Werner Lorenz
| Werner Lorenz | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 2 October 1891 Grünhof, near Stolp, Pomerania |
| Died | 13 March 1974 (aged 82) Hamburg |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch |
Luftstreitkräfte SchutzstaffelWaffen-SS |
| Years of service | 1914–1945 |
| Rank | Obergruppenführer |
| Unit | RuSHA (Race and Settlement Main Office) |
| Commands held | VOMI |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | 1914 Iron Cross |
| Other work | Convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison (later reduced) for crimes against humanity committed in Poland during World War II |
Werner Lorenz (October 2, 1891 – March 13, 1974) was SS head of the Hauptamt Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle (English: Main Welfare Office for Ethnic Germans) (VOMI) an organization charged with settling ethnic Germans in the German Reich from other parts of Europe.
He was born Grünhof (now in Gmina Postomino, Sławno County) near Stolp, Pomerania. His father was a forest warden. In 1909 Lorenz went to Military school. He served in World War I first as a cavalry officer then as a pilot in the Luftstreitkräfte. After the war he worked as a border guard and as farmer. He later acquired land and industrial property in Danzig. Through his daughter Rosemarie, Lorenz would become Axel Springer's father-in-law.
In 1929 Lorenz joined the Nazi Party and the SS in 1931. Two years later he had an active political role as a member of the Landtag in the Free State of Prussia, a member of the Reichstag and worked at the Hamburg State Council.
In November 1933 Lorenz was promoted to SS-Gruppenführer and lead the SS Upper Division North from 1934 until 1937. In January 1937, was promoted to head the NSDAP agency Hauptamt Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle (VOMI) that was initially responsible for the welfare of Germanic peoples (Volksdeutsche) living beyond the pre-war borders of Nazi Germany. However, when the Second World War began VOMI took charge of the resettlement of ethnic Germans on captured territory but also the "Germanization" of foreign children such as Poles and Slovenes. Some accounts consider him the "least radical" of the higher SS leadership.
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