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Josef KramerCommandant of the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen
Date of Birth: 10.11.1906
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Biography of Josef Kramer
- Role in Auschwitz and Natzweiler-Struthof
- Commandant of Bergen-Belsen
- War Crimes and Trial
Biography of Josef Kramer
Early Life and CareerJosef Kramer was born in Munich and joined the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) in 1931. In 1932, he became a member of the SS and worked in prison security. When World War II began, Kramer was assigned to the guard of concentration camps. Over his eleven-year career, he moved through various concentration camps, holding high-ranking positions in Sachsenhausen and Mauthausen.
Role in Auschwitz and Natzweiler-Struthof
In 1940, Kramer served as an assistant to Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, for several months. In April 1941, he became the commandant of Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp. After the war, Kramer was charged with the murder of 80 prisoners who had been transferred from Auschwitz to Natzweiler-Struthof. These prisoners' bodies were later used for research by Dr. August Hirtz from the University of Strasbourg.
Commandant of Bergen-Belsen
In May 1944, Kramer took charge of the gas chambers in Auschwitz and held this position until December 1944. He was then transferred to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he became the commandant on December 2nd. Many female guards, including Irma Grese, also moved from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen with him.
War Crimes and Trial
After the liberation of Bergen-Belsen by British forces, Kramer remained in the camp despite evidence of the brutal treatment of prisoners and the large number of unburied corpses. He, along with 44 other remaining camp guards, was charged with war crimes by a British military court in Lüneburg. The trial lasted several weeks from September to November 1945. On November 17th, Kramer was sentenced to death, and on December 13th, he was hanged in Hamelin prison.
