Karl Wolff
| Karl Wolff | |
|---|---|
SS-Gruppenführer Wolff in 1937
|
|
| Birth name | Karl Friedrich Otto Wolff |
| Born |
13 May 1900 Darmstadt, German Empire |
| Died | 17 July 1984 (aged 84) Rosenheim, West Germany |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
|
| Years of service | 1917–1920 1933–1945 |
| Rank | Obergruppenführer |
| Unit |
 Schutzstaffel
|
| Commands held | HöSSPF Italien |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | German Cross in Gold |
Karl Wolff (13 May 1900 – 17 July 1984) was a high-ranking member of the Nazi SS who held the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer in the Waffen-SS. He became Chief of Personal Staff Reichsführer-SS (Heinrich Himmler) and SS Liaison Officer to Hitler until his replacement in 1943. He ended World War II as the Supreme Commander of all SS forces in Italy. In 1964, Wolff was convicted of war crimes in West Germany; he was released in 1969.
Karl Friedrich Otto Wolff was born the son of a wealthy district court magistrate in Darmstadt, Germany on 13 May 1900. He graduated from school in 1917, volunteered to join the Imperial German Army and served on the Western Front during World War I. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant in the Guards and was awarded both the Iron Cross second class and first class.
After the war, Wolff was forced to leave the army after the reduction of the German armed forces following the terms imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. In December 1918 Wolff joined a Hessian Freikorps, in which he served until May 1920. He started a two year apprenticeship at the Bethmann bank in Frankfurt and married Frieda von Römheld in 1923. The couple moved to Munich, where Wolff worked for Deutsche Bank. In June 1924 he was laid off and joined a public relations firm. Wolff may also have studied law, but never took any state exams. In 1925 he started his own public relations company which he operated in Munich until 1933.
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