Hanns Ludin
Encyclopedia
Hanns Elard Ludin was a German
diplomat.
Born in Freiburg
to Friedrich and Johanna Ludin, Ludin began his Nazi
affiliation in 1930 by joining the party, and was arrested for his political activities the same year. Imprisoned until 1931, he joined the SA
on his release.
Ludin was lucky to survive the "Night of the Long Knives
" in 1934 when Hitler purged much of the left-wing of the Nazi party. Ludin restored his reputation by joining the Foreign Office and became Ambassador to the Slovak Republic in 1941, replacing Manfred von Killinger.
Ludin's activities included convincing the Slovak government to comply with deportations for slave labor and providing diplomatic cover to such activities. In 1943, he was promoted to SA-Obergruppenführer.
Ludin was arrested after the war and extradited to Czechoslovakia
, where he was tried with SS-Obergruppenführer Hermann Höfle
(not to be confused with SS-Sturmbannführer Hermann Julius Höfle
). He was sentenced to death and was hanged, or rather strangled, on December 9, 1947. It took him twenty minutes to die in the noose.
Married to Erla von Jordan (1905 – 1997), Ludin had six children: Erika (1933 – 1997), Barbara (born 1935), Ellen (born 1937), Tilman (1939 – 1999), Malte (born 1942) and Andrea (born 1943).
, filmed a documentary about the impact of his father's involvement in the Third Reich on his family. The film, 2 oder 3 Dinge, die ich von ihm weiß
, had its initial release in 2005. The movie's commercial run in New York City
began on January 24, 2007 at the Film Forum
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
diplomat.
Born in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
to Friedrich and Johanna Ludin, Ludin began his Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
affiliation in 1930 by joining the party, and was arrested for his political activities the same year. Imprisoned until 1931, he joined the SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
on his release.
Ludin was lucky to survive the "Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
" in 1934 when Hitler purged much of the left-wing of the Nazi party. Ludin restored his reputation by joining the Foreign Office and became Ambassador to the Slovak Republic in 1941, replacing Manfred von Killinger.
Ludin's activities included convincing the Slovak government to comply with deportations for slave labor and providing diplomatic cover to such activities. In 1943, he was promoted to SA-Obergruppenführer.
Ludin was arrested after the war and 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 with SS-Obergruppenführer Hermann Höfle
Hermann Höfle (SS general)
Hermann Höfle was a German SS-Obergruppenführer, General of the Waffen-SS and police, and SS and Police Leader ....
(not to be confused with SS-Sturmbannführer Hermann Julius Höfle
Hermann Höfle
Hermann Julius "Hans" Höfle was an Austrian-born SS-Sturmbannführer . He was deputy to Odilo Globocnik in the Aktion Reinhard program, serving as his main deportation and extermination expert...
). He was sentenced to death and was hanged, or rather strangled, on December 9, 1947. It took him twenty minutes to die in the noose.
Married to Erla von Jordan (1905 – 1997), Ludin had six children: Erika (1933 – 1997), Barbara (born 1935), Ellen (born 1937), Tilman (1939 – 1999), Malte (born 1942) and Andrea (born 1943).
Documentary film
Hanns Ludin's youngest son, Malte LudinMalte Ludin
Malte Ludin is a German filmmaker. He was born in Bratislava, Slovakia in 1942.He studied political science at the Free University of Berlin....
, filmed a documentary about the impact of his father's involvement in the Third Reich on his family. The film, 2 oder 3 Dinge, die ich von ihm weiß
2 or 3 Things I Know About Him
2 or 3 Things I Know About Him is a documentary film in which German director Malte Ludin examines the impact of Nazism in his family. Malte's father, Hanns Ludin, was the Third Reich's ambassador to Slovakia. As such, he signed deportation orders that sent thousands of Jews to Auschwitz...
, had its initial release in 2005. The movie's commercial run in New York City
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
began on January 24, 2007 at the Film Forum
Film Forum
Film Forum is a nonprofit movie theater located at 209 West Houston Street in New York City. It began in 1970 as an alternative screening space for independent films, with 50 folding chairs, one projector and a US$19,000 annual budget. Karen Cooper became director in 1972 and under her leadership,...
.