Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski
1899–1972
- Nationality
- Germany
- Occupation
- politician
Erich Julius Eberhard von dem Bach-Zelewski (born Erich Julius Eberhard von Zelewski; 1 March 1899 – 8 March 1972) was a German politician of Polish-Kashubian descent, military officer and high-ranking SS commander.
Incarceration history
- Nuremberg Court PrisonDates unknown
Biography
Erich Julius Eberhard von dem Bach-Zelewski (born Erich Julius Eberhard von Zelewski; 1 March 1899 – 8 March 1972) was a German politician of Polish-Kashubian descent, military officer and high-ranking SS commander. During World War II, he was in charge of the Nazi security warfare against those designated by the regime as ideological enemies and any other persons deemed to present danger to the Nazi rule or Wehrmacht's rear security in the occupied territories of Eastern Europe. It mostly involved atrocities against the civilian population. In 1944, he led the brutal suppression of the Warsaw Uprising. Despite his responsibility for numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity, Bach-Zelewski did not stand trial in the Nuremberg trials, and instead appeared as a witness for the prosecution. He was later convicted for politically motivated murders committed in Germany before the war and died in prison in 1972.