Arpad Wigand

Arpad Wigand

Candid photo in the field
Personal details
Born	13 January 1906
Died	26 July 1983(1983-07-26) (aged 77)
Military service
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Schutzstaffel
Years of service	1932 - 1945
Rank	SS Oberführer

Arpad Wigand (born 13 January 1906 in Mannheim - 26 July 1983 in Mannheim); was a Nazi German war criminal with the rank of SS-Oberführer who served as the SS and Police Leader in Warsaw (SS-und Polizeiführer (SSPF)) from 4 August 1941 until 23 April 1943 during the occupation of Poland in World War II.

As an aide to Erich von dem Bach Zelewski he first suggested the site of the former Polish artillery barracks in the Zasole suburb of Oswiecim for a concentration camp in January 1940. This site would evolve into the Auschwitz concentration camp which went on to become a major site of the Nazi "Final Solution to the Jewish question" resulting in the death of up to 1,000,000 Jews.^[1]

Military Promotions
Date	Rank
June 1933	SS-Sturmbannführer
May 1934	SS-Obersturmführer
September 1935	SS-Standartenführer
April 1938	SS-Oberführer
February 1943	Obersturmführer der Reserve (Waffen-SS)
January 1944	Hauptsturmführer der Reserve (Waffen-SS)

Postwar trial

In 1981 Wigand was found guilty in Hamburg for war crimes (Staatsanwaltschaft Hamburg, 147 Js 8/75), and sentenced to 12.5 years, he was represented by lawyer Jürgen Rieger.^[2]

Awards

Iron Cross First Class (1939)
War Merit Cross Second Class
Golden Party Badge
SS-Ehrenring
Sword of Honor of the Reichsführer-SS

References

↑ Auschwitz by Debórah Dwork, Robert Jan van Pelt, page 166. Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (17 April 2002) Language: English ISBN 0-393-32291-2 ISBN 978-0393322910
↑ The Law of War Crimes:National and International Approaches by Timothy McCormack (Hardcover - 29 January 1997)Page 75 Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (29 January 1997) Language: English ISBN 90-411-0273-6