August Wilhelm Trabandt (21 July 1891 – 19 May 1968) was a German
SS functionary during the
Nazi era. He commanded the
1st SS Infantry Brigade and the
SS Division Horst Wessel during
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 opposing ...
.
SS career
Trabandt was born in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
,
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 ...
on the 21 July 1891. In May 1936, Trabandt volunteered to join the
SS-VT. At the start of World War II, Trabandt was the commander of the III. Battalion,
Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
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 ...
Regiment. He took part in 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 ...
and the
Battle of France. Facing accusations of smuggling following the campaign, Trabandt was posted to the
1st SS Infantry Brigade that was charged with the
Nazi security warfare
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 Na ...
and the murder of the Jewish population in the occupied territories in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. He was given command of the SS Panzergrenadier Regiment 39 in March 1943, and took over command of the Brigade in September 1943.
Trabandt was awarded the Knight's Cross on 6 January 1944, just before the Brigade was disbanded and used to form the cadre of the
SS Division Horst Wessel. Trabandt was given command of the division and remained in command until April 1945.
[Williamson, Gordon. The Waffen-SS] After the war had ended, Trabandt was imprisoned in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
until 1954. He died on 19 May 1968, in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, Germany.
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Trabant, Wilhelm
1891 births
1968 deaths
Military personnel from Berlin
People from the Province of Brandenburg
SS-Brigadeführer
Recipients of the clasp to the Iron Cross, 1st class
Recipients of the Gold German Cross
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
German Army personnel of World War I
German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union
Waffen-SS personnel