Kurt Mälzer

Kurt Mälzer (2 August 1894 in Altenburg – 24 March 1952 in Werl) was a German general of the Luftwaffe and a war criminal during World War II. In 1943, Mälzer was appointed the military commander of the city of Rome, subordinated to General Eberhard von Mackensen under the overall command of Field Marshal Albert Kesselring. Under his authority, Mälzer commanded not only the garrison Wehrmacht troops in Rome itself, but also indirectly the SS security forces in the city (although these troops were nominally under the authority of the SS and Police Leader of the region, Wilhelm Harster).

Mälzer was one of the German commanders in Rome directly responsible for the Ardeatine massacre in March 1944. Mälzer ordered the massacre which was then planned and carried out by the SS troops. After the war, Mälzer was put on trial by the Allies and sentenced to death, later commuted to a prison term. He died in prison in 1952.

Upon the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Mälzer joined the Prussian Army as a Cadet. He served on the Western Front for the duration of the war, receiving both classes of the Iron Cross. In 1918, he completed pilot training; however the war ended before Mälzer could be assigned to an active squadron. As a Leutnant, Mälzer remained in the peacetime Reichswehr and was assigned as a Platoon Officer in the 4th Automotive Department. Between 1923 and 1924, he trained as an artillery officer, was promoted to Oberleutnant in 1925, and assigned as a battery commander in the 4th Artillery Regiment. In 1928, he was assigned to extended educational duties and studied at the Technische Hochschule in Charlottenburg. In 1933, Mälzer received a certificate as graduate engineer (today's equivalent to a Master's degree) and was thereafter assigned to the German Ministry of Defense. By 1935, he had risen to the rank of Major.

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