Hans Günther (SS officer)
Encyclopedia
Hans Günther was an SS-Sturmbannführer
who was the head of the "Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Prague" during World War II
. He was in charge of the deportation of Czech Jews to death camps during the Holocaust. He was killed by Czech partisans in 1945.
(SA) in November 1928, rising quickly to become SA leader in March 1929. From April 1931 he was a member of the Freiwilligen Arbeitsdienstes volunteer service, which he headed from 1932 to 1933. From September 1935 Günther was employed by the Gestapo
as a detective in Erfurt, where he became responsible with his brother Rolf Günther
for issues related to the so-called " Jewish question". After 1937 Günther and his brother joined the "Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Vienna". While his brother Rolf later worked under Adolf Eichmann
in the Reich Security Main Office as deputy director of the "Jewish Department", Hans was promoted in July 1939 to head of the "Central Office for Jewish Emigration" in Prague (later renamed the "Central Office for the Settlement of the Jewish Question"). He remained in the post until early May 1945. His role was to organise the "final solution" in Prague, and was given instructions concerning the true meaning of this by Eichmann and Reinhard Heydrich
. His responsibilities were the maintenance of anti-Jewish regulations in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as deportations of Czech Jews to the ghetto in Theresienstadt and from there to the extermination camps. The prisoners in the camp called him the "smiling executioner".
", about the "Jewish area of settlement", portraying an idealised image of well-fed and housed Jews. The film was made during the late summer of 1944 and completed in March 1945. Kurt Gerron
, a Jewish actor/director, made the film in return for a promise that he and his family would live. Shortly after he finished shooting the film, however, both he and his family were "evacuated" to Auschwitz where they were gassed upon arrival.
The film was intended for foreign audiences, but as it was completed shortly before the collapse of the Third Reich, it was only seen by a few representatives of foreign organizations. Günther also set up a museum of Jewish artefacts in Prague containing items from destroyed synagogues.
broke out, Günther, travelling with a heavily armed motorcade, was stopped at a roadblock near Beroun
by Czech partisans. He was arrested and disarmed. According to the partisans, he attempted to grab a weapon from a guard and was killed in the ensuing struggle when he was injured by a hand-grenade, and later died from his injuries. The Czech authorities later accepted this account of his death, which was given to the German judicial authorities.
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
who was the head of the "Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Prague" during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was in charge of the deportation of Czech Jews to death camps during the Holocaust. He was killed by Czech partisans in 1945.
Career
Günther worked as an accountant until 1931. He joined the SturmabteilungSturmabteilung
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...
(SA) in November 1928, rising quickly to become SA leader in March 1929. From April 1931 he was a member of the Freiwilligen Arbeitsdienstes volunteer service, which he headed from 1932 to 1933. From September 1935 Günther was employed by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
as a detective in Erfurt, where he became responsible with his brother Rolf Günther
Rolf Günther
Rolf Günther was a German major who served as Sturmbannführer in the SS and who acted as deputy to Adolf Eichmann....
for issues related to the so-called " Jewish question". After 1937 Günther and his brother joined the "Central Office for Jewish Emigration in Vienna". While his brother Rolf later worked under Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Eichmann
Adolf Otto Eichmann was a German Nazi and SS-Obersturmbannführer and one of the major organizers of the Holocaust...
in the Reich Security Main Office as deputy director of the "Jewish Department", Hans was promoted in July 1939 to head of the "Central Office for Jewish Emigration" in Prague (later renamed the "Central Office for the Settlement of the Jewish Question"). He remained in the post until early May 1945. His role was to organise the "final solution" in Prague, and was given instructions concerning the true meaning of this by Eichmann and Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
. His responsibilities were the maintenance of anti-Jewish regulations in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as deportations of Czech Jews to the ghetto in Theresienstadt and from there to the extermination camps. The prisoners in the camp called him the "smiling executioner".
Theresienstadt film
In order to counter Allied propaganda about the concentration camps Günther commissioned a film "TheresienstadtTheresienstadt (film)
Theresienstadt. Ein Dokumentarfilm aus dem jüdischen Siedlungsgebiet was a black and white projected Nazi propaganda film shot in the concentration camp of Theresienstadt....
", about the "Jewish area of settlement", portraying an idealised image of well-fed and housed Jews. The film was made during the late summer of 1944 and completed in March 1945. Kurt Gerron
Kurt Gerron
Kurt Gerron was a German Jewish actor and film director.-Life:Born Kurt Gerson into a well-off merchant family in Berlin, he initially studied medicine but was called up for military service in World War I. Seriously wounded he qualified as a military doctor of the German Army...
, a Jewish actor/director, made the film in return for a promise that he and his family would live. Shortly after he finished shooting the film, however, both he and his family were "evacuated" to Auschwitz where they were gassed upon arrival.
The film was intended for foreign audiences, but as it was completed shortly before the collapse of the Third Reich, it was only seen by a few representatives of foreign organizations. Günther also set up a museum of Jewish artefacts in Prague containing items from destroyed synagogues.
Death
In May 1945, when the Prague uprisingPrague uprising
The Prague uprising was an attempt by the Czech resistance to liberate the city of Prague from German occupation during World War II. Events began on May 5, 1945, in the last moments of the war in Europe...
broke out, Günther, travelling with a heavily armed motorcade, was stopped at a roadblock near Beroun
Beroun
Beroun is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The town is part of the Prague metropolitan area. It is located 30 km southwest of Prague and has a population of 18,930 . It lies on the confluence of Berounka and Litavka rivers.Despite its small size, it is an...
by Czech partisans. He was arrested and disarmed. According to the partisans, he attempted to grab a weapon from a guard and was killed in the ensuing struggle when he was injured by a hand-grenade, and later died from his injuries. The Czech authorities later accepted this account of his death, which was given to the German judicial authorities.