Josef Fitzthum
| Josef Fitzthum | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Josef Fitzthum |
| Born |
September 14, 1896 Loimersdorf, Lower Austria, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | January 10, 1945 (aged 48) Wiener Neudorf, Reichsgau Niederdonau, Nazi Germany |
| Allegiance |
 Austria-Hungary Nazi Germany
|
| Service/ |
.svg){kind=small} Austro-Hungarian Army Waffen SS
|
| Years of service | 1916–1918 (Austria) 1936–1945 (Germany) |
| Rank | Beauftragter des Reichsführer-SS Albanien |
| Commands held |
SS Division Horst Wessel 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg SS-Totenkopfverbände |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | See Awards Section |
Josef Fitzthum (September 14, 1896 – January 10, 1945) was a high-ranking member of the SS and Special Representative of the Reichsführer-SS in Albania during World War II.
Born in 1896, Josef Fitzthum enlisted in the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1916 and was deployed to the Italian front. In January 1919 he was dismissed from the army, and from 1923 to 1933 he worked as a secretary at the Vienna School of Applied Arts. Fitzthum joined the Nazi party in 1931 (membership number 363,169) and in 1932, the SS (membership number 41,936). In April 1932 he joined the XI SS Standard in Vienna, which he led from September 1932 for six months. After his expatriation from Austria, starting in March 1936, he was appointed a full-time SS-Standartenführer. In May 1936 he was posted to the SS Germania.
From October 1937 to March 1938 he was involved in SD activities. Following the Anschluss he was appointed Deputy Chief of police in Vienna from 12 March 1938 to March 1940. In March 1938 he was involved in several high-profile meetings and public ceremonies with Heinrich Himmler, Kurt Daluege, Karl Wolff, Reinhard Heydrich and Ernst Kaltenbrunner reviewing Austrian police forces in Vienna. In 1940 he was removed from his post following accusations of corruption. In 1940 Fitzthum was transferred to the Waffen-SS and appointed as an infantry commander in the SS-Totenkopfverbände. Between mid-April 1942 and May 1943 he was in the Netherlands as a commander for the establishment of the Aufstellung von Freiwilligen-Verbänden der Waffen-SS (voluntary associations of the Waffen-SS).
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