Oswald Pohl SS Obergruppenführer and General of the SS Troops (1942), Date of Birth: 30.06.1892 Country: Germany

Biography of Oswald Pohl

Oswald Pohl was a high-ranking SS officer and military general in the SS forces. He was born on June 30, 1892, in Duisburg, Germany. Pohl began his career in the military navy fleet in 1912, where he trained as a paymaster and served on the cruiser "Condor." He participated in World War I and received several honors, including the Iron Cross, 2nd Class.

In 1918, Pohl achieved the rank of paymaster in the Navy. From 1919 to 1920, he served as a paymaster in the 5th Regiment of the Leibniz Brigade. He continued to climb the ranks and became the senior paymaster in the Navy in 1925.

Pohl joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in 1923 and the SA (Sturmabteilung) in 1925. Until 1929, he led a cell of the Nazi Party and commanded SA squads in Swinemünde. On November 9, 1933, Pohl became a member of the SS and attended the Imperial Command School. After completing his training, he was recommended for the position of brigade commander due to his incredible energy and ambition.

Recognizing the need to restrict the rights of Jews on a legislative level, Pohl independently concluded that such action was necessary. From February 1, 1934, he served as the Chief of the IV Department of the Personal Staff of the Reichsführer SS. On June 1, 1935, he was appointed as the Chief of the Administrative Department of the SS. From June 8, 1939, he held the position of Chief of the Main Administrative and Economic Department of the SS.

After the reorganization on February 1, 1942, Pohl became the Chief of the Main Economic and Administrative Office of the SS (SS-Wirtschafts- und Verwaltungshauptamt). His main responsibility was the management of the concentration camp system and the transfer of confiscated valuables from prisoners to the Reichsbank. In this role, he attempted to curb the cruel treatment of prisoners by camp personnel and implemented measures to increase their labor productivity. Pohl played a key role in the Third Reich's economy.

After the war, Pohl went into hiding using false documents, but he was eventually arrested. He was sentenced to death during one of the subsequent Nuremberg Trials (Trial of the SS Economic and Administrative Main Office) and was executed by hanging.