Wilhelm Rediess
Friedrich Wilhelm Rediess was a German Nazi official who served as the SS and police leader during the German occupation of Norway in the Second World War. He was also the commander of all SS troops stationed in occupied Norway and assumed command from 22 June 1940 until his death by suicide in 1945.
Early life and career
Rediess was born in Heinsberg, Rhine Province, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, the son of a court employee. After school, Rediess became an electrician. In June 1918, he enlisted in the German Army during the First World War and served as an infantryman until the armistice in November 1918.He then worked as an electrician until he lost his job in the Great Depression.
In May 1925, Rediess joined the SA and in December was approved for membership in the Nazi Party. He led a Düsseldorf SA company in 1927 and was transferred to the SS with his unit in 1930. Promotion swiftly followed for Rediess, who achieved the rank of Gruppenführer in 1935. At one point, he served as the division commander of SS-Oberabschnitt Südost.
In April 1932, Rediess was elected to the Landtag of Prussia where he served until it was dissolved in October 1933. He then served as a deputy in the Reichstag from 1933 until his death in May 1945. In November 1933, he was elected from electoral constituency 22 and, from 1936 on, he was elected as a representative of electoral constituency 1.
Second World War
At the onset of the Second World War, Rediess was responsible for implementing German racial laws in Prussia. He oversaw the deportation of Jews from East Prussia and was then given the task of eradicating 1,558 Jewish deportees who were deemed mentally ill.Rediess borrowed "gas vans" and personnel from other SS units and offered a bounty of ten Reichsmark for each Jew killed. It took 19 days to accomplish those killings, and Rediess reneged on the payment.
After the German invasion of Norway, Rediess was transferred there to work with Reichskommissar Josef Terboven. In March 1941, citing reports of large numbers of Norwegian women being impregnated by German soldiers, Rediess implemented the German Lebensborn program in Norway.
The program encouraged the production of "racially pure" Aryan children, who were usually sired by SS troops. Ultimately, 8,000 children were born under the auspices of the program, which made Norway second only to Germany in registered Aryan births during the war.