Category Archives: SS-Personalities

On the forum and the subforum SS u polizei, member Orlov have started a topic were he list biographical data and info regarding Doctors of different positions of the SS and Waffen-SS, as an example we show the story of Johann Paul Kremer. You can see the thread here – Medical Officers of the SS

Johann Paul Kremer (26 December 1883 – 8 January 1965) was born in Stellberg. He studied in Heidelberg, Strassburg as well as Berlin; he received his philosophy degree in 1914 and his medical degree in 1919. He also studied natural science and mathematics. He was the “assistant surgeon at the surgical clinic of the University, Charité, the ward of internal diseases of the Municipal Hospital Berlin-Neukölln, the surgical clinic of the University of Cologne and prosector in the Institutes of Anatomy in Bonn and Münster. He became Dozent of anatomy in 1929 and was promoted there in 1936 to be professor in commission. At the same time, he was commissioned to lecture on the science of human hereditariness”. He also did some writing: he mentions two articles that he wrote in the diary he kept, the first being “Inherited or Acquired? A Noteworthy Contribution to the Problem of Hereditariness of Traumatic Deformations” and the second titled “New Elements of Cell and Tissues Investigations”.

Medical experiments in KZ Auschwitz
The main priority of SS doctors at concentration camps throughout German-occupied Europe was not to provide basic medical services to prisoners, but rather to give the appearance of competent medical care. Following the full-scale implementation of the Final Solution, much of their time was occupied with concentration camp exterminations, sorting/selection of the newly-arrived (primarily Jewish) prisoners (e.g. for work, experimentation, or immediate extermination), direct observation of executions and gassings, experimentation, and the fabrication of causes of deaths on prisoner death certificates. The experiments conducted by SS doctors were done for three main reasons:
1) to research methods to improve the health and survivability of soldiers;
2) to lay the groundwork for post-war scientific research and
3) to carry out the dictates of the racial policies of the National Socialist Party. Some experiments were also done at the behest of pharmaceutical companies and medical institutes, for the doctors’ own research interests, and to benefit the doctors’ personal careers.

Kremer was particularly interested in the effects of starvation on the human body, especially on the liver, and because Kremer was responsible for examining the prisoners that sought admission to the camp infirmary, he was able to personally select the prisoners that he believed would make good test subjects for his experiments. He often performed autopsies in order to extract samples from the liver, spleen and pancreas. On several occasions in his diary, he mentions the extraction of organs and tissues (which he called “living-fresh material”) from living victims.
On 3 October 1942 SS doctor Johann Paul Kremer wrote in his diary: “Today fresh living material from the human liver and spleen as well as pancreas fixed, along with lice from typhus patients fixed in pure alcohol. In Auschwitz (city), whole streets are struck down with typhus. So today I had the first serum injection against abdominal typhus administered to me. SS-Obersturmführer Schwarz is sick with typhus!”.
Also on October 15, 1942 he writes, “Living-fresh material of liver, spleen and pancreas taken from an abnormal individual.” Kremer’s diary contains descriptions of at least five more similar instances. At his hearing on July 30, 1947, Kremer stated that “I observed the prisoners in this group [to be liquidated] carefully and whenever one of them particularly interested me because of his advanced stage of starvation, I ordered the medical orderly to reserve him and to inform me when this patient would be killed by injection”.

Sonderaktion
All SS doctors were required to be present at what were called “special actions”, which was when the mass gassings took place. The most common victims were children, the elderly, mothers with young children and any others considered unfit to work. During his trial, Kremer described how a gassing was conducted and what his role as doctor was. The gassings were conducted in cabins located on the outskirts of the camp; the victims were transported by railway, and after they arrived, prisoners “were first driven to barracks where the victims undressed and then went naked to the gas chambers. Very often no incidents occurred, as the SS men kept people quiet, maintaining that they were to bathe and be deloused. After driving all of them into the gas chamber the door was closed and an SS man in a gas mask threw the contents of a Zyklon-B tin through an opening in the side wall.” Kremer’s role was to sit in a van along with a medical orderly ready to treat any officers that might succumb to the gas.

SS-Brigadeführer Franz Augsberger

DoB: 10.10.1905 in Wien
DoD: 19.3.1945 Neustadt (KIA)
His grave is located at the homepage of Volksbund

SS-Brigfhr – 21.6.44
SS-Obfhr – 30.1.44
SS-Staf – 1.7.43
SS-Ostubaf – 20.4.42
SS-Stubaf – 1.6.37
SS-Ostuf – 1.7.36
SS-Ustuf – 1.6.35

SS-Brigfhr u Gen.Maj.d.W.-SS – 21.6.44
SS-Obfhr d.W.-SS. – 30.1.44
SS-Staf. d.W.-SS – 1.7.43
SS-Ostubaf d.W.-SS – 20.4.42
SS-Stubaf. d.W.-SS – 1.12.41

Awards: Ritterkreuz, EK I, EK II, Inf.Strumabzeichen, Finnische Freiheits Kreuz, Sudeten Erin.Medaillie, Österreiches Erin.Med., Totenkopfring, Ehrendegen d.SS, Julleuchter, SA-Sportabz. – Bronze, Reichsport Abz. – Bronze.

Franz Augsberger joined the SS in 1932, at that time in his homecountry Austria, when the goverment of Austria forbid the NSDAP and their organisations. Franz Augsberger as many other Austrian SS-Men left their homecountry to join the Österreiches Legion stationied at the SS-Standort in Dachau.
Augsberger was part of that unit until the end of 1934, where he switched unit and became part of the 5.th Kp. of SS.-Standarte “Deutschland” (SS-VT), not even a year later Franz Augsberger was selected to become an Officer of the SS and between 1935 and 1936 he attended the SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig. After finishing the course he was promotod to SS-Untersturmführer, he would remain at the SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig but not as pupil this time but as officer. He remained at SS-JS Braunschweig until 1939 and the outbreak of the II World War.

His new unit as an officer was the SS-Regiment “Der Führer”, with that he had “come home” as many of the officers and soldiers in this unit consisted mostly of men from Austria. At the same time he got appointed as Officer part of the II./90.SS-Standarte (Allgemeine-SS) . His first assignment of the SS-Rgt. “Der Führer” is unfortuantely unknown but later the same year he got his new command as Kp.Chef (Comp.Commander) of the 3 Kp. of the Ersatz.Battalion in the SS-Regiment “Der Führer. He remained at this position until 1940.

In 1940 he was temporarely moved to SS-Regiment “Westland”, but soon he was transfered to attend a course to become Batallion commander. After he finished the course he was moved to III./SS-Inf.Rgt. “Nordland” as its acting commander. He ended this assignment in 1941.

In 1941 he was transfered to I./SS-Inf.Rgt.7 in what later would become 6.SS-Geb.Div. “Nord”, he was its battallion commander until 1942, when he temporarely become Regimental Commander of the SS-Inf.Rgt.7. This was very a very short command.

In 1942 Franz Augsberger would be asssigned to the newly establised SS-Eesti Brigade, constisted of volonteers from Estonia. His first command was at the SS-Übungslager Debica, where the unit was organized. It´s not know exacly what he did in the beginning. But he soon become official Commander of the 1.Regiment of this SS-Brigade. Franz Augsberger first saw action with his new unit in the north part of Belarus. The brigade grew and was soon at a size of an Division, and when Franz Augsberger recieved his last promotion to SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor der Waffen-SS his Brigade was official a Division and he became its Commander.

In september 1944 the 20.SS-Freiw.Gren.Division retreated into Germany and it was reorganized at the SS-Übungslager Neuhammer (close to Breslau). After refitting of the Division it was sent to Schlesien to approach the attacking Soviets.

On March 3, 1945 Franz Augsberger was awarded the Ritterkreuz but at this time he and his division was incircled by the Soviets and Augsberger was repetedly asking the Commanding General Schörner if they could break out and retreat to the German lines, Generalfeldamarchall Schörner declined this request several times. But finally on March 19, 1945 did Augsberger the order to break through the Soviet lines and establish contact with German forces.

Different sources give different dates when Franz Augsberger was Killed in Action, but I have stuck to the 19´th as that was the date he was ordered to retreat. His commanding car he was travelling in was hit by an missile and Franz Augsberger was killed instantly.

Franz Augsberger was very liked by his men in the 20. SS-Freiw.Gren.Div. and they held his memory high.

//Georg

Sources: SSO Augsberger, Franz and http://www.eestileegion.com/