Rudolf Hoess and Auschwitz

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Rudolf Hoess and Auschwitz

After World War II the world began to here accounts of the atrocities and crimes committed by the Nazi’s to the Jews and other enemies of the Nazis. The international community wanted answers and called for the persecution of the criminals that participated in the murder of millions throughout Europe. The SS was responsible for playing a leading role in the Holocaust for the involvement in the death of millions of innocent lives. Throughout, Europe concentration camps were established to detain Jews, political prisoners, POW’s and enemies of the Third Reich. The largest camp during World War II was Auschwitz under the command of SS Lieutenant Colonel Rudolf Hoess; Auschwitz emerged as the site for the largest mass murder in the history of the world. (The, 2005)

The Schutzstaffel or SS was created in 1925 by the Nazi party to protect Adolf Hitler and other important Nazi leaders. Heinrich Himmler was appointed leader of the SS by Hitler in 1929. The SS were racial elites with profound loyalty to Hitler and the promotion of Germany. (SS, 2013) In order to become a member of the SS all candidates had to endure selections based on their racial ancestry and support of the Nazi party. In Nazi Germany the SS was responsible for security identification of ethnicity, settlement and population policy and intelligent collection and analysis. (SS, 2013) They also were responsible for the concentration camp system and police forces. In 1939 the SS assumed the responsibility for “solving” the Jewish Question. (SS And The Holocaust, 2013) In the imminent invasion of the Soviet Union Hitler ordered the SS implementation of settlement plans and population policy in conquered Soviet territories. Special SS Einsatzgrupp...

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...ted Auschwitz on January 27, 1945. (Pietka, 2014)

Commandant Hoess blamed his responsibility and pledge to Hitler that it was not up too him to determine whether the extermination of Jews was necessary or not. (Hoess, 144) Hoess claims that after the mass exterminations began to occur in Auschwitz he was no longer happy and dissatisfied with himself for his participation. (Hoess, 156) He was initially able to escape capture by the allies, but British police arrested Hoess on 11 March 1946. Two days prior his poison phial had broken preventing him from committing suicide. (Hoess, 173) He was then turned over to Polish authorities where he was tried for the murder of millions in Poland; Rudolf Hoess was executed 2 April 1947. (The History of Auschwitz, 2005) Hoess served three and half years as Commandant of Auschwitz and nine years in SS Camp Service. (Hoess, 157)

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