Friedrich Alpers

Friedrich Alpers
Born 3 January 1901
Sonnenberg, Germany
Died 3 September 1944(1944-09-03) (aged 43)
Mons, Belgium
Buried at Lommel, Belgium
(Block 61-grave 81)
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch  Luftwaffe
Schutzstaffel
Rank Major der Reserve
Obergruppenführer
Service number NSDAP #132,812
SS #6,427
Commands held Fernaufklärungs-Gruppe 4
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Friedrich Ludwig Herbert Alpers (25 March 1901 – 3 September 1944) was a German Nazi politician, and SS leader.[1] He was also a Minister of the Free State of Brunswick,[2] and Minister for Forestry.[3][4] Friedrich was responsible for numerous political crimes in Brunswick. Alpers committed suicide in 1944, while in US captivity.[5]

Block 61-grave 81

Early life

Friedrich Alpers (also known as "Fritz") was born on 25 March 1901 in Sonnenberg, Duchy of Brunswick. He was educated at Martino Katharineum High School in Brunswick, graduating in May 1919. He then studied law and political science at the Universities of Heidelberg, Munich and Greifswald. In 1923, he worked as a law clerk, and became a lawyer in 1929. He worked as a lawyer in Brunswick until 1933.

NSDAP and SS member

In June 1929, Alpers joined the NSDAP (membership number 132,812). In May 1930 he joined the SA. On 1 March 1931 he joined the SS (membership number 6,427). Friedrich was an active member in the SS, rising to the rank of Obergruppenführer. Since October 1930, he was Minister of the Brunswick State Parliament. Alpers was twice temporarily suspended from the SS in 1933 following complaints of excessive violence made against him during the Nazi takeover of Brunswick. In 1933, he personally brought into line the Brunswick and state bar associations.

Minister of the Free State of Brunswick

After the Nazi seizure of power Alpers became Finance and Justice Minister of Brunswick on 8 May 1933 (a position in which he served until 1934) under the Ministerpräsident Dietrich Klagges. Along with Klagges and Friedrich Jeckeln, Alpers was one of the main persons responsible for the Gleichschaltung and persecution of political opponents in the Free State of Brunswick.

Rieseberg-murder

Subordinated to Alpers was Klagges "Hilfspolizei" ("Auxiliary Police"). This force was directly answerable to Klagges and consisted of SA, SS and "Stahlhelm" men. On 4 July 1933, Alpers was directly involved in the Rieseberg-murder of eleven communists and labor organizers in Rieseberg, about 15 miles (24 km) east of Braunschweig.

Awards

Notes

  1. ↑ According to Scherzer as Major of the Reserves.[8]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Browder 2004, pp. 94–95.
  2. ↑ Humphrey 1951, p. 285.
  3. ↑ Kreis 2000, p. 185.
  4. ↑ Kay 2011, p. 17.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 14.
  7. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 115.
  8. ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 190.
  9. ↑ Patzwall 2004, p. 63.

Bibliography

  • Browder, George C. (2004). Foundations of the Nazi Police State: The Formation of Sipo and SD. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-9111-9. 
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
  • Humphrey, Richard D. (1951). Georges Sorel, prophet without honor: a study in anti-intellectualism. Harvard University Press. 
  • Kay, Alex J. (2011). Exploitation, Resettlement, Mass Murder: Political and Economic Planning for German Occupation Policy in the Soviet Union, 1940–1941. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-0-85745-165-1. 
  • Kreis, Georg (2000). Switzerland and the Second World War. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7146-5029-6. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2004). Das Goldene Parteiabzeichen und seine Verleihungen ehrenhalber 1934–1944 (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 3-931533-50-6. 
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
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