Sepp Dietrich
Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (28 May 1892 – 21 April 1966) was a German politician and SS commander during the Nazi era. He joined the Nazi Party in 1928 and was elected to the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic in 1930. Prior to 1929, Dietrich was Adolf Hitler's chauffeur and bodyguard.
Josef "Sepp" Dietrich
Josef Dietrich
28 May 1892
Hawangen, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
21 April 1966 (aged 73)
Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
German Empire (1911–1918)
Weimar Republic (1928–1933)
Nazi Germany
1911–1918
1928–1945
- Unteroffizier
- SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer und Generaloberst der Waffen-SS
Iron Cross First Class (1914)
Tank Memorial Badge
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
Member of HIAG, Waffen-SS lobby group
U.S. Military
War crimes
West Germany
Accessory to manslaughter (6 counts)
U.S. Military
Life imprisonment; commuted to 25 years imprisonment
West Germany
18 months imprisonment
Despite having no formal staff officer training, Dietrich was, along with Paul Hausser, the highest-ranking officer in the Waffen-SS, the military branch of the SS. Reaching the rank of Oberst-Gruppenführer, he commanded units up to army level during World War II. As commanding officer of the 6th Panzer Army during the Battle of the Bulge, Dietrich bore responsibility for the Malmedy massacre, the murder of U.S. prisoners of war in December 1944.
After the war, an American military tribunal convicted Dietrich of war crimes at the Malmedy massacre trial. Upon his release from Landsberg Prison in 1955, Dietrich became active in HIAG, a lobby group established by former high-ranking Waffen-SS personnel. He died in 1966.
Early life[edit]
Josef "Sepp" Dietrich was born on 28 May 1892 in Hawangen, near Memmingen in the Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire.[1]
In 1911 he joined the Bavarian Army with the 4. Bayerische Feldartillerie-Regiment "König" (4th Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment "King") in Augsburg.[2] In the First World War he served with the Bavarian field artillery.[2] He was promoted to Gefreiter (Corporal) in 1917 and awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class.[3] In 1918 he was promoted to Unteroffizier (Sergeant).[1] His last Bavarian Army record lists Dietrich as recipient of the Iron Cross 1st class.[3]
Interwar period[edit]
In the Weimar Republic[edit]
After the Great War ended, Dietrich worked at several jobs, including policeman and customs officer.[1][2] He joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in 1928, then was hired at Eher Verlag, the NSDAP publisher, and became commander of Hitler's Schutzstaffel (SS) bodyguard.[4] His NSDAP number was 89,015 and his SS number was 1,117.[5] Dietrich had been introduced to Nazism by Christian Weber, who had been his employer at the Tankstelle-Blauer-Bock filling station in Munich.[6] He accompanied Hitler on his tours around Germany.[1] Later Hitler arranged other jobs for him, including various SS posts, and let him live in the Reich Chancellery. At the election of 14 September 1930, he was elected to the Reichstag as a Nazi Party deputy. He would remain in the Reichstag until the fall of the Nazi regime, representing several different electoral districts: Lower Bavaria–Swabia (Wahlkreis #24, to 1933), Upper Bavaria (#25, to 1936) and Frankfurt/Oder (#5, to 1945).[7]
By 1931, Dietrich had been promoted to SS-Gruppenführer.[1] When the Nazi Party seized power in 1933, he rose swiftly through the hierarchy.[1] At the end of 1933, Prussian Minister President Hermann Göring appointed Dietrich to the recently reconstituted Prussian State Council, where he would continue to serve until 1945.[8] Responsible for Hitler's personal security detail since February 1932, Dietrich became the commander of the SS–Sonderkommando Berlin (SS–Special Command Unit Berlin) on 2 August 1933. This special bodyguard unit was renamed Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) on 13 April 1934.[9] As one of Hitler's intimates, Dietrich was often able to disregard his SS superior, Heinrich Himmler, at one time even banning Himmler from the Leibstandarte barracks. The LSSAH eventually grew into an elite division of the Waffen-SS. Although the unit was nominally under Himmler, Dietrich was the real commander and handled day-to-day administration.[10]
In the summer of 1934, Dietrich played a key role in the Night of the Long Knives. Hitler, along with Dietrich and a unit from the Leibstandarte, travelled to Bad Wiessee to personally oversee Ernst Röhm's arrest on 30 June. Later, at approximately 17:00 hours, Dietrich received orders from Hitler for the Leibstandarte to form an "execution squad" and go to Stadelheim prison, where certain Sturmabteilung (SA) leaders were being held.[11] There in the prison courtyard, the Leibstandarte firing squad shot six SA officers, including Edmund Heines.[12] Additional SA personnel identified by the regime as traitors were shot in Berlin by a unit of the Leibstandarte after Hitler told him to take six men and go to the Ministry of Justice to shoot certain SA leaders.[1][13] Shortly thereafter, Dietrich was promoted to SS-Obergruppenführer.[2] Dietrich's role later earned him an 18-month sentence from a postwar court.[14]
Assessment[edit]
Dietrich had the complete confidence of the Führer because of his loyalty; the old political fighter was one of Hitler's favorites. He therefore enjoyed much lavish publicity, numerous decorations and a rapid series of promotions. Dietrich often took gambles, much to the dislike of the OKW, such as when he sent the Leibstandarte division "charging into Rostov" without orders "purely to gain a prestige victory". Once Dietrich was promoted to a Corps command he was at least assisted by competent staff officers transferred from the army; still, the army command had to take some pains to keep him in line.[21]
By 1944, there were clear signs Dietrich had been elevated above his military competence. He reportedly had never been taught how to read a military map. Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt considered him to be "decent but stupid" and was especially critical of Dietrich's handling of the 6th Panzer Army in the Ardennes. Even Dietrich's principal staff officer conceded that he was "no strategic genius".[21]
Dietrich's long, personal acquaintance with Hitler allowed him to be more frank than other senior officers in his interactions with Hitler. He was reported by a fellow general to have "railed against the Führer and [his] entourage" with promises to let Hitler know that he was "leading us all to destruction".[Note 1]
Later life[edit]
Upon his release from prison, Dietrich took an active part in the activities of HIAG, an organization and lobby group of former Waffen-SS members. Founded by former high-ranking Waffen-SS personnel, it campaigned for the legal, economic and historical rehabilitation of the Waffen-SS, with some success. In 1966, Dietrich died of a heart attack. Six thousand people, including many former SS men, attended his funeral.[26] Dietrich was married twice: he was divorced from his first wife in 1937 and remarried in 1942. He had three children. Before his second marriage, Dietrich was a visitor of the Salon Kitty.[27]