Josef Meisinger
| Josef Albert Meisinger | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "The Butcher of Warsaw" |
| Born | 14 September 1899 Munich |
| Died | 7 March 1947 (aged 47) Warsaw |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch | Munich Police 1922–1933 Gestapo 1933–1945 |
| Years of service | 1916-1919, 1933–1945 |
| Rank | Standartenführer |
| Unit | SD-Einsatzgruppe IV in Poland |
| Commands held | Commander of the State Police in Warsaw |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards | Iron Cross |
Josef Albert Meisinger (14 September 1899 – 7 March 1947), also known as the "Butcher of Warsaw", was a SS functionary in Nazi Germany. He held a position in the Gestapo and was a member of the Nazi Party. During World War II Meisinger served as commander of Einsatzgruppe IV on Poland. From 1941 to 1945 he worked as liaison for the Gestapo at the German embassy in Tokyo. He was arrested in Japan in 1945, convicted of war crimes and was executed in Warsaw, Poland.
Meisinger was born in Munich, the son of Josef and Berta Meisinger; he enlisted on 23 December 1916 and served during World War I in the 230th Minenwerfer Company (a type of short-range mortar), 22nd Bavarian Pioneer Battalion in the 30th Bavarian Reserve Division. After being wounded in battle he was awarded the Iron Cross and the Bavarian Military Merit Cross. On 18 January 1919 he attained the rank of Vizefeldwebel (senior sergeant), and on 19 April 1919 he entered the Freikorps under Franz Ritter von Epp, with whom he fought against the Soviet Republic of Bavaria. On 1 October 1922 he began working at the Munich Police Headquarters. As leader of the III Platoon of the II Company of the Freikorps Oberland, he took part in the Hitlerputsch on 8–9 November 1923.
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