Johannes Hassebroek
Encyclopedia
Johannes Hassebroeck was a German
Schutzstaffel
(SS) officer and Nazi concentration camp commandant.
after his service in the First World War. He encouraged his son to become involved in right-wing politics
and enrolled him in the conservative
Bismarckbund youth movement. The young Hassebroeck also attempted to enrol in the army but was rejected, due largely to the reduction in size ordered by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
, and as such he was apprenticed to a factory instead.
as a 19 year old, joining the Nazi Party the following year. He lost his job in 1931 and spent three years unemployed, during which time his faith in Nazism
was strengthened. During this time he was a regular in the SA street fights against Communist Party
supporters whilst also serving as a volunteer counsellor with the Hitler Youth
. The party found him a job with the Saxon Fishermen's Association in 1934 although this ended when their offices moved to Berlin
leaving Hassebroeck unemployed again.
. Initially he failed but following another appeal was given a second chance and at 26 passed the course and was given a trial run as an SS officer.
His first assignment was as a member of the SS-Totenkopfverbände
stationed at the concentration camp at Esterwegen
. Reports from his superiors at the time still criticised his lack of a forceful personality although they also indicated an improvement. When Esterwegen was closed in 1936 he was transferred to a unit near Sachsenhausen concentration camp
before being sent for Wehrmacht
training and was sent to the front when the Second World War broke out. However he remained an SS man, being attached to Theodor Eicke
's 3rd SS Division Totenkopf
rather than the regular army. Hassebroeck's reports improved significantly whilst he was at war and in 1942 he was promoted to Hauptsturmführer
, his first promotion.
, Munich
and Berlin. Whilst at the latter facility he met Richard Glücks
, who had overall charge of the concentration camps, and he soon requested that Hassebroeck be sent to his units. Returning to Sachsenhausen in August 1942 he remained there until October 1943 when he was given command of Gross-Rosen concentration camp
in succession to Wilhelm Gideon
. The camp that Hassebroeck took over had only 3000 inmates but it grew rapidly in size under his command and by the time it was closed had as many as 80,000. By late 1944 Hassebroeck, who had been promoted to Sturmbannführer
in the interim, also had responsibility for thirteen sub-camps set up to deal with the severe overcrowding in Gross-Rosen. It was estimated that as many as 100,000 people had died at the camp during Hassebroeck's time in charge. For his part Hassebroeck was adjudged a success in his new role, with Glücks reporting that he "exudes self-confidence and toughness" near the end of the war.
ns before ultimately passing into the hands of the British Army
who put him on trial. Initially sentenced to death, this was quickly commuted to life imprisonment and finally fifteen years, with him being released from prison in 1954. He settled in Braunschweig where he worked as a sales agent until 1967 when he arrested under German law for his involvement in the camps. He was accused of being personally responsible for the killings of nine Jews and three other inmates at Gross Rosen, in part because of evidence arising from the testimonies given by Oskar Schindler
earlier in the decade. In the case that followed he was acquitted firstly by the Braunschweig court and then again, following an appeal by the prosecution, by the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
. He continued to be under investigation until his death in 1977.
Up to death in 1977 Hassebroeck remained nostalgic for his SS days, commenting to Israel
i historian Tom Segev
that "our service was an overwhelming emotional experience of enormous strength. We believed not only in the same values and ideals - we believed in each other". He also claimed that he had no involvement in killings, arguing "all I know about the atrocities at Gross Rosen I learnt during the trials against me."
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...
Schutzstaffel
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
(SS) officer and Nazi concentration camp commandant.
Early years
Hassebroeck was the son of prison guard who had joined the Stahlhelm, Bund der FrontsoldatenStahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten
The Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten also known in short form as Der Stahlhelm was one of the many paramilitary organizations that arose after the defeat of World War I in the Weimar Republic...
after his service in the First World War. He encouraged his son to become involved in right-wing politics
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
and enrolled him in the conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
Bismarckbund youth movement. The young Hassebroeck also attempted to enrol in the army but was rejected, due largely to the reduction in size ordered by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
, and as such he was apprenticed to a factory instead.
Nazi Party involvement
Hassebroeck initially continued as a member of the Bismarckbund before switching to 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...
as a 19 year old, joining the Nazi Party the following year. He lost his job in 1931 and spent three years unemployed, during which time his faith in Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
was strengthened. During this time he was a regular in the SA street fights against Communist Party
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
supporters whilst also serving as a volunteer counsellor with the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
. The party found him a job with the Saxon Fishermen's Association in 1934 although this ended when their offices moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
leaving Hassebroeck unemployed again.
The SS
In June 1934 he left the SA to join the SS instead under the advice of a friend who told him that SS membership would help him get into the police. He was put to work in an administrative role with little hope of promotion after SS psychologists deemed him too compliable and weak-willed for officer material. However he appealed the decision and was allowed to enter the officer training scheme at BraunschweigBraunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
. Initially he failed but following another appeal was given a second chance and at 26 passed the course and was given a trial run as an SS officer.
His first assignment was as a member of the SS-Totenkopfverbände
SS-Totenkopfverbände
SS-Totenkopfverbände , meaning "Death's-Head Units", was the SS organization responsible for administering the Nazi concentration camps for the Third Reich....
stationed at the concentration camp at Esterwegen
Esterwegen
Esterwegen is a municipality in the Emsland district, in Lower Saxony, Germany.In 1933 a concentration camp was established in Esterwegen. In 1936 the camp was dissolved and used till 1945 as a prisoner camp, for political prisoners and later for prisoners of the decree Nacht und Nebel.- Well known...
. Reports from his superiors at the time still criticised his lack of a forceful personality although they also indicated an improvement. When Esterwegen was closed in 1936 he was transferred to a unit near Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
before being sent for Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
training and was sent to the front when the Second World War broke out. However he remained an SS man, being attached to Theodor Eicke
Theodor Eicke
Theodor Eicke was a SS Obergruppenführer , commander of the SS-Division Totenkopf of the Waffen-SS and one of the key figures in the establishment of concentration camps in Nazi Germany. His Nazi Party number was 114,901 and his SS number was 2,921...
's 3rd SS Division Totenkopf
3rd SS Division Totenkopf
The SS Division Totenkopf , also known as 3. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division Totenkopf and 3. SS-Panzer-Division Totenkopf, was one of the 38 divisions fielded by the Waffen-SS during World War II. Prior to achieving division status, the formation was known as Kampfgruppe Eicke...
rather than the regular army. Hassebroeck's reports improved significantly whilst he was at war and in 1942 he was promoted to 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...
, his first promotion.
Concentration camp commandant
Hassebroeck fell ill in the summer of 1942 before suffering a right leg wound, resulting in long spells in military hospitals in RigaRiga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and Berlin. Whilst at the latter facility he met Richard Glücks
Richard Glücks
Richard Glücks was a high-ranking Nazi official. He attained the rank of a SS-Gruppenführer and a Generalleutnant of the Waffen-SS and from 1939 until the end of World War II was the head of Amt D: Konzentrationslagerwesen of the WVHA; the highest-ranking Concentration Camps Inspector in Nazi...
, who had overall charge of the concentration camps, and he soon requested that Hassebroeck be sent to his units. Returning to Sachsenhausen in August 1942 he remained there until October 1943 when he was given command of Gross-Rosen concentration camp
Gross-Rosen concentration camp
KL Gross-Rosen was a German concentration camp, located in Gross-Rosen, Lower Silesia . It was located directly on the rail line between Jauer and Striegau .-The camp:...
in succession to Wilhelm Gideon
Wilhelm Gideon
Wilhelm Gideon was a German Schutzstaffel officer and Nazi concentration camp commandant....
. The camp that Hassebroeck took over had only 3000 inmates but it grew rapidly in size under his command and by the time it was closed had as many as 80,000. By late 1944 Hassebroeck, who had been promoted to Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer
Sturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
in the interim, also had responsibility for thirteen sub-camps set up to deal with the severe overcrowding in Gross-Rosen. It was estimated that as many as 100,000 people had died at the camp during Hassebroeck's time in charge. For his part Hassebroeck was adjudged a success in his new role, with Glücks reporting that he "exudes self-confidence and toughness" near the end of the war.
Later years
Hassebroeck was initially arrested by CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
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...
ns before ultimately passing into the hands of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
who put him on trial. Initially sentenced to death, this was quickly commuted to life imprisonment and finally fifteen years, with him being released from prison in 1954. He settled in Braunschweig where he worked as a sales agent until 1967 when he arrested under German law for his involvement in the camps. He was accused of being personally responsible for the killings of nine Jews and three other inmates at Gross Rosen, in part because of evidence arising from the testimonies given by Oskar Schindler
Oskar Schindler
Oskar Schindler was an ethnic German industrialist born in Moravia. He is credited with saving over 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories, which were located in what is now Poland and the Czech Republic respectively.He is the subject of the...
earlier in the decade. In the case that followed he was acquitted firstly by the Braunschweig court and then again, following an appeal by the prosecution, by the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
The Federal Constitutional Court is a special court established by the Grundgesetz, the German basic law...
. He continued to be under investigation until his death in 1977.
Up to death in 1977 Hassebroeck remained nostalgic for his SS days, commenting to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i historian Tom Segev
Tom Segev
Tom Segev is an Israeli historian, author and journalist. He is associated with Israel's so-called New Historians, a group challenging many of the country's traditional narratives.-Early life:Segev was born in Jerusalem in 1945...
that "our service was an overwhelming emotional experience of enormous strength. We believed not only in the same values and ideals - we believed in each other". He also claimed that he had no involvement in killings, arguing "all I know about the atrocities at Gross Rosen I learnt during the trials against me."