Hermann Pister Nazi, Oberführer, concentration camp commandant Date of Birth: 21.02.1885 Country: Germany

Biography of Hermann Pister

Hermann Pister was a Nazi, Oberführer of the SS, and commander of the Hinzert and Buchenwald concentration camps. He was born in Lubeck, Germany, into a family of a financial secretary. In 1916, Hermann joined the German Imperial Navy and served there until the end of World War I. After the war, he became an apprentice auto mechanic and later pursued a career in car trading.

In 1932, Pister joined the Nazi Party and the SS. Initially, he was appointed to one of the motorized units of the SS and later served in a motorized regiment. In 1937, Pister was assigned to Heinrich Himmler's motor pool. On October 9, 1939, he became the commandant of the Hinzert concentration camp and served there until December 1941.

On January 1, 1942, Pister was appointed as the commandant of Buchenwald, replacing Karl Otto Koch. As the Allied forces approached Buchenwald in April 1945, the Nazis decided to evacuate the prisoners. Pister personally ordered the first group of prisoners to be sent to Dachau on April 7, 1945. These prisoners were loaded into open wagons, and the transport later became known as the "Death Train." The train arrived at Dachau on April 27, and many prisoners did not survive the journey due to starvation and disease. There were rumors that the train had been fired upon during the journey, suggesting that not all deaths were natural. The evacuation was later led by Obersturmführer SS Hans Merbach.

Pister was arrested by the Americans in 1945 and faced trial at the American Military Tribunal in Dachau along with 30 other Nazis. The trial began on April 11, 1947, and Pister was charged with participating in a global conspiracy and violating several provisions of the Geneva and Hague Conventions related to the treatment of prisoners of war. He was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. However, Pister died in prison on September 28, 1948, before the execution could take place, due to a heart failure.