August Heißmeyer

August Heißmeyer (or Heissmeyer – 11 January 1897 in Gellersen, nowadays part of Aerzen – 16 January 1979 in Schwäbisch Hall), was a leading member of the SS. After World War II, Heissmeyer was sentenced to a prison term as a war criminal. His nephew, Kurt Heissmeyer, an SS physician, was as well.

After finishing school, Heissmeyer joined the Prussian military. In World War I, he was a lieutenant and was decorated with, among other things, the Iron Cross, First Class.

Previously married with six children in his custody, Heissmeyer married Gertrud Scholtz-Klink – the "Reich Women's Leader" (Reichsfrauenführerin) – who had two previous marriages herself. After giving up his studies, he busied himself as a driving teacher. In 1923 he first came into contact with the Nazi Party, which he joined in 1925. In early 1926, Heissmeyer also joined the SA in which he participated actively, was responsible for building up the SA-Gausturm Hannover-Süd, and was for a time the acting Gauleiter.

In January 1930, Heissmeyer applied to join the SS and was accepted as the 4370th member. From 1932, Heissmeyer was an associate at the SS main office and was promoted many times. From 1935, he was "Head of the SS Main Office", thus reaching a key position in the SS hierarchy and relieving Heinrich Himmler from that specific position. On 9 November 1936, Heissmeyer was appointed SS-Obergruppenführer and Inspector of the National Political Institutes of Education (NPEA).

In April 1939, Richard Schulze served as an adjutant to Heissmeyer until his transfer on 8 June. Furthermore, in 1939, Heissmeyer was appointed SS Oberabschnittsleiter "East" and in 1940 "Higher SS and Police Leader Spree". He thereby oversaw the Berlin-Brandenburg area.

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