SS-Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich

Josef "Sepp" Dietrich also known as Ujac (May 28, 1892–April 21/22, 1966) was a German Waffen-SS general, an SS-Oberstgruppenführer, and one of the closest men to Hitler. For his wartime services, he was one of only 27 men to be awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. General Sepp Dietrich This work is copyrighted. ... General Sepp Dietrich This work is copyrighted. ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (149th in leap years). ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ... SS-Oberstgruppenführer Collar Insignia Oberstgruppenführer was the highest commissioned SS rank with the exception of Reichsführer-SS, which was a special rank held by Heinrich Himmler. ... (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer (Leader) of Germany from 1934 until his death. ... The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz) is a military decoration of Germany which was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813. ...

Early life and career

Sepp Dietrich was born in Hawangen, near Memmingen in Bavaria on May 28, 1892. He became a butcher but joined the Bavarian Army in 1911. In the First World War, he served as a paymaster sergeant and later in the first German tank troops. Memmingen is a town in the Bavarian administrative region Swabia in Germany. ... The Free State of Bavaria  (German: Freistaat Bayern), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead:5 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:8 million Military dead:4 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:7 million The First World... The Paymaster of the Forces was a British government position. ...

After the war, Dietrich served briefly in the Freikorps against the Bavarian Soviet Republic, May, 1919. Thereafter, he migrated from one job to another, including waiter, policeman, foreman, farm laborer, gas station attendant and customs officer. He joined the Nazi party in 1928 and became commander of Hitler's SS bodyguard. He accompanied Hitler on his tours around Germany and received the nickname "Chauffeureska" from Hitler. Later Hitler arranged other jobs for him, including various SS posts, and let him live in the chancellery. The designation of Freikorps (German for Free Corps, i. ... The Bavarian Soviet Republic (Bayerische Räterepublik)—also known as the Munich Soviet Republic (Münchner Räterepublik)—was a short-lived revolutionary government in the German state of Bavaria in 1919 that sought to replace the fledgling Weimar Republic in its early days. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... SS or ss or Ss may be: The Schutzstaffel, a Nazi paramilitary force Steamship (SS) (ship prefix) The United States Secret Service A submarine not powered by nuclear energy (SS) (United States Navy designator), see SSN A Soviet/Russian surface-to-surface missile, as listed by NATO reporting name Shortstop...

1930s and World War II

In 1930, Dietrich was elected to the Reichstag as a delegate for Lower Bavaria. By 1931, he had become SS-Gruppenführer. When the NSDAP took over in 1933, Dietrich rose swiftly through the Nazi hierarchy. He rose to the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer, commander of Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, General of the Waffen-SS and member of the Prussian state council. The Reichstag (German for Imperial Diet) was the parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, the North German Confederation, and of Germany until 1945. ... The Nazi swastika The National Socialist German Workers Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), better known as the NSDAP or the Nazi Party was a political party that was led to power in Germany by Adolf Hitler in 1933. ... The Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (Lifeguard Standarte of the SS Adolf Hitler) was a Waffen SS guard and combat formation which saw action on both the Eastern and Western fronts during the Second World War. ... Waffen-SS recruitment poster; Volunteer to the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel. ...

In 1934, Dietrich played an active role in the Night of the Long Knives. Hitler told him to take six men and go to the Ministry of Justice to execute a number of SA leaders. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to SS Obergruppenführer. The Night of the Long Knives (June 30 and Sunday July 1, 1934) (German, Nacht der langen Messer), also known as Reichsmordwoche or the Blood Purge, was a lethal purge of Adolf Hitlers potential political rivals in the Sturmabteilung (SA; also known as storm troopers or brownshirts). ... The seal of SA The (help· info) (SA, German for Storm Division, usually translated as stormtroops or stormtroopers) functioned as a paramilitary organization of the NSDAP – the German Nazi party. ... SS-Obergruppenführer Erich von dem Bach-Zalewski SS-Obergruppenführer patch SA-Obergruppenführer insignia Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA. Translated as Senior Group Leader, the rank of SA-Obergruppenführer was held by...

When World War II began, Dietrich led the Leibstandarte in attacks on Paris and Dunkirk. Dietrich remained in command of the Leibstandarte throughout the campaigns in Greece and Yugoslavia before being promoted to command of the 1.SS-Panzerkorps, attached to Army Group Center, on the Eastern Front. In 1943, he was sent to Italy to recover Mussolini's mistress Clara Petacci. He received numerous German military medals but also became notorious for his mistreatment of prisoners of war. Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... The Eiffel Tower, the international symbol of the city, with the skyscrapers of La Défense business district 5 km/ 3 mi behind. ... Location within France For the battleship, see Dunkerque Dunkirk (French: Dunkerque; Dutch: Duinkerke; German: Dünkirchen) is a harbour city and a commune in the northernmost part of France, in the département of Nord, 10 km from the Belgian border. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in all south Slavic languages, in Serbian and Macedonian Cyrillic Југославија) is a term used for three separate but successive political entities that existed during most of the 20th century on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. ... I.SS-Panzerkorps I.SS-Panzerkorps Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler The I.SS-Panzerkorps Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler was a German Waffen-SS panzer corps which saw action on both the Western and Eastern Fronts during World War II. // Formation and Training The corps was raised on 27 July 1943... Army Group Centre (Heeresgruppe Mitte in German) was one of three German army formations assigned to the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, code-named Operation Barbarossa. ... The Eastern Front of World War II was the theatre of war covering the conflict in central and eastern European regions from June 1941 to May 1945. ... Benito Mussolini created a fascist state through the use of propaganda, total control of the media and disassembly of the working democratic government. ... Clara Petacci (Claretta Petacci) (February 28, 1912 – April 28, 1945) was a young Roman girl from an upper-class family who became Benito Mussolinis mistress. ...

SS-Obergruppenführer Dietrich in full dress uniform on the terrace of Hitler's Berghof

Dietrich commanded the I.SS-Panzerkorps in the battle of Normandy. Because of his success, Hitler promoted him to command of the 6.SS-Panzer-Armee as well. Dietrich commanded the 6.SS-Panzer-Armee in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. He had been assigned to that task because, due to the July Plot, Hitler distrusted Wehrmacht officers. On December 17, SS units under his command executed 82 US prisoners of war near Malmedy, Belgium, in what is known as the Malmédy massacre. Download high resolution version (600x614, 122 KB)General Sepp Dietrich This work is copyrighted. ... Download high resolution version (600x614, 122 KB)General Sepp Dietrich This work is copyrighted. ... The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allies. ... The German Sixth Panzer Army (6. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Germany Commanders Dwight D. Eisenhower Gerd von Rundstedt Strength Dec 16 - start of the Battle: about 83,000 men; 242 Sherman tanks, 182 tank destroyers, and 394 pieces of corps and divisional artillery. ... The July 20 Plot was a failed coup détat which involved an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. ... German cavalry and motorized units entering Poland from East Prussia during the Polish Defensive War of 1939 Wehrmacht (help· info) (Defence force) was the name of the armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... SS or ss or Ss may be: The Schutzstaffel, a Nazi paramilitary force Steamship (SS) (ship prefix) The United States Secret Service A submarine not powered by nuclear energy (SS) (United States Navy designator), see SSN A Soviet/Russian surface-to-surface missile, as listed by NATO reporting name Shortstop... Malmedy Cathedral build in 1777 Malmedy is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. ... United States soldiers discover the aftermath of the Malmédy Massacre. ...

At this point, Dietrich began to protest Hitler's unwillingness to let officers act upon their own initiative. In April 1945, after the failure of Hitler's planned Spring Awakening offensive at Lake Balaton, spearheaded by Dietrich's troops, a frustrated Hitler ordered Dietrich and his men to give up their unit cuff titles, but Dietrich refused to pass on the order. The Lake Balaton Offensive (codenamed Operation Frühlingserwachen, Spring Awakening), was the last major offensive action by the Germans during World War II. Launched in great secrecy on March 6, 1945, the attack took place in Hungary around the Lake Balaton area, and involved mostly units withdrawn from the failed... Lake Balaton - Landsat satellite photo Lake Balaton (Hungarian Balaton; German Plattensee; Slovak Blatenské jazero, meaning approximately muddy lake, probable origin of the name), located in Hungary, is the largest lake of Central Europe with a surface area of 592 km². It lies approximately at co-ordinates 46°50′N 17...

Dietrich commanded tank troops in Vienna but failed to prevent Soviet troops from taking the city. He surrendered to US troops led by George Patton on May 8, 1945. Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian: Beč, Czech: Vídeň, Hungarian: Bécs, Romanian: Viena, Romani: Bech or Vidnya, Russian: Вена, Slovak: Viedeň, Slovenian: Dunaj) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... General George Smith Patton Jr. ...

Post war

In 1946, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Malmédy Massacre Trial for allegedly ordering the execution of US prisoners of war in Malmedy. Due to testimony in his defense by other German officers, his sentence was shortened to 25 years. He served only ten years but was rearrested after his release in 1956. On May 14, 1957, he was sentenced to nineteen months for his part in the Night of the Long Knives; he was released due to ill health in February 1959 but he had already served his 19 months sentence by then. The Malmedy massacre The Malmédy Massacre Trial () was held in May-July 1946 in Dachau to try the German Waffen-SS soldiers accused of the Malmédy massacre of December 17, 1944. ... The Night of the Long Knives (June 30 and Sunday July 1, 1934) (German, Nacht der langen Messer), also known as Reichsmordwoche or the Blood Purge, was a lethal purge of Adolf Hitlers potential political rivals in the Sturmabteilung (SA; also known as storm troopers or brownshirts). ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1966 Dietrich died of a heart attack in Ludwigsburg at age 73. Six thousand of his wartime comrades came to his funeral.
A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... Ludwigsburg is a city in Germany, about 12 km north of Stuttgarts city center, near the river Neckar. ...

Further reading

The only biography about Sepp Dietrich is the one by Charles Messenger. There are two versions [see below]. Additonal information about Dietrich has to be pieced together from many separate sources, which are mostly in English and in German. These are among the more relevant and accessible that are obtainable through larger research libraries (and their Interlibrary Loan), or through online vendors.

In English:

• Bradley, Omar N. A Soldier's Story. New York: Henry Holt, 1951.
• Bruce, Donald Roger. The Early Career of Sepp Dietrich, 28 May 1892-1 September 1939. Master's Thesis. Tempe, Arizona: Arizona State University, 1977.
• Gisevius, Hans Bernd. To the Bitter End. Translated by Richard and Clara Winston. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1947.
• Guderian, Heinz. Panzer Leader. Translated by Constantine FitzGibbon. New York: Dutton, 1952.
• Hanfstaengl, Ernst 'Putzi'. Hitler: The Missing Years. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1957.
• Hassell, Ulrich von. The von Hassell Diaries, 1938-1944: The Story of the Forces Against Hitler Inside Germany, as Recorded by Ambassador Ulrich von Hassell, a Leader of the Movement. New York: Doubleday, 1947.
• Höhne, Heinz. The Order of the Death's Head: The Story of Hitler's SS. Translated by Richard Barry. New York: Coward-McCann, 1969.
• Messenger, Charles. Hitler's Gladiator: The Life and Times of Oberstgruppenführer and Panzergeneral-Oberst Der Waffen-SS Sepp Dietrich. No location: Potomac Books, 1988.
• Messenger, Charles. Hitler's Gladiator: The Life and Wars of Panzer Army Commander Sepp Dietrich. No location: Conway Maritime Press, 2005.
• Reitlinger, Gerald. The SS: Alibi of a Nation, 1922-1945. London: William Heinamann, 1965.
• Speer, Albert. Inside the Third Reich: Memories by Albert Speer. New York: Macmillan, 1970.
• Stein, George H. The Waffen SS: Hitler's Elite Guard at War, 1939-1945. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1966.
• Weingartner, James J. Hitler's Guard: The Story of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, 1933-1945. Carbondale and Edwardsville, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 1974.

In German: General of the Army Omar N. Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893 – April 8, 1981) was one of the main U.S. Army field commanders in North Africa and Europe during the World War II and a General of the Army of the United States Army. ... Ernst Franz Sedgwick Hanfstaengl (Munich, February 2, 1887 - November 6, 1975) was the only person known to have worked directly for both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler. ... Albert Speer (March 19, 1905 – September 1, 1981) was born Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer in Mannheim, Germany, the second of three sons. ...

• Dienstalterliste der Schutzstaffel der NSDAP.
• Hausser, Paul. Soldaten wie andere auch.
• -. Waffen-SS in Einsatz.
• Hitler, Adolf. Adolf Hitler und seine Kämpfer.
• Hoffmann, Peter. Die Sicherheit des Dictators.
• Jahncke, Kurt, ed. Das Archiv.
• Kienast, E., ed. Der deutsche Richstag, 1936.
• Schirach, Baldur von. Die Pionere des dritten Reiches.
• -. Ich glaubte an Hitler.
• Schwarz, Max. MdR: Biographisches Handbuch der Reichstage.
• Steiner, Felix. Die Armee der Geächten.
• Wistrich, Robert, and Hermann Weiß. Wer war wer im Dritten Reich. Frankfurt/Main: Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, 1993. ISBN 3-596-243-734.