Praise Berger (* 16. July 1896 in Gerstetten, office "† 25 January 1975 in Stuttgart), actually people school teachers, ascended in the third realm up to the boss of the SS-principal office in the rank of a and a general of the weapon SS, when whose organizational creator it also applies.

Life

Berger spent the years 1910 to 1914 in the teacher seminar in It announced itself voluntarily to outbreak of the 1. World war. In Flanders 1914/15 it was wounded three times, last heavily. Since then it was assigned in different staffs at the west front. It received to 1915 the EK II and 1918 the EK Ith at the beginning of of 1919 it was demobilisiert, in the rank second lieutenant. Bergers highest military rank was after record a captain (1936).

After the war he was a teacher in light star with Heilbronn, Gerstetten and Wankheim with It returned actually never more so quite to the civilian life; he internally always understood himself as a soldier and used themselves accordingly after forces for the "military detention making and recovery of Germany". 1919-21 it engaged itself in the inhabitant resistance and afterwards in different military federations. 1923 it joined the NSDAP, with which at most the militaristische and kraftmeierische Gestus might have addressed it, according to its own character. After the Hitlerputsch for six years each political manipulation was forbidden to it.

Bergers career is inseparably connected with the seizure of power of the national socialism. At the end of of 1930 occurred the SA and at the beginning of of 1931 again the NSDAP, he led a SA storm in soon and created it within a short time (autumn 1932) up to the "upper leader of the SA sub-group In October 1933 it called the fruits in of its commitment from realm governor Murr, with whom in the following an intimate enmity it should connect: a Rektoratsstelle in Esslingen (and it got also).

The SA proved however as dead end. Berger obviously could not distort it that after the "seizure of power" of the nine years younger Hanns Ludin than leaders of the group of legend velvets of southwest bathing) was preferred to him. It over-threw itself with him and came because of its equally to plotters as schroffen behavior before a SA honour court, which caused its exclusion from the SA. Still during he over a retake negotiated, changed he in September 1934 to the "boss AW" ("boss of the training nature") as a range leader in Ulm and/or Stuttgart - actually an institution for SA, which was come after the Putsch" however under the influence of the erstarkenden SS and was also dissolved after introduction of the compulsory military service 1935. The SS belonged the future. Berger joined her as a "upper leader" to 30 January 1936, a "betrayal", which the old SA comrades never forgave him.

Few months before a further change had taken place: Berger was transferred as an adviser for Leibeserziehung and director of the institute for national turn to the cult Ministry. From here 1937 the jump succeeded to Berlin, first for a staff command "Leibeserziehung in the country" in the realm ministry of education, then (July 1938) for the organization of the Leibeserziehung within the general SS. Berger in the SS-principal office gained a firm foothold, when Himmler made him directly on it the boss of the which was entrusted with (at that time still very restrictive) the advertisement by new generation for the SS-combat support force and the dead head federations of the KZ-guards. Here Berger won its actual operating field. Since April 1939 he already displaced due to his successes one year later its strengthless boss August Heissmeyer.

The SS became as "weapon SS" in this time part of the war machine, and Berger had no small portion with its certainly large organizational ability of it. With tremendous ambition and invention wealth he opened always new recruiting potentials, above all such for it, to which the armed forces could not fall back: People German from Romania, then "Teutons" from west and Northern Europe, then "booty Teutons" from the Baltic and the actually despised east, until finally to Bosnian Muslims. The scruples Himmlers, like at all its Germanic were completely strange to it as practical men thereby. ("I am an old front pig and no rope dancer! ")

With the military guidance of the weapon SS Berger did not have to do anything. Its principal office (SSHA, without further additive), since the reorganization in August 1940 only one under twelve, covered among other things the collection and auxiliary office, the welfare service and office for supplying, the office world-descriptive education (the SS-troops) and evenly the Germanic directing centerdirecting center directing center. Berger floated, also trend-setting for the post-war period, a kind supranational SS-army forwards, in which the idea of a "new", in the "defense fight against the bolshevism" geeinten themselves Europe embody should.

Additionally to this core range of Bergers work in the SS it was from the outset again and again entrusted with certain special tasks: Already in the Sudetenkrise 1938 he was SS-liaison officer to Konrad Henleins Sudeten German free corps federations, which of the realm area from operated. After the assault on Poland 1939 it was assigned to organize "people-German self protection" that in the occupied areas as militia functioned and its portion of the terror regiment hatte.1942 Berger leader of the armed post office protection (45,000 men, thereby was nevertheless subordinated the SS) and 1943 member of Reichstag (that since never 1942 more was certainly called up) as well as the Kuratoriums "life fount" (likewise only on the paper insisted). It was far more important that Himmler sent it 1942 to the "connecting leader" the SS to Alfreds' of rose mountain Ministry for the occupied east areas, in order to secure the influence of the SS on the Russia politics. To the fact however that Berger did not completely change it as an undersecretary of state in the east Ministry, how it was occasionally angedacht came.

1943 Berger the upper group leader and general of the weapon SS were appointed - a title, which he shortened in the following in the private discussion gladly to "general", but still are actually enough no military rank were. The desired military mission - its only - took place however then nevertheless still: in the first two weeks September 1944, when it should organize striking down the slowakischen military rebellion from Pressburg/Bratislava in the position of the "German general" (like the "boss AW" no person, but an agency). The rebellion still was in full course, when Berger for its next task was Himmler, in the meantime leaders of the reserve army, appointed it the staff leader of the German people storm which can be developed again and a little later in addition also still the boss of the prisoner of war nature.

The integration into the SS-range meant few for the prisoners of war, nevertheless in this chaotic late phase of the war also no degradation. Berger continued the past policy only, when he e.g. introduced the transformation of the Soviet prisoners in January 1945 to civilian east workers so mentioned. It let pressure exercise however also duly that Russians occurred the kollaborierende Wlassow army.

To reach arrested with end of war Berger of the Americans, after it had still tried briefly before gate conclusion over a representative of the American prisoners of war, general Vanaman, on own fist to manufacture a contact for US Government in order a separate peace and proceed afterwards together against the Soviets - a rather reality-blind venture, which underlines however very well the excessive self over-estimation Bergers, which shines through again and again also otherwise.

Articles in category "God praise Berger"

We found here 10 articles.