceny was extradited to Czechoslovakia
, where he was tried and hanged for his crime
s in 1948.
His younger brother was Sturmbannführer
(Major) and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
recipient Günther-Eberhardt Wisliceny
.
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
SS, and a key executioner in the final phase of the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
.
Wisliceny studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
without obtaining a degree. Joining the Nazi Party in 1933, and enlisting in the SS in 1934, Wisliceny eventually rose to the rank of SS-Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
(Captain) in 1944. During implementation of the Final Solution, his task was the ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
ization and liquidation of several important Jewish communities in Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
-occupied Europe, including those of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. Wisliceny also re-introduced the yellow star
Yellow badge
The yellow badge , also referred to as a Jewish badge, was a cloth patch that Jews were ordered to sew on their outer garments in order to mark them as Jews in public. It is intended to be a badge of shame associated with antisemitism...
in occupied countries, the yellow star being used to distinguish Jews from non-Jews.
Wisliceny was an important witness at the Nuremberg trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
, and his testimony would later prove important in the prosecution of Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
for war crimes in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1961. Wisliceny was extradited to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, where he was tried and hanged for his crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
s in 1948.
His younger brother was Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
(Major) and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
recipient Günther-Eberhardt Wisliceny
Günther-Eberhardt Wisliceny
Günther-Eberhardt Wisliceny was a German Waffen-SS officer. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
.