Hans Friedemann Goetze (3 November 1897 – 27 May 1940) was a

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

Standartenführer __NOTOC__ ''Standartenführer'' (short: ''Staf'', , ) was a Nazi Party (NSDAP) paramilitary rank that was used in several NSDAP organizations, such as the SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK. First founded as a title in 1925, in 1928 it became one of ...

(Colonel) of the German Waffen-SS and commander of

SS Heimwehr Danzig SS Heimwehr "Danzig" was an SS unit established in the Free City of Danzig (today Gdańsk and environs, Poland) before the Second World War. It fought with the German Army against the Polish Army during the invasion of Poland, and some of its mem ...

(Danzig Home Defence). He was a son of SS-Brigadeführer Friedemann Goetze. He was shot and killed by a British

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

while leading Infanterie Regiment 3 of the

3rd SS Division Totenkopf The 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf" (german: 3. SS-Panzerdivision "Totenkopf") was an elite division of the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II, formed from the Standarten of the SS-TV. Its name, ''Totenkopf'', is German for "de ...

near

Le Paradis Lestrem (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography A small farming and light industrial town, situated some north of Béthune and west of Lil ...

. About 1550 members of the SS Heimwehr Danzig took part in an attack on the Polish Post Office in Danzig. On 8 September 1939, members of the SS Heimwehr Danzig killed 33 Polish civilians in the village of Ksiazki. From April 1939 to April 1940 some members of his military unit took part in a mass murder near the Forest of Szpęgawsk.

Summary of his military career

Dates of rank

* SS-Hauptsturmführer - 15 May 1937 * SS-Sturmbannführer - 12 September 1937 * SS-Obersturmbannführer - 20 April 1939 * SS-Standartenführer - 1 September 1939

Notable decorations

* Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 *

Wound Badge The Wound Badge (german: Verwundetenabzeichen) was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between th ...

in Black *

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...

Second Class *

First Class *

Baltic Cross The Baltic Cross (German: Das ''Baltenkreuz'') was a military decoration of the German Weimar Republic. It was created in 1919 by the Baltic National Committee (''Baltischer Nationalausschuss''), the political representation of German-Baltic popu ...

* Reichs Sport Badge in Gold * Clasp to the Iron Cross Second Class * Horsemans Badge in Bronze * Danzig Cross, 1st and 2nd Class * SA Sport Badge

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gotze, Hans Friedemann 1897 births 1940 deaths People from Rendsburg SS-Standartenführer Waffen-SS personnel killed in action Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 2nd class Deaths by firearm in France Nazi war criminals