Karl Leib

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Karl Leib was a German officer in Norway during World War II.

With the rank of SS-Sturmbannführer, Leib was in charge of the Norwegian recruitment and propaganda office Germanische Leitstelle, at Drammensveien in Oslo. His office also published Germanic Messenger ( Germansk budstikke), which was the Norwegian edition of SS-Leitheft. The editor was Norwegian war veteran Egil Eggen, father of the writer Eystein Eggen. The recruiting footwork was done by the Norwegian SS-officers SS-Untersturmführer Felix Thoresen and SS-Untersturmführer Brun Evers from Haugesund. The latter was killed in 1944 at Narva, fighting in SS-Division Nordland. Before that Evers was said to have recruited the third company of the Norwegian skijegerbatallion, which became part of the 6th SS Mountain Division Nord.

Leib had broad contacts in Norwegian society. He was versatile and extremely popular among the volunteers. Much to his consternation he was arrested in 1945 and imprisoned at Akershus fortress. In his defence note he portrayed himself as some sort of social welfare officer and his superior Wilhelm Rediess as an evil influence, although some of Rediess' speeches must have been written at Leib's office. Leib received a rather light sentence, as did most of the German SS-officers in Norway. After serving his sentence, Leib settled in Tübingen in Germany.

Literature: Eystein Eggen: The Boy from Gimle

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