Wilhelm Harster
| Wilhelm Harster | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 July 1904 Kelheim, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire (now in Germany) |
| Died |
25 December 1991 (aged 87) Munich, Bavaria, Germany |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Schutzstaffel
|
| Years of service | 1920-1926 1933-1945 |
| Rank |
 SS-Gruppenführer and Lieutenant General of Police |
| Unit |
Freikorps Gestapo |
| Commands held | Commander of the Security Police (SiPo) and SD (Krakow, 1939-1940; Netherlands, 1940-1943; Italy, 1943-1945) |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Other work | Jurist, civil servant |
Wilhelm Harster (b 21 July 1904 – 25 December 1991) was a high-ranking member in the SS and a Holocaust perpetrator during the Nazi era. He was twice convicted for his crimes by the Netherlands and later by West Germany. He had been employed by the government of Bavaria as a civil servant and was let go with a full pension after a public outcry.
Harster graduated from University of Munich with a degree in 1927. Before the war, Harster was reservist with the Reichswehr, joining in 1920. In 1929 he joined the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police) and graduated in 1932 as a Regierungsassessor. He joined the Nazi Party on 1 May 1933, holding the party number of 3,226,954.
He joined the SS on 9 November 1933 with the serial number of 225,932. He joined the Sicherheitsdienst or SD on 29 October 1935 and eventually obtained the rank of Gruppenführer. He was also recalled to service in the Wehrmacht, serving in July 1940 as a member of a machinegun company. From 19 July 1940 until 29 August 1943, he was the commander of the Security Police and SD in the occupation of the Netherlands, where many of his war crimes occurred. He was implicated in the deaths of 104,000 Jews in the Holocaust, including Anne Frank. After his role in the occupation of the Netherlands, he was moved to Italy as the commander of the SD there under Karl Wolff from 29 August 1943 until his capture.
Harster was captured by the British Army where he was transferred to the Netherlands and tried for war crimes. In 1949, he was convicted and sentenced to 12 years for his role in the deportation and murder of Dutch Jews. He was, however, released in 1953.
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