Otto Abetz (* 26. March 1903 in Schwetzingen; "† 5. May 1958 with a car accident on the motorway Cologne Duesseldorf) was an Ambassador Deutschlands in Paris during the Second World War. NSDAP member NR. 7011453 with effect of 1.5.1937. SS-member-NR. 253,314 of 1.8.1935. Last rank since 30.1.1942. It received insges. 13 honors (the Nazis and/or friendly countries).

First it studied in Karlsruhe, where he became afterwards an art educator in a It always engaged itself in addition, for the French-German relations. Since 1931 it began for the goals of the NSDAP and already conversed contacts to former front fighters in France.

1934 it became with the realm youth leader France adviser, in order to finally occur in January 1935 the agency Ribbentrop.

Numerous journeys to France it held during this time lectures and recruited for National Socialist Germany. In its characteristic as coworkers of its agency, which was subordinated to the Foreign Office and the office with regard to foreign policy of the NSDAP, and which contributed the foreign policy of the third realm, it was expelled in July 1939 from France. To the end of the France campaign it returned in June 1940 to Paris and received in the November of the same yearly its accreditation as an Ambassador of the German Reich at the government The Protektion of the minister of foreign affairs Joachim of Ribbentrop had provided this important post for the diplomatic specialist from beyond. Abetz' service seat was however Paris and not Vichy, where the French government resided.

As an Ambassador it had control of all political questions in the occupied, as also in the vacant France. Abetz was thereby also an advisor of the German military and the German police in political questions. 1941 it became at the same time.

While the four years in which it had the post as an Ambassador, Abetz Frenchman tried to win to the cooperation to convince and/or it from the national socialism to. In its anti-Semitic actions, as the suggestion stateless person Jew obligatorily to e.g. expropriate and into the vacant part of France and further into the extermination camps in the east push away, he saw a possibility the remaining remainder of a resistance and the influence of the church and army within the Vichy regime to break.

It was one of the most energetic representatives of the Kollaboration on German side and particularly used itself for an active French participation in the war against Great Britain. The high point of its career was certainly thereby the meeting of Hitler and organized by it, in Montoire in the October 1940, after whose failure it fell occasionally in disgrace.

It continued to use for the French-German culture exchange (in the understanding of the Nazis) and wanted for France an appropriate place in the new, of Hitler particularly turned out Europe to reach. Hitler, who saw France only as subjected nation, trusted however neither the French Kollaborateuren, nor the Abetz, and supported him not.

After occupation to the free zone Abetz disappeared for one year of the political stage, it said, he had had a "diplomatic illness". At the end of November 1943 it then as an Ambassador one replaced.

On 25 October 1945 he was arrested in Todtmoos and came before that Paris military tribunals. Because of its partial responsibility at the Judendeportationen and at the obligation recruiting of immigrant workers he was condemned July 1949 to 20 years hard labour, however already set in April 1954 on free foot.

It burned to 5. May 1958 in its car on the motorway Cologne Ruhr district, after its car had gotten at high speed off the roadway. Since as a cause a steering element damage was determined, it came to speculations that it would have concerned an act of revenge. This was however never confirmed.

Literature

• The fascist Okkupationspolitik in France (1940-1944) selection and Einl. Ludwig Nestler, Berlin: VEB Dt. publishing house of the sciences, 1990 ISBN 3326002971 (keyword Abetz: approx. 40 denominations, time multilateral)

Related links

• Simon Wiesenthal center (Learning center) English.

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