Ludwig Hermann Karl Hahn (23 January 1908 – 10 November 1986) was a German ''
SS-Standartenführer'',
Nazi official and convicted
war criminal. He held numerous positions with the
police and security services over the course of his career with the ''
Schutzstaffel
The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe d ...
'' (SS).
As a senior officer of the ''
Sicherheitspolizei
The ''Sicherheitspolizei'' ( en, Security Police), often abbreviated as SiPo, was a term used in Germany for security police. In the Nazi era, it referred to the state political and criminal investigation security agencies. It was made up by the ...
'' (Security Police) and ''
Sicherheitsdienst'' (Security Service) in
occupied-Poland, Hahn was directly involved in the
destruction and liquidation of the
Warsaw Ghetto (1942) and the brutal suppression of both the
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (1943) and the
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...
(1944).
Biography
The son of a prosperous farmer of the same name, Hahn was born on January 23, 1908, in the rural town of
Eitzen,
Uelzen district
Uelzen () is a districts of Germany, district (''Landkreis'') in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (from the south and clockwise) the districts of Gifhorn (district), Gifhorn, Celle (district), Celle, Heidekreis, Lüneburg (district), Lüneb ...
,
Province of Hanover in what was then the
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
.
[Josef Wulf, ''Das Dritte Reich und seine Vollstrecker – Die Liquidation von 500.000 Juden im Ghetto Warschau'', Berlin 1961, p. 290] Hahn attended ''
Volksschule'' as a youth and was then enrolled at the ''
Lüneburg Realgymnasium'', graduating in 1927.
Hahn went on to study
financial law
Financial law is the law and regulation of the commercial banking, capital markets, insurance, derivatives and investment management sectors. Understanding financial law is crucial to appreciating the creation and formation of banking and financ ...
at the
University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...
where he became a member of the
National Socialist German Students' League. In February 1930 he joined both the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
(NSDAP Nr. 194 463) and the ''
Sturmabteilung
The (; SA; literally "Storm Detachment") was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s. Its primary purposes were providing protection for Nazi ral ...
'' (SA), where he would rise to the rank of ''
Scharführer
''Scharführer'' (, ) was a title or rank used in early 20th Century German military terminology. In German, ''Schar'' was one term for the smallest sub-unit, equivalent to (for example) a "troop" , " squad", or "section". The word ''führer'' ...
'' (corporal). After successfully defending his
dissertation before the
Faculty of Law
A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...
at the
University of Jena
The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany.
The un ...
, Hahn obtained his
doctorate of jurisprudence (Dr. jur.) in July 1932. He joined the ''
Schutzstaffel
The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe d ...
'' (SS) in April 1933 (SS Nr. 65 823) and was assigned to the
17th SS-Standarte (regiment) in
Lüneburg and later transferred to the 26th ''SS-Standarte'' in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
.
Early Nazi career
After attending the Nazi Party's
State School for Leadership and Politics, Hahn joined the ''
Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD) in May 1934 and was attached to the
SS Regional Headquarters in
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
as a member of the ''
Stabswache
The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or SS Division Leibstandarte, abbreviated as LSSAH, (german: 1. SS-Panzerdivision "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler") began as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard unit, responsible for guarding ...
''. Hahn qualified as a lawyer after completing his
legal clerkship in April 1935 and became a member of the
National Socialist Association of Legal Professionals
The National Socialist Association of Legal Professionals (German: ''Nationalsozialistischer Rechtswahrerbund'', or NSRB) was the professional organization of German legal professionals (lawyers, judges, public prosecutors, notaries and legal a ...
(''NS-Rechtswahrerbund''). That same year he married Charlotte Steinhoff, sister of 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 ...
'' fighter pilot
Johannes Steinhoff, who later served as a senior
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
with the postwar
West German Air Force and was also
Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1971-1974. The couple would have four children.
Hahn began his career with the
Nazi security services in June 1935 when he was employed as a
consultant
A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization.
Consulting servic ...
(''Referent'') by the ''
SD-Hauptamt'' in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. The following year he served as Deputy Director of the
Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...
bureau in
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
, before returning to Berlin in November 1936 to work as a
legal counselor (''Regierungsassessor'') at
Gestapo Headquarters.
Hahn underwent
military-training with 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
Brandenburg an der Havel and was subsequently reassigned to
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
as Director of the city's Gestapo branch (''Kriminalrat'') and Deputy Chief of the
Security Police (''Stellvertreter Polizeiprasident''). He would hold this position from April 1937 to August 1939.
Hahn was promoted to the rank of ''
SS-Sturmbannführer'' (major) in September, 1938. During the build-up to
World War II
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 ...
he was transferred to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
in preparation for the looming
invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
. He was assigned to ''
Einsatzgruppe I'' under the command of ''
Brigadeführer''
Bruno Streckenbach
Bruno Streckenbach (7 February 1902 – 28 October 1977) was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era. He was the head of Administration and Personnel Department of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA). Streckenbach was responsible for many ...
, and was given command of the sub-unit of ''Einsatzkommando 1/I''. During the
invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
in September 1939, Hahn and his unit were attached to the
German 14th Army in the territories of
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
and
Malopolska
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a s ...
.
World War II
Hahn and his ''Einsatzkommando'' took part in the arrests and executions carried out as part of ''
Intelligenzaktion'', the Nazi extermination campaign targeting the Polish
intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the in ...
. Between September and November 1939 Hahn and ''Einsatzgruppe I'' were involved in the mass-killing of Polish
public officials
An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their su ...
,
activists,
intellectuals
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking
Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to form a judgement. The subject is complex; several different definitions exist, ...
and
army officers
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
in the cities of
Katowice
Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...
,
Sanok and
Podlesie. They also played a leading role in the expulsion of the
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
population from the town of
Dynow and managed their subsequent deportation into
Soviet-occupied eastern Poland.
Beginning in January 1940 Hahn took over as Commander of the ''
Sicherheitspolizei
The ''Sicherheitspolizei'' ( en, Security Police), often abbreviated as SiPo, was a term used in Germany for security police. In the Nazi era, it referred to the state political and criminal investigation security agencies. It was made up by the ...
'' (SiPo) and ''
Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD) in the occupied city of
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
. Here he would oversee ''
Sonderaktion Krakau'', an SS operation which involved the deportation of hundreds of professors and other academics from
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University (Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...
to various
concentration camps in Germany. He also served as chief of the "Police Emergency Court" (''
Standgericht'') at
Montelupich Prison. In this capacity Hahn was instrumental in the implementation of the
German AB-Aktion in Poland
, location = Palmiry Forest and similar locations in occupied Poland
, date = Spring–summer 1940
, incident_type = Mass murder with automatic weapons
, perpetrators = Wehrmacht, ''Einsatzgruppen''
, participants =
, or ...
.
In August 1940 Hahn was transferred to
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
,
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
where had been appointed Special Representative (''
Sonderbeauftragter'') of the ''
Reichsführer-SS''. In this position Hahn served as SS leader
Heinrich Himmler's personal emissary to the
Nazi-allied government of the
Slovak Republic
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
under
Jozef Tiso. From April to June 1941 Hahn was stationed in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
where he commanded ''Einsatzgruppe Griechenland'' during the
Balkan Campaign. Following the German victory in the offensive, he was promoted to the rank of ''
SS-Obersturmbannführer'' (lieutenant colonel) and returned to his diplomatic post in
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
.
[Jacek Andrzej Młynarczyk, "Vom Massenmörder zum Lebensversicherer. Dr. Ludwig Hahn und die Mühlen der deutschen Justiz", Andrej Angrick, Klaus-Michael Mallmann (eds.), ''Die Gestapo nach 1945. Karrieren, Konflikte, Konstruktionen'', Darmstadt 2009, p. 136]
Warsaw
![German announcement General Government Poland 1944](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/German_announcement_General_Government_Poland_1944.jpg)
In August 1941, Hahn returned to Poland and was appointed Commander of the ''SiPo'' and ''SD'' for the city of
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 ...
. During his tenure Hahn was directly involved in the implementation of the
Holocaust in Poland. While serving under
SS and Police Leader Ferdinand von Sammern-Frankenegg
Ferdinand von Sammern-Frankenegg (17 March 1897 – 20 September 1944) was an Austrian SS functionary during the Nazi era. He was born in Grieskirchen. Von Sammern-Frankenegg served in World War I as a member of the Kaiserschützen, then of th ...
in the summer of 1942, Hahn collaborated with ''
Brigadeführer''
Odilo Globocnik and other personnel associated with ''
Operation Reinhard
or ''Einsatz Reinhard''
, location = Occupied Poland
, date = October 1941 – November 1943
, incident_type = Mass deportations to extermination camps
, perpetrators = Odilo Globočnik, Hermann Höfle, Richard Thomalla, Erwin L ...
'' to carry out the
destruction and liquidation of the
Warsaw Ghetto. Nearly 265,000 Jews perished in the operation, either in mass-shootings conducted by the SS or after being deported to the
extermination camp
Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...
at
Treblinka
Treblinka () was an extermination camp, built and operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the village of Treblinka in what is now the Masovian Voivodeship. The camp ...
.
As a deputy officer to
SS and Police Leader Jürgen Stroop
Jürgen Stroop (born Josef Stroop, 26 September 1895 – 6 March 1952) was a German SS commander during the Nazi era, who served as SS and Police Leader in occupied Poland and Greece. He led the suppression of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 194 ...
, Hahn also had a leading role in the bloody suppression of the
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in April and May 1943. The brutal pacification of the Ghetto by the SS resulted in the deaths of 13,000 Jews either killed in the fighting or executed. Hahn later orchestrated the deportation of another 56,000 Jews from Warsaw to Treblinka in the aftermath of the rebellion. In April 1944, Hahn was promoted to the rank of ''
SS-Standartenführer'' (colonel) and received the further title of ''
Oberst der Polizei.
During August/October 1944
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...
by the
Polish Home Army Hahn fought with the ''
Waffen-SS'', leading a
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
of 700 men in the southern districts of the city and later in the downtown area. He also personally commanded the defense of Warsaw’s heavily fortified government district. Following the capitulation of the uprising, Hahn, acting on instructions from
Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...
, ordered the
mass-killing of Polish civilians in retaliation for the rebellion. Between August and September of 1944 an estimated 5 to 10 thousand men women and children were shot by the Gestapo, mainly in the ruins of the former
General Inspectorate of the Armed Forces. Hahn was awarded the
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 ...
, 1st Class for his service in the Uprising.
Later service with the SS
In November 1944, Hahn departed Warsaw and returned to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. He was stationed in the town of
Cochem and was appointed commander of ''Einsatzgruppe L'' which was attached to the
German Sixth Panzer Army during the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
. After the failure of the Ardennes offensive, Hahn was transferred to
Army Group Vistula
Army Group Vistula () was an Army Group of the ''Wehrmacht'', formed on 24 January 1945. It lasted for 105 days, having been put together from elements of Army Group A (shattered in the Soviet Vistula-Oder Offensive), Army Group Centre (similarl ...
on the
Eastern Front to serve as a delegate for the ''SiPo'' and ''SD'' on the
general staff
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...
of ''
SS-Obergruppenführer''
Carl Oberg
Carl Oberg (27 January 1897 – 3 June 1965) was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era. He served as Senior SS and Police Leader (HSSPF) in occupied France, from May 1942 to November 1944, during the Second World War, Oberg came to be kn ...
during the
Vistula-Oder offensive. In February 1945, he was reassigned to
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
, where he briefly served as ''
Stabsführer
A ''Stabsführer'' (translated as Staff Leader) served as a deputy to the leader of Hitler Youth, National Socialist Flyers Corps, National Socialist Motor Corps or Sturmabteilung. It was furthermore a Hitler Youth paramilitary rank held by the ...
'' (chief of staff) to ''
SS-Gruppenführer''
Ludolf von Alvensleben, the
Higher SS and Police Leader for the
Elbe
The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
.
Hahn was next appointed Commander of the ''SiPo'' and ''SD'' for the city of
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
in March, 1945. However, he was quickly displaced from this position after the city fell to the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
and instead took over as Commander of the ''SiPo'' and ''SD'' for
Gau Westphalia-North
The Gau Westphalia-North (German: ''Gau Westfalen-Nord'') was an administrative division of Nazi Germany encompassing the Free State of Lippe
The Free State of Lippe (german: Freistaat Lippe) was a German state formed after the Principality of ...
. Hahn was also charged with overseeing the
security detail
A security detail, often known as a PSD (protective services detail, personal security detachment, personal security detail) or PPD (personal protection detail), is a protective team assigned to protect the personal security of an individual or ...
for ''
Gauleiter
A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...
''
Alfred Meyer
Gustav Alfred Julius Meyer (5 October 1891 – 11 April 1945) was a Nazi Party official and politician. He joined the Nazi Party in 1928 and was the ''Gauleiter'' of North Westphalia from 1931 to 1945, the ''Oberpräsident'' of the Provinc ...
. During the final weeks of the war Hahn and his staff fled to
Hessisch-Oldendorf
Hessisch Oldendorf ( is a town in the Hamelin-Pyrmont district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Weser, approximately northwest of Hamelin. The adjective "Hessisch" has been used since 1905 to distinguish it from other towns ...
to escape the
Allied advance. He was taken prisoner by the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
on April 12, 1945 but successfully escaped from custody shortly afterward.
Postwar life
Hahn remained in Germany after 1945 and went into hiding in
Bad Eilsen
Bad Eilsen (West Low German: ''Ahlsen'') is a municipality in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately southwest of Stadthagen, and southeast of Minden.
Bad Eilsen is also the seat of the ''Samtgemein ...
in the
British occupation zone, working for several years as a laborer and farmhand. He later moved to
Wuppertal
Wuppertal (; "''Wupper Dale''") is, with a population of approximately 355,000, the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the 17th-largest city of Germany. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of the cities and to ...
where he worked as a salesman with the textile company of ''Scharpenack & Teschenmacher''. He resumed using his real name in 1949. At a
denazification
Denazification (german: link=yes, Entnazifizierung) was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by remov ...
hearing in 1950, Hahn's wife Charlotte falsely claimed to
British authorities that her husband had been taken prisoner by the Russians and deported, prompting the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
to end its war crimes investigation of him.
Afterward, Hahn would go on to pursue a successful postwar career as an
insurance broker in
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
. In 1951 his father-in-law arranged for him to take a position as Deputy Director for Organizational Matters with the Hanover branch of ''
Karlsruher Lebensversicherung A.G.'' He rose to the office of branch manager in 1955. Hahn and his family relocated to
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
in 1958 where he had been hired as head of the
life insurance
Life insurance (or life assurance, especially in the Commonwealth of Nations) is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer or assurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death ...
division of ''
Hans Rudolf Schmidt & Co. GmbH''. The family settled in a comfortable home in the suburb of
Bonningstedt.
Trials and convictions
![Ludwig Hahn and Thomas Wippenbeck during the Hamburg trial](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Ludwig_Hahn_and_Thomas_Wippenbeck_during_the_Hamburg_trial.jpg)
Hahn's identity was uncovered by journalists in 1960. Following an inquiry by the
Central Office of the State Justice Administrations for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes, Hahn was arrested by the
West German federal police for his suspected involvement in the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto. He was held by West German investigators for a year, however no charges were brought and he was released in 1961. Following his release Hahn took a position with the Hamburg branch of
Investors Overseas Service Investors Overseas Services, Ltd. (IOS) was founded in 1955 by financier Bernard Cornfeld. The company was incorporated outside the United States with funds in Canada and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
In the 1960s, the company employed 2 ...
. He retired in 1967.
He was again arrested by West German police in 1965 and again in 1966 but was only briefly held each time and never charged with any crime. It was not until May 1972 that Hahn was successfully charged with war crimes by the
Higher Regional Court of Hamburg. The now 65-year-old Hahn was found guilty in connection with wartime atrocities committed at the
Pawiak prison
Pawiak () was a prison built in 1835 in Warsaw, Congress Poland.
During the January 1863 Uprising, it served as a transfer camp for Poles sentenced by Imperial Russia to deportation to Siberia.
During the World War II German occupation of ...
in Warsaw. Hahn was sentenced to 12 years in prison in June 1973 but petitioned the court for an
appeal
In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...
of the verdict. After a two-year review of the trial and the evidence, Hahn's appeal was rejected by the
West German judiciary and he entered prison in March 1975.
During the appeals process, Hahn was also on trial in a different
West German court; this case surrounded his alleged role in the deportation of an estimated 230,000 Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to Treblinka. The proceedings opened in October 1974 and Hahn was again found guilty at trial. On 4 July 1975 Hahn was given a further sentence of
life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
. Suffering from cancer, Hahn was granted early release from prison in September 1983. He died in
Ammersbek
Ammersbek is a municipality in the district of Stormarn, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately northwest of Ahrensburg, and northeast of Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 ...
on 10 November 1986.
[Dan Kurzman, ''The Bravest Battle: The Twenty-eight Days Of The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising'', Da Capo Press, 2009, p. 346]
Summary of SS career
Dates of rank
* ''
SS-Standartenführer, Regierungs- und Kriminaldirektor, Oberst der Polizei'' (April 20, 1944)
* ''
SS-Obersturmbannführer'' (November 9, 1941)
** ''Oberregierungs- und Kriminalrat'' (September 12, 1941)
* ''
SS-Sturmbannführer, Regierungs und Kriminalrat'' (September 26, 1938)
* ''
SS-Hauptsturmführer und Kriminalrat'' (August 1, 1938)
* ''
SS-Obersturmführer und Kriminalkommissar'' (January 30, 1938)
* ''
SS-Untersturmführer'' (April 20, 1936)
* ''
SS-Hauptscharführer'' (November 9, 1935)
* ''
SS-Unterscharführer'' (June 1, 1935)
* ''
SS-Rottenführer'' (November 9, 1934)
** ''
SA-Scharführer'' (December 1930)
Awards and decorations
*
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 ...
, First Class (October 9, 1944)
*
War Merit Cross with Swords (January 30, 1943)
* Iron Cross, Second Class (July 6, 1940)
* ''
Ehrendegen der Reichsfuhrer-SS''
* ''
Totenkopfring der SS''
*
Honor Chevron for the Old Guard
*
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hahn, Ludwig
1908 births
1986 deaths
Gestapo personnel
Einsatzgruppen personnel
Sturmabteilung personnel
SS-Standartenführer
Holocaust perpetrators in Poland
Warsaw Ghetto
Reich Security Main Office personnel
People from Uelzen (district)
People convicted of murder by Germany
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Germany