Karl Rudolf Ernst Auguste Hermann Reinecke (14 February 1888 – 10 October 1973) generally known as Hermann Reinecke was a German general and war criminal during the

Nazi era Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. As head of the General Office of the Armed Forces in the OKW (Supreme Command of 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 previo ...

) 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he was a major contributor to the

prisoner-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

policy that resulted in the deaths of approx. 3.3 million Soviet prisoners. Reinecke was tried, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment at the High Command Trial.

Military career

Reinecke joined 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 ...

as a cadet in March 1905. He served throughout

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

during which he 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 es ...

first class and he was promoted to captain in 1916. He then continued his military service 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 reshape ...

with the Army Office of Administration, an infantry regiment and the Reich Defence Ministry 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 constitu ...

. He served in the

, providing political training on behalf of the Nazi leadership. In January 1939, Reinecke was promoted to major general as head of an office in the OKW and appointed head of the General Office of the Armed Forces at OKW (''Allgemeines Wehrmachtamt'', ''AWA)'' in August 1940. Reinecke was also head of the office for the '' Nationalsozialistische Führungsoffiziere'' (NSFO), which consisted of Nazi officers charged with political propaganda in the Wehrmacht. Major Karl August Meinel was shifted into the Führerreserve on 1 August 1942, because on 13 January 1942 he wrote a critical report to Hermann Reinecke on the segregation and execution of Soviet prisoners of war in prison camp Stalag VII A by the Gestapo and the Sicherheitsdienst SD (security service) of the Reichsführer SS ( Heinrich Himmler). In 1942 Reinecke was promoted to General of the Infantry. Following the 20 July plot coup attempt,

Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the '' Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to ...

tasked him with retaking the Bendlerblock, and he was then an assessor on the judging panel at the People's Court trials of the conspirators.Herman Reinecke at the Lexicon der Wehrmacht (German language)
Retrieved 13 November 2015

Trial and conviction

Bundesarchiv Bild 151-39-23, Volksgerichtshof, Reinecke, Freisler, Lautz

In the High Command Trial, as part of the

Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 ...

after World War II, Reinecke was convicted of war crimes and

crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...

. As head of the General Office of the Armed Forces, he was responsible for the creation and implementation of the POW policy that resulted in the deaths of approx. 3.3 million Soviet prisoners of war. The judgement of the International Military Tribunal refers to 8 September 1941 regulations for the treatment of Soviet prisoners of war in all prisoner of war camps, signed by General Reinecke, the head of the prisoner of war department of the High Command. These orders stated:

The Bolshevist soldier has therefore lost all claim to treatment as an honourable opponent, in accordance with the Geneva Convention (...) The order for ruthless and energetic action must be given at the slightest indication of insubordination, especially in the case of Bolshevist fanatics. Insubordination, active or passive resistance, must be broken immediately by force of arms (bayonets, butts and firearms) . . . Anyone carrying out the order who does not use his weapons, or does so with insufficient energy, is punishable (...) Prisoners of war attempting escape are to be fired on without previous challenge. No warning shot must ever be fired.... The use of arms against prisoners of war is as a rule legal.

Reinecke was sentenced to life imprisonment. His sentence was reviewed by the "

Peck Panel David W. Peck (December 3, 1902 – August 23, 1990) was an American jurist. From 1947 to 1957, he was Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department in New York, and in that time took a leading role in the reform of judiciary of t ...

". He was released in October 1954.

References

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External links

*
Hermann Reinecke's detention report
(photo), via

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Reinecke, Hermann 1888 births 1973 deaths Holocaust perpetrators People from Wittenberg German Army generals of World War II Generals of Infantry (Wehrmacht) Recipients of the Iron Cross, 1st class German Army personnel of World War I German people convicted of crimes against humanity German prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment People convicted by the United States Nuremberg Military Tribunals Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the United States military Reichswehr personnel Military personnel from Saxony-Anhalt