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Ludwig Losacker (born July 29, 1906, died 1994) reached the level of SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer in the SS ranks and was Otto Wachter’s Chief of Office of the Governor. Losacker was born in Munich and went to the University of Heidelberg, where he earn degrees in economics and political sciences. While in university Losacker was introduced to Nazi ideology.
Start in Nazi Party
While studying at the University of Heidelberg, Losacker joined the National Socialist Students’ Union. Losacker joined, because his studies peaked his interests in Nazi ideology. In December 1931, while still a young student, Losacker became a member of NSDAP. Then in June of 1933, Losacker obtained membership in the SS. He also graduated from Heidelberg in 1933. ¹
General Government
Losacker was Wachter’s right hand mand and they made decisions as a group which also included Otto Bauer. Losacker described his boss Otto Wachter as follows:
"He hid his great energy behind good manners, a pronounced sense of humor and a great flexibility in dealing with people…With the arrival of Wachter [in L’viv] for me,…began a period of excellent, yes friendly cooperation…"²
Losacker’s description of Wachter shows how Wachter was a role model and that Losacker wanted to be a leader like Wachter. Eventually Losacker was able to becom the Governor of Krakow for a few months in 1943.³ Where he was involved in the killing of the Jews and trying to help in the planning of the “Final Solution” of the Jews that the Nazis were working towards. On June 18, 1942 Losacker attended a meeting with other SS leaders to discuss the issues involving Jewish resettlement and the desire for an urgent decision. The acceleration of deportations were thought to help solve the smuggling issue and help avoid problems with the imminent ‘harvesting’ that was about to take place. ⁴
As Losacker’s influence in the SS continued to grow he talked to Himmler a few times about the Jews and handling of them. One discussion was about the massacres that were occurring. Losacker did not mind that Jews were being murdered, his focus was on the negative effects that the murders were having on the SS units. Word of massacres in the General Government were starting to reach German citizens in the Reich and Losacker thought that the form of the ‘Final Solution’ needed to be altered. Criticisms like Losacker’s were made in the Soviet Union to their mass shootings.⁵ All Losacker wanted was a change in how the killings happened to prevent more stress being put on the units. Then in 1943 Himmler demoted Losacker and sent him to Waffen-SS penal Battalion in Italy. Losacker was demoted for his critical comments about German occupation policies. Losacker was able to avoid being killed for his comments by obtaining help from Obergruppenfuhrer Gottlob Berger who was Himmler’s deputy in RSHA in Berlin. At the end of the war the Americans captured Losacker in 1945, but was released and allowed to live and not be executed like many other Nazi and SS leaders.
References
edit1. http://generalgouvernement.pl/biografie-gg/wladze/ludwig-losacker
2. Melnyk, Michael James. The History of the Galician Division of the Waffen-SS. Stroud: Fonthill, 2016.
3. Pettibone, Charles D. The Organization and Order of Battle of Militaries in World War II. Victoria, B.C.: Trafford, 2005.
4. Herbert, Ulrich. National Socialist Extermination Policies: Contemporary German Perspectives and Controversies. New York: Berghahn Books, 2004.
5. Melnyk, Michael James. The History of the Galician Division of the Waffen-SS. Stroud: Fonthill, 2016.
External links
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