Ernst Damzog

Paul Ernst Heinrich Damzog ( born October 30, 1882 in Strasbourg, † July 1945 in Halle ( Saale) ) was a German police officer and SS Brigade Commander and Major General of the Police. He was a leading figure in the Secret State Police Office and leader of Einsatzgruppe V in German-occupied Poland, and Inspector of the Security Police and the SD in Poznan.

Life

Origin

Damzog was the son of the Secretary General of Customs Paul Ernst Heinrich Damzog ( born November 27, 1854 in Grottkau; † January 11, 1928 in Klettendorf ) and his wife Karoline Matilde, nee Rauch ( born July 26, 1859 in Vendenheim; † August 4, 1927 in Klettendorf ).

Career in the police

In his youth he was educated at the military - boys - education institute in Annaberg. After his transfer to the Army Damzog turned to Feuerwerkerstrasse career and was used after passing the examination as a pyrotechnician or upper pyrotechnician at various artillery formations. In 1912, he appeared as a detective, a contender at the police headquarters in Königsberg. He was then trained at the Police Academy in Hanover and appointed after passing the exam on April 1, 1914 a detective.

At the First World War, where he was awarded the Iron Cross, Second Class, Damzog participated as a field officer. After the war Damzog returned to the police service. He was successively used as an official at the Criminal Investigation Department in Königsberg, Magdeburg and Breslau, where he met Günther Patschowsky. 1933, Damzog, then the rank of detective Director, Head of Criminal Police in Breslau. On 15 June 1933, he joined, probably on mediation Patschowskys, the SS ( SS-Nr. 36,157 ) at in which he was promoted on 22 December 1933 SS squad leader.

As Patschowsky turn of the year 1933/34, the leadership of the then newly created Department IV ( " treason and espionage ") of the Secret State Police ( Gestapo ) took over in Berlin, he took Damzog with as a clerk. The purpose of this department - which was named after a major Division III Neudurchnummerierung main divisions - was the police investigation of betrayal by imperial family members and the defense of foreign espionage in the Reich. In addition to her police work Damzog and Patschowsky were in the spring of 1933 involved the SS on behalf of Reinhard Heydrich and Heinrich Himmler also instrumental in clandestine penetration of the Gestapo in terms of the SS in cooperation with the accommodated at SD Oberabschnitt East agent of the Security Service (SD): in the context of the struggle for power of Himmler and Heydrich with Hermann Goering and Gestapo chief Rudolf Diels, they played the first two, systematic internal Gestapo information about and so undermined the position Diels as Gestapo chief, which in April 1934 finally in the detachment Diels led as head of the secret State Police Office by Heydrich.

On August 1, 1934 Damzog was promoted to SS - SS Captain and officially recorded in the SD. The alleged former Gestapo employee Hans Juergen Koehler described Damzog 1940 in his book Inside the Gestapo " stocky, almost fat man of medium build, with thinning blond hair, a broad peasant's face and bright eyes. " For this time as one of the more honest than " and reliable man 'is not known.

Already in September 1935 Damzog was transferred back to Breslau, where he was used in the border inspection. On May 1, 1937 Damzog, who was also a member of the Nazi officials working group, the NSDAP joined ( Mitgliedsnr. 5081001 ).

In the " Einsatzgruppen of the Security Police " in Poland

With the beginning of the Polish campaign Damzog was appointed head of Einsatzgruppe V of the " Einsatzgruppen of the Security Police " for the "Company Tannenberg ". Task of these Einsatzgruppen was the " fight against all richest and anti-German elements in reverse the fighting troops " and at the same time the greatest possible destruction of the Polish intelligentsia.

On September 21, 1939 Damzog also took demonstrably part in a meeting of the heads of department of the Reich Security Main Office and the leaders of the Einsatzgruppen in Berlin, chaired by Heydrich, in this the plans of the SS leadership with regard to the Poles, Jews and Gypsies in the occupied Polish areas laid bare, which he brought to the formula:

" 1 ) Jews as quickly as possible to the cities, 2 ) Jews from the Reich to Poland, 3 ) the remaining 30,000 Gypsies to Poland,

Damzog was, therefore, like all other Einsatzgruppen leaders, informed from the beginning about what is effectively mass deportation and assassination of unwanted populations plans of his superiors.

Inspector of the Security Police and the SD in Poznan

After the Polish campaign Damzog was used on 23 October 1939 as Chief of the Security Police and SD ( IdS ) for the military district of Posen. In this role he was also head of the central transfer, the task consisted in the expulsion of Poles and Jews from the annexed territories. However, this task has been effectively exercised by Damzogs deputy Rolf -Heinz Hoeppner. On June 21, 1944 Damzog was promoted to SS Brigade Commander and Major General of the Police. Ernst Damzog died in July 1945 in Halle.