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Walter RauffSS-Standartenführer, served in the SD and then in the RSHA
Date of Birth: 19.06.1906
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Early Life and Military Career
- Transfer to the SS
- SS Career
- Post-War Life
- Failed Extradition Attempts
- Media Attention and Legacy
- Awards and Decorations
Early Life and Military Career
Hermann Rauff was born in Köthen, Germany, in 1900 to a banking family. He graduated from high school in 1924 and joined the German Navy (Reichsmarine). While there, he established a connection with Reinhard Heydrich, who served as an officer. Rauff rose through the ranks, becoming a captain-lieutenant in 1935.
Transfer to the SS
In 1937, Rauff was dismissed from the Navy by an officer's court of honor. He joined the Nazi Party and the SS, where Heydrich became his patron.
SS Career
Rauff quickly rose through the ranks of the SS, reaching the rank of Obersturmbannführer by 1941. He served in the SD (Security Service) and later in the RSHA (Reich Security Main Office). During World War II, Rauff was responsible for persecuting Jews in North Africa.
Post-War Life
After the war, Rauff was captured by American troops but escaped from captivity in 1946. He fled to various Latin American countries, including Syria, Ecuador, and Chile. In Chile, he managed a canning factory until his arrest in 1962. However, the Chilean Supreme Court denied Germany's request for extradition.
Failed Extradition Attempts
Multiple extradition requests were made for Rauff during the Allende and Pinochet regimes, but they were all denied. In 1983, Nazi hunter Beate Klarsfeld was arrested in Chile while attempting to secure Rauff's extradition, sparking international criticism.
Media Attention and Legacy
Rauff gave an interview for the documentary film "The Hunter and the Hunted" in 1981. He died of cancer in Santiago, Chile, in 1984. Despite his war crimes and involvement in the Holocaust, Rauff was never extradited to Germany and escaped accountability for his actions.
Awards and Decorations
Bronze Wehrmacht BadgeSilver German Cross (May 20, 1943)
War Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords
War Merit Cross 1st Class with Swords (April 20, 1944)
Golden German Cross (February 7, 1945)
