Richard Hermann Hildebrandt Nazi politician Date of Birth: 13.03.1897 Country: Poland

Biography of Richard Hermann Gildebrandt

Richard Hermann Gildebrandt was born on March 13, 1897, in the city of Worms on the Rhine. He was born into the family of Albert Giltenbrandt, a factory director, and Maria Gildebrandt, nee Dost. In 1894, his father emigrated to the United States and took the entire family with him.

During World War I, Gildebrandt volunteered and went to the front in May 1915. He served in an artillery regiment, commanding a battery, and was demobilized with the rank of lieutenant. He was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class for his acts of valor. After the war, Gildebrandt continued his education at the University of Cologne and the University of Munich, studying economics and foreign languages. He also worked as a financial journalist.

In May 1922, Gildebrandt joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and was appointed an Ortsgruppenleiter in Weinheim. The following year, he participated in several party congresses and the Beer Hall Putsch but distanced himself from the party after the failed coup. In 1928, he emigrated to the United States, where he continued his career in journalism. In New York, Gildebrandt married Johanna Fischer, who gave birth to their son Wolfram in 1932 and daughter Heidrun in 1935.

In June 1928, Gildebrandt rejoined the Nazi Party and became a member with the number 89221. In 1930, he returned to Germany as the leader of the party cell in the Wiesloch-Uffenheim district, becoming an active Nazi activist. In February 1931, Gildebrandt joined the ranks of the SS, becoming the chief of staff and later the leader of the SS Group "South" based in Munich. In January 1933, he was transferred to the SS Group "West" and in November was elected a member of the Reichstag for the Breslau district.

From September 1939 to April 1943, Richard Gildebrandt served as the high-ranking leader of the SS and the SS "Weichsel" office, headquartered in Danzig. Under Gildebrandt's leadership, the deportation of the indigenous population, settlement of Polish lands by German peasants, mass extermination of Jews, and construction of concentration camps took place. In 1943, he became the head of the Main Office for Race and Settlement, responsible for solving racial issues, including the development of theories of Nordic racial superiority.

From 1943 to 1944, Gildebrandt led the SS administration on the Black Sea coast, where he organized a volunteer brigade of Crimean Tatars and successfully fought against partisans. He then directed the SS "Southeast" administration and the regions of Bohemia and Moravia.

On December 24, 1945, Gildebrandt was arrested by American forces, brought before a tribunal, and sentenced to 25 years in prison for his involvement in racial crimes. However, Poland demanded his extradition and conducted a new trial, which resulted in Richard Gildebrandt being sentenced to death. On March 10, 1952, he was executed by hanging.