Hans Schwedler


Otto Hugo Hans Schwedler was a German Nazi SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS who served as the SS and Police Leader in the Kraków District during the establishment of the Kraków Ghetto. He also was involved in the administration of the Nazi concentration camp system, and committed suicide close to the end of the Second World War in Europe.

Early life

Schwedler was born in Berlin, the son of a businessman. After completing his education, he sought a professional military career by joining the German Army and was commissioned a Leutnant in 1898. He served in the First World War as a company and battalion commander. He earned the Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd class, and the Wound Badge, in black. In February 1919 he was discharged from the army with the rank of Major. In 1920 he joined Der Stahlhelm, the German military veterans organization.

Peacetime SS career

Schwedler joined the Nazi Party in February 1931 and the SS in November 1932. On 31 July 1933 he was commissioned an SS-Untersturmführer. Advancing rapidly up the ranks, he served from July 1933 to 10 June 1934 as the Chief of Staff in SS-Abschnitt I, based in Munich. He next commanded the 79th SS-Standarte, with headquarters in Ulm until 4 December 1934. From December 1934, he served at the SS-Junker School in Bad Tölz as an instructor and, from January to November 1938, as Deputy Commandant. He then transferred to the SS leadership school in Braunschweig until January 1940 when he was promoted to SS-Oberführer and returned to Bad Tölz. He remained there until July 1940 and, at the same time, was also assigned to the inspectorate of the SS-Totenkopfverbände which administered the system of Nazi concentration camps. From July to October 1940, he served as Inspector of the SS-Totenkopfstandarten.

Second World War

Schwedler was named the second SS and Police Leader of the Kraków District in the General Government on 1 October 1940, succeeding SS-Gruppenführer Karl Zech. In this post, he commanded all SS personnel and police in his jurisdiction, including the Ordnungspolizei, the SD and the SiPo, which included the Gestapo. He held this posting until 4 August 1941. His tenure as SSPF was marked by the establishment of the Kraków Ghetto in March 1941. The ghetto, which would hold some 15,000 to 20,000 Jews, was enclosed by a wall made of barbed wire and stone, constructed using Jewish forced labor.
On 4 August 1941, Schwedler was made an Oberführer of the Waffen-SS and transferred to become the SS garrison commander of Prague, the seat of the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia, where he remained until March 1942. From that time until August 1943, he headed the supply command of the Waffen-SS and police under SS-Obergruppenführer Hans-Adolf Prützmann, the Higher SS and Police Leader of Russland-Süd. On 9 November 1942, Schwedler was promoted to SS-Brigadeführer and Generalmajor of the Waffen-SS. From August 1943 he worked at SS headquarters in Berlin in the SS-Führungshauptamt the administrative and operational headquarters for the Waffen-SS. There he first headed Amt XI and, from autumn 1944, Inspectorate 7. Just days before the end of the war in Europe, Schwedler committed suicide on 2 May 1945.
SS RanksSS Ranks
DateRank
31 July 1933SS-Untersturmführer
9 November 1933SS-Obersturmführer
20 April 1934SS-Sturmhauptführer
20 April 1935SS-Sturmbannführer
1 January 1936SS-Obersturmbannführer
9 November 1938SS-Standartenführer
30 January 1940SS-Oberführer
4 August 1941Oberführer der Waffen-SS
9 November 1942SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS