Hans-Adolf Prützmann

Hans-Adolf Prützmann
Prützmann in 1934
Born	31 August 1901 Tolkemit, German Empire
Died	May 21, 1945(1945-05-21) (aged 43) Lüneburg
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Schutzstaffel
Years of service	1930–1945
Rank	Obergruppenführer
Commands held	Higher SS and Police Leader (Russia North; Ukraine)
Battles/wars	Eastern Front (World War II)

Hans-Adolf Prützmann (31 August 1901 – 21 May 1945, Lüneburg) was a high-ranking SS official of Nazi Germany. From June to November 1941, he served as the Higher SS and Police Leader in the Army Group North Rear Area in the occupied Soviet Union. In this capacity, he oversaw the activities of the Einsatzgruppen detachments that perpetrated The Holocaust in the Baltic States.

After completing his studies at the Gymnasium, Prützmann studied agriculture in Göttingen, before he became a member of various Freikorps between 1918 and 1921. Despite being a member, he nevertheless avoided military and typical Freikorps-related aggressive situations. This, however, changed in 1923, when he interrupted his studies to accompany a Freikorps involved in the Upper Silesian uprisings. Afterwards he worked for seven years as an agricultural official in Pomerania, Brandenburg, and East Prussia.

He joined the SA in 1929. Prützmann had become quite a radical soldier as a result of his Freikorps experiences. Since his own personal goals did not match the milder thinking found in the SA, he left the organization in 1930 and transferred to the SS; one of his first command assignments was as the Führer of the 18th SS-Standarte. As of this point in time, Prützmann's career began a steep rise. While a member of the Reichstag, he was appointed SS-Brigadeführer in November 1933, and in February 1934 he was promoted to the rank of SS-Gruppenführer. At the same time, Prützmann was appointed Leader of the SS Upper Division Southwest in Stuttgart. From March 1937 until May 1941, Prützmann led the SS Upper Division Northeast whose headquarters were in Königsberg (now Kaliningrad).