| Franz Hössler | |
|---|---|
| SS-Obersturmführer Franz Hössler | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 February 1906 Oberdorf, Germany |
| Died | 13 December 1945 (aged 39) Bergen-Belsen, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party | National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP)&(SA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Schutzstaffel |
| Rank | SS-Obersturmführer |
SS-Obersturmführer Franz Hössler (February 4, 1906 – December 13, 1945) was a German Nazi concentration camp officer, notorious for his crimes at Auschwitz concentration camp and Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
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Hössler was born somewhere in Oberdorf, Germany. During the The Great Depression in 1931 he joined the Nazi Party and the SS. During the early days of the Second World War, in 1941, he was assigned to select more than 500 disabled prisoners and to transport them to the gas chambers at Sonnenstein Euthanasia Centre, a euthanasia center for the disabled during the infamous T-4 Euthanasia Programme.
At Auschwitz, Hössler held the title of Schutzhaftlagerführer.[1] Together with Otto Moll and Hans Aumeier, he took part in the killing of the 168 survivors of the uprising of the punishment company in June 1942. He also participated in the gassings in the old crematorium in the Stammlager. During the same year, he supervised the disinterment of more than 100,000 corpses to empty the mass graves and incinerate them. This task took five months. Hössler was also responsible for the gassing of 1,600 Belgian Jews in October 1942. The incident was described in the diary of Johann Kremer, a former SS physician.
Filip Müller, one of the very few Sonderkommando members who survived Auschwitz, paraphrased Hössler's speech given to trick a group of Greek Jews in the undressing room at the portals of the gas chambers[2]:
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Speech given to condemned Jews by Obersturmführer Franz Hössler
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"On behalf of the camp administration I bid you welcome. This is not a holiday resort but a labor camp. Just as our soldiers risk their lives at the front to gain victory for the Third Reich, you will have to work here for the welfare of a new Europe. How you tackle this task is entirely up to you. The chance is there for every one of you. We shall look after your health, and we shall also offer you well-paid work. After the war we shall assess everyone according to his merits and treat him accordingly." "Now, would you please all get undressed. Hang your clothes on the hooks we have provided and please remember your number [of the hook]. When you've had your bath there will be a bowl of soup and coffee or tea for all. Oh yes, before I forget, after your bath, please have ready your certificates, diplomas, school reports and any other documents so that we can employ everybody according to his or her training and ability." "Would diabetics who are not allowed sugar report to staff on duty after their baths". |
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In 1943, Hössler was transferred to the women's camp of Auschwitz and he was instructed to supervise the gassings.
After the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945, he moved to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp on April 8. In Belsen, he directly shot prisoners until the liberation of the camp, which led to his arrest within the month. At the Belsen Trial, Hössler was found guilty of crimes against humanity and of perpetrating the Holocaust.
Franz Hössler was hanged on December 13, 1945.
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