Karl von Roques (7 May 1880 – 24 December 1949) was a German general and war criminal during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, who commanded the

Army Group Rear Area Army Group Rear Area Command () was an area of military jurisdiction behind each of the three Wehrmacht army groups from 1941, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa, through 1944 when the pre-war territories of the Soviet ...

behind

Army Group South Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group Sou ...

. Following the war, Roques was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in the High Command Trial. He died in 1949 while serving his sentence.

Career

Karl von Roques was born in a German noble family of

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

descent. He entered the

German Imperial Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

in 1899. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Roques served in staff roles in several divisions. By the end of the war he was promoted to major. After the armistice, Roques remained in the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' () was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Third Reich. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

, serving in the

Ministry of War Ministry of War may refer to: * Ministry of War (imperial China) (c.600–1912) * Chinese Republic Ministry of War (1912–1946) * Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria) (1808–1919) * Ministry of War (Brazil) (1815–1999) * Ministry of Defence (Est ...

, and then in staff and command roles in the army. Starting in 1934, Roques served as chief of staff and then the president of the

Reichsluftschutzbund The Reichsluftschutzbund (RLB; "Reich Air Protection League") was an organization in Nazi Germany in charge of air raid precautions in residential areas and among smaller businesses. Purpose The RLB was organized by Hermann Göring in 1933 as a ...

. In October 1938 he was recalled to active duty and in the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

with the rank of lieutenant-general. In June 1939, Roques left the Luftwaffe with the rank of general. Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-212-0221-07, Russland-Nord, Erschießung von Partisanen

Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-212-0221-07, Russland-Nord, Erschießung von Partisanen

During the

, Roques served as an active officer in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

. In December 1939, he was given command of the new 143rd Infantry Division. From 15 March 1941 to October 1941, he was commander of the rear areas of

. On 1 July 1941, Roques was promoted to General der Infanterie. As commander of the rear areas, Roques carried out extermination policies against the

Soviet partisans Soviet partisans were members of resistance movements that fought a guerrilla war against Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Soviet-occupied territories of interwar Poland in 1941–45 and eastern Finland. The ...

, Slavic and Jewish population. In October 1941, Roques was transferred to the

Führerreserve The (“Leaders Reserve” or "Reserve for Leaders") was set up in the German Armed Forces during World War II in 1939 as a pool of temporarily unoccupied high-ranking military officers awaiting new assignments. The various military branches and ...

. In June 1942 he assumed command of the rear areas of Army Group South, and after the dividing of the army group in

Army Group A Army Group A (Heeresgruppe A) was the name of several German Army Groups during World War II. During the Battle of France, the army group named Army Group A was composed of 45½ divisions, including 7 armored panzer divisions. It was responsible ...

and

Army Group B Army Group B (German: ') was the title of three German Army Groups that saw action during World War II. Operational history Army Group B first took part in the Battle of France in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands. The second formation of ...

, he commanded the rear areas of the former. On 1 January 1943, Roques was again placed in the Führerreserve and on 31 March 1943 he was again pensioned off. In August 1943 he went to

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

as a representative of the

German Red Cross The German Red Cross (german: Deutsches Rotes Kreuz ; DRK) is the national Red Cross Society in Germany. With 4 million members, it is the third largest Red Cross society in the world. The German Red Cross offers a wide range of services within ...

Trial and conviction

After the German capitulation, Roques was arrested and tried in the High Command Trial. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. Moved for reasons of bad health from

Landsberg Prison Landsberg Prison is a penal facility in the town of Landsberg am Lech in the southwest of the German state of Bavaria, about west-southwest of Munich and south of Augsburg. It is best known as the prison where Adolf Hitler was held in 1924, a ...

to a hospital in Nuremberg, he died there on 24 December 1949.

References

* * Hasenclever, Jörn: Wehrmacht und Besatzungspolitik in der Sowjetunion: Die Befehlshaber der rückwärtigen Heeresgebiete 1941–1943. Schöningh, Paderborn 2010. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roques, Karl von 1880 births 1949 deaths Holocaust perpetrators in Ukraine German Army generals of World War II Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class German people convicted of war crimes German people convicted of crimes against humanity People convicted by the United States Nuremberg Military Tribunals Lieutenant generals of the Reichswehr German Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Frankfurt Nazis who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in United States military detention