Siegfried Seidl (August 24, 1911 in Tulln, Austria-Hungary – February 4, 1947 in Vienna) was a World War II Commandant of the Theresienstadt concentration camp located in the present-day Czech Republic. He was later a convicted war criminal.
Siegfried Seidl was born in Tulln an der Donau (Tulln on the Danube), then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, nowadays in Lower Austria. After completed his secondary schooling at the Oberschule, Seidl started a Law study. After three semesters he interrupted his studies and took on various odd jobs. From 1935 until 1938 Seidl studied history and German studies at the University of Vienna. He obtained his PhD in 1941 but this title was taken away from him in 1947.[4] On 2 March 1939 Seidl married Elisabeth Stieber, a former teacher in a kindergarten, member of the NSDAP, the NS-Frauenschaft (NSF: National Socialist Women's League, literally NS-Womanship) and supporting member of the SS.[5]
On 15 October Seidl joined the NSDAP (member number 300,738]. He was from September 1931 until May 1932 active in the SA. At the same day he left the SA, Seidl assigned to the 11th SS-Standarte (SS-regiment) as Scharführer (equivalent to Staff Sergeant (US) or Sergeant (UK)) (member number 46,106).[5][6]
In late 1939, Seidl was called into the police as a result of his SS membership. As of January 1940, he was attached to the SS-Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA) – Department IVB4 under Adolf Eichmann's command – and posted to the SS lead section in Posen. On 30 October 1941 Seidl was charged by Adolf Eichmann with establishing the Theresienstadt Ghetto.[5] From November 1941 until July 1943, he was the Ghetto's Commandant, and as such the one responsible for mishandling and murdering thousands of people. In November 1942, Seidl was promoted to SS-Hauptsturmführer (Captain).[7] As commandant Seidl reported directly to Hans Günther, chief of the Zentralstelle für jüdische Auswanderung (Central office for Jewish emigration) in Prague. Günther in turn reported to Adolf Eichmann at the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA) IV B 4 in Berlin.[8]
On orders of Eichmann, Seidl was on 3 July 1943 transferred to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.[4] As commandant of Theresienstadt he was succeeded by SS-Obersturmführer Anton Burger.
In March 1944 Seidl get with the Wehrmacht to Budapest where he joined the 5th Einsatzgruppe (SS paramilitary death squad). As leader of the Debrecen outpost Seidl was part of the Sondereinsatzkommando-Eichmann (SEK). [4] The SEK organised the largest and quickest deportation of the Holocaust. From 15 May 1944 until 9 July, that is in 56 days 437,402 Jews were deported from Hungary, according to German records. With the exception of 15 thousand people, all of them were taken to the death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.[9]
In July 1944, when the evacuation of the Jews of Hungary was finished, Seidl was appointed as acting leader of the SS Special Deployment Command, Outpost Vienna, he exercised control over the forced-labour camps for the few remaining Hungarian Jews, that had been built in Vienna and Lower Austria
On 14 November 1946, Seidl was sentenced by the Volksgericht (Austrian People's Court - established to prosecute Nazi war crimes) in Vienna to death. The penalty was carried out on 4 February 1947.[6]