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Friedrich KritzingerGerman statesman
Date of Birth: 14.04.1890
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Military Service and Captivity
- Legal Career
- Role in the Nazi Regime
- Vanssee Conference and Anti-Jewish Measures
- State Secretary and War's End
- Nuremberg Trials and Death
Early Life and Education
Hans Heinrich Lammers was born on May 27, 1879, in Grünhof, East Prussia, to a pastor's family. After graduating from high school in 1908, he pursued law at the University of Königsberg.
Military Service and Captivity
During World War I, Lammers served at the front and rose to the rank of reserve lieutenant. He was captured in 1918 and spent the next two years as a prisoner of war in France.
Legal Career
After his release in 1920, Lammers passed the state legal examination and joined the Imperial Ministry of Justice. He held various positions in the Prussian Ministry of Commerce and the Imperial Ministry of Justice, eventually becoming a Ministerialrat in 1930.
Role in the Nazi Regime
In 1934, Lammers played a part in drafting the law that legalized the killings of June 30, 1934. He later joined the Nazi Party in 1938 and became Ministerial Director and head of a department in the Reich Chancellery.
Vanssee Conference and Anti-Jewish Measures
Lammers participated in the Wannsee Conference on January 20, 1942, which planned the Holocaust. He drafted the decrees against "enemies of the people" and Regulation No. 11, which enabled the confiscation of German Jewish property before their deportation.
State Secretary and War's End
In November 1942, Lammers was appointed State Secretary in the Reich Chancellery, overseeing all five departments. He continued to implement anti-Jewish measures through 1942 and 1943. In April 1945, he fled Berlin and became State Secretary in the Flensburg government.
Nuremberg Trials and Death
Lammers was arrested by Allied forces in May 1945. During his testimony at the Nuremberg Trials in 1947, he expressed remorse for the crimes of National Socialism. Lammers was released shortly before his death in December 1947.
