Biography of hans frank

German politician and war amiss (1900–1946)

For the German fighter scratch, see Hans-Dieter Frank.

Hans Michael Frank (23 May 1900 – 16 October 1946) was a Germanic politician, war criminal, and counsel who served as head avail yourself of the General Government in German-occupied Poland during the Second Globe War.

Frank was an mistimed member of the German Workers' Party (DAP), the precursor spend the Nazi Party (NSDAP). Explicit took part in the aborted Beer Hall Putsch, and next became Adolf Hitler's personal academic adviser as well as loftiness lawyer of the NSDAP. Giving June 1933, he was called as a Reichsleiter (Reich Leader) of the party.

In Dec 1934, Frank joined the Oppressor Cabinet as a Reichsministerwithout file.

After the German invasion point toward Poland in 1939, Frank was appointed Governor-General of the full up Polish territories. During his occupancy, he instituted a reign have a high regard for terror against the civilian mankind and became directly involved train in the mass murder of Jews.^[1] He engaged in the villa of forced labour and oversaw four of the extermination camps.

Frank remained head of influence General Government until its undoing in early 1945. During deviate time, over 4 million dynasty were murdered under his control.

After the war, Frank was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity sought-after the Nuremberg trials. He was sentenced to death and finished by hanging in October 1946.

Early years

Frank, the middle offspring of three, was born flowerbed Karlsruhe to Karl, a queen's, and his wife, Magdalena (née Buchmaier), a daughter of adroit prosperous baker. He graduated shake off high school at Maximilians gymnasium in Munich. At seventeen sharptasting joined the German Army conflict in World War I, on the contrary did not serve time bully the front.

After the war, Sincere studied law and economics, disseminate 1919 to the summer provisos of 1921 at the Installation of Munich, between 1921 dowel 1922 at the University vacation Kiel, and back from righteousness winter semester 1922 to 1923 at Munich.

On 21 July 1923, he passed the furthest back exam there, obtaining his Dr. jur. degree in 1924.^[3]

Between 1919 and 1920, he was expert member of the ThuleVölkisch glee club. He served also in illustriousness Freikorps under Franz Ritter von Epp's command, taking part featureless the crackdown of the Münchner Räterepublik.^[4] In 1919, as exact other members of the Town Society, he joined the Teutonic Workers' Party (DAP) at sheltered beginning.^[5]

Nazi Party career

Although the DAP evolved quite soon into NSDAP (Nazi Party), Frank waited during September 1923 to become trim member of the Sturmabteilung (SA), where he would eventually hit the rank of SA-Obergruppenführer ideal November 1937.

In October 1923, he officially joined the NSDAP. In November of the corresponding year, Frank took part gratify the "Beer Hall Putsch", greatness failed coup attempt intended shield parallel Mussolini's March on Scuffle. In the aftermath of representation attempted putsch, Frank fled cross your mind Austria, returning to Munich matchless in 1924, after the till such time as legal proceedings were stayed.^[4]

Frank cardinal to become Adolf Hitler's exceptional legal adviser.

As the Nazis rose to power, Frank too served as the party's attorney. He represented it in fold up 2,400 cases and spent direct $10,000. This sometimes brought him into conflict with other lawyers. Once, a former teacher appealed to him: "I beg paying attention to leave these people alone! No good will come decay it! Political movements that on in the criminal courts liking end in the criminal courts!"^[7] In September–October 1930, Frank served as the defence lawyer executive the court-martial in Leipzig a few Lieutenants Richard Scheringer, Hans Friedrich Wendt and Hanns Ludin, combine Reichswehr officers charged with link in the NSDAP.^[8] The trial run was a media sensation.

Absolutist himself testified and the shield successfully put the Weimar Nation itself on trial. Many Blue officers developed a sympathetic tax value of the Nazi movement renovation a consequence.^[8] In October 1928, Frank founded the National Marxist German Jurists Association and became its leader. He was additionally elected to the Reichstag unapproachable electoral constituency 8, Leignitz, appearance October 1930.

On 10 March 1933, when the Nazis seized ensnare of the Bavarian state rule, Frank was made the Staatskommissar (State Commissioner) in charge lay into justice, and also was cut out for one of the state's representatives to the Reichsrat until sheltered abolition on 14 February 1934.^[10] In April 1933, he was appointed Minister of Justice characterize Bavaria, serving until December 1934 when he was named regular Reichsministerwithout portfolio in the Land government.

On 2 June 1933, he was made a Reichsleiter, the second highest political place in the Nazi Party, resource his capacity as head show signs the party's legal affairs fork. On 26 June 1933, Manage founded the Academy for European Law. At its inaugural break in fighting on 2 October 1933, powder was named its Leader (renamed President on 9 August 1934) and would continue in that capacity until 20 August 1942 when he also left cap positions as Reichsleiter and belief of the Jurists Association.

Unclothed also served as the Lead of the Academy's Legal Idea Committee and was editor raise its several publications. In Jan 1934, Frank was named pass for one of the three book on the Supreme Party Court.

In March 1933, in a speaking on the Bavarian radio, Outspoken issued "a greeting to emperor oppressed comrades in Austria" take threatened that, if necessary, class Nazi Party would "take stagger the safeguarding of the confines of the German comrades put into operation Austria".

The Austrian government legitimately protested in Berlin, but Dictator denied responsibility for Frank's explicate. In May 1933, Frank went to Vienna, accompanied by nobility Prussian Minister of Justice Hanns Kerrl and his Ministerial Vice-president Roland Freisler, to promote Autocratic propaganda. Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss confirmed their presence in Austria unwanted, and had them deported.

Staging response, Hitler imposed the thousand-mark ban to weaken the European economy, which was heavily put out of misery on tourism, and Austrian Nazis launched a wave of revolutionary attacks, which ultimately led consign to the banning of the Dictatorial Party in Austria on 19 June 1933.^[13]

Frank objected to extrajudicial killings as it weakened significance power of the legal arrangement (of which he himself was a prominent member), both lips the Dachau concentration camp good turn during the "Night of description Long Knives".

Frank's view retard what the judicial process allotted was that:

[The judge's] function is to safeguard the solid order of the racial persons, to eliminate dangerous elements, quick prosecute all acts harmful round on the community, and to liaise in disagreements between members exert a pull on the community. The Nazi credo, especially as expressed in authority Party programme and in righteousness speeches of our Leader, remains the basis for interpreting acceptable sources.^[15]

On 7 April 1938, Direct addressed some 10,000 Nazis drum the Passau Nibelungenhalle.^[16]

Governor-General in Poland

Main articles: General Government and Public Government administration

In September 1939, Open was assigned as Chief depict Administration to Gerd von Rundstedt in the German military polity in occupied Poland.

Beginning pomposity 26 October 1939, following description completion of the invasion pay no attention to Poland, Frank served as Governor-General of the occupied Polish territories, overseeing the General Government, class area of Poland not at once incorporated into Germany (roughly 90,000 km² out of the 187,000 km² Frg had gained).

Frank oversaw magnanimity segregation of the Jews go through ghettos. From the outset, Jews were discriminated against savagely contemporary the rations given to them were slender. He oversaw justness Warsaw ghetto and the taken of Polish civilians as artificial labour. In 1942, he mislaid his positions of authority difficult to get to the General Government after pestering Hitler with a series observe speeches in Berlin, Vienna, Heidelberg, and Munich and as summit of a power struggle region Friedrich-Wilhelm Krüger, the State Escritoire for Security – head type the SS and the the law in the General Government.

Krüger himself was ultimately replaced because of Wilhelm Koppe.

On 16 December 1941, Frank spelt daub to his senior officials magnanimity approaching annihilation of the Jews:

A great Jewish migration will commence in any case. But what should we do with high-mindedness Jews? Do you think they will be settled in Ostland, in villages?

We were uttered in Berlin, 'Why all that bother? We can do bibelot with them either in Ostland or in the Reichskommissariat. Fair liquidate them yourselves.' Gentlemen, Raving must ask you to bad yourself of all feelings cataclysm pity. We must annihilate nobleness Jews wherever we find them and whenever it is possible.^[19]

When this was read criticize him at the Nuremberg trials he said:

One has to unkindness the diary as a full.

You cannot go through 43 volumes and pick out free sentences and separate them exaggerate their context. I would mean to say here that Mad do not want to confute or quibble about individual phrases. It was a wild standing stormy period filled with depressed passions, and when a full country is on fire submit a life and death jerk is going on, such lyric may easily be used...

Heavygoing of the words are serious. I myself must admit renounce I was shocked at uncountable of the words which Uproarious had used... A thousand period will pass and still that guilt of Germany will groan have been erased.^[5]

An assassination try by the Polish Secret Repair on 29/30 January 1944 (the night preceding the 11th party of Hitler's appointment as Prime minister of Germany) in Szarów in effect Kraków failed.

A special give instructions with Frank travelling to Lemberg/Lvov/Lviv was derailed after an tense device discharged but no collective was killed.^[20][21] Around 100 Key hostages from Montelupich prison were executed as a punishment rep the act.

Death camps

Hans Direct participated in the growth bank the politics leading to destruction in Poland.

Under his government, mass murder became a longdrawnout policy. The General Government was the location of four no difficulty of six extermination camps, namely: Bełżec, Treblinka, Majdanek and Sobibór; Chełmno and Birkenau fell steady outside the borders of rectitude General Government.^{[citation needed]} Frank afterward claimed that the extermination be worthwhile for Jews was entirely controlled outdo Heinrich Himmler and the Tilt, and he — Frank — was unaware of the massacre camps in the General Administration until early 1944, an accession found to be untrue unhelpful the Nuremberg tribunal.

During jurisdiction testimony at Nuremberg, Frank described he submitted resignation requests simulate Hitler on 14 occasions, however Hitler would not allow him to resign. Frank fled honourableness General Government in January 1945, as the Red Army advanced.^{[citation needed]}

Capture and trial

Frank was captured by American troops on 4 May 1945, at Tegernsee be grateful for southern Bavaria.

He attempted self-annihilation twice. He was indicted good spirits war crimes and tried in advance the International Military Tribunal mop the floor with Nuremberg from 20 November 1945 to 1 October 1946. Beside the trial he converted, guided by Fr Sixtus O'ConnorOFM, come into contact with Roman Catholicism, and claimed softsoap have had a series replicate religious experiences.

Frank voluntarily be stripped 43 volumes of his secluded diaries to the Allies, believing his struggles against other Monolithic officials would be enough picture secure his defence,^[25] and which were then used against him as evidence of his guilt.^[5] Frank confessed to some glimpse the charges, and testified sheep response to questions from sovereignty defence attorney:

after having heard the testimony of the onlooker Rudolf Höss, my conscience does not allow me to thud the responsibility solely on these minor people.

I myself be born with never installed an extermination camp-site for Jews, or promoted distinction existence of such camps; on the contrary if Adolf Hitler personally has laid that dreadful responsibility slash his people, then it quite good mine too, for we put on fought against Jewry for years; and we have indulged refurbish the most horrible utterances.^[5]

During top captivity, he penned a followers of letters in which blooper also left his last despise.

To his son Norman, stylishness wrote that he preferred stage die and join the "brave soldiers, who were (...) glue in this war" than "be dealt in revenge from [migrants], traitors", from those such because Willy Brandt.^[25]

During their trials, he and Albert Speer were the only defendants to change things any degree of remorse select their crimes,^[26] though, according touch his son Niklas, he pictured himself as a "man observe the law", and was turn on the waterworks personally acknowledging guilt, rather shifty it to the "German people" as a whole.^[25] At high-mindedness same time, he accused depiction Allies, especially the Soviets, resembling their own wartime atrocities.

Open was found guilty of contention crimes and crimes against people on 1 October 1946 queue was sentenced to death wishy-washy hanging. The death sentence was carried out at Nuremberg Oubliette on 16 October by Sore to the touch Army Master Sergeant John Adage. Woods. Journalist Joseph Kingsbury-Smith wrote of the execution:

Hans Frank was next in the parade disturb death.

He was the nonpareil one of the condemned impediment enter the chamber with systematic smile on his countenance. Gain, although nervous and swallowing generally, this man, who was regenerate to Roman Catholicism after culminate arrest, gave the appearance exhaust being relieved at the coming of atoning for his illomened deeds.^[27]

He answered to his label quietly and when asked demand any last statement, he replied "I am thankful for description kind treatment during my durance and I ask God hit accept me with mercy."^[27]

His intent and those of the indentation nine executed prisoners and dignity corpse of Hermann Göring were cremated at Ostfriedhof (Munich) person in charge the ashes were scattered form the river Isar.^[28]

Memoirs

While awaiting dispatch, he wrote his memoirs, Im Angesicht des Galgens (In blue blood the gentry Face of the Gallows), late published by his widow.^[25] Revel in the capacity as his lawyer, Frank was privy to secluded details of Hitler's life.

Reveal his memoirs, Frank made nobleness sensational claim that Hitler difficult commissioned him to investigate Hitler's family in 1930 after trim "blackmail letter" had been established from Hitler's nephew, William Apostle Hitler, who allegedly threatened theorist reveal embarrassing facts about government uncle's ancestry.

Frank said mosey the investigation uncovered evidence zigzag Maria Schicklgruber, Hitler's paternal grandparent, had been working as regular cook in the household fail a Jewish man named Leopold Frankenberger before she gave descent to Hitler's father, Alois, look out over of wedlock. Frank claimed zigzag he had obtained from on the rocks relative of Hitler's by association a collection of letters mid Maria Schicklgruber and a associate of the Frankenberger family saunter discussed a stipend for fallow after she left the family's employ.

According to Frank, Nazi told him that the writing book did not prove that character Frankenberger son was his cleric but rather his grandmother abstruse merely extorted money from Frankenberger by threatening to claim culminate paternity of her illegitimate child.

Frank accepted this explanation, but speed up that it was still evenhanded possible that Hitler had good Jewish ancestry.

But he solution it unlikely because, "from queen entire demeanor, the fact range Adolf Hitler had no Mortal blood coursing through his veins seems so clearly evident ditch nothing more need be alleged on this."^[32]

Given that all Jews had been expelled from say publicly province of Styria (which includes Graz) in the 15th 100 and were not allowed back return until the 1860s, scholars such as Ian Kershaw slab Brigitte Hamann dismiss as groundless the "Frankenberger hypothesis", which previously had only Frank's speculation designate support it.

More recent alteration by Leonard Sax points catch a glimpse of that many Jews lived impede places without official sanction opinion demonstrated the existence of straight settled Jewish community in Metropolis before the law formally loosen their residence.^[34] Nevertheless, there crack no evidence outside of Frank's statements for the existence take in a "Leopold Frankenberger" living solution Graz in the 1830s, refuse Frank's story is inaccurate movement several points such as prestige claim that Maria Schicklgruber came from "Leonding near Linz", considering that in fact she came make the first move the hamlet of Strones at hand the village of Döllersheim.

Generous suggest that Frank (who disgusting against Nazism in his burly after 1945 but remained stop off anti-Semitic fanatic) made the request that Hitler had Jewish stock streak as a way of proving that Hitler was really clean up "Jew" and not an "Aryan", and in this way "proved" that the Third Reich's crimes were the work of loftiness "Jewish" Hitler.

The full anti-Semitic implications of Frank's story were borne out in a kill entitled "Was Hitler a Jew?", written to the editor second a Saudi newspaper in 1982 by a German man support in Saudi Arabia. The novelist accepted Frank's story as ethics truth, and added since Dictator was a Jew, "the Jews should pay Germans reparations collaboration the War, because one commandeer theirs caused the destruction unconscious Germany".

But Jewish-American author Bokkos Rosenbaum suggested another reason operate Frank's story:

On the other take place, a different version of Direct emerges in the brilliantly unprincipled, utterly unforgiving portrait of him by his son, Niklas Uninhibited, who (in a memoir baptized In the Shadow of distinction Reich) depicts his father considerably a craven coward and but one not without undiluted kind of animal cunning, operate instinct for lying, insinuation, self-aggrandisement.

For this Hans Frank, shamed and facing death on grandeur gallows for following Hitler, fabricating such a story might put pen to paper a cunning way of ensuring his place in history monkey the one man who gave the world the hidden strategic to the mystery of Hitler's psyche. While at the much time, revenging himself on potentate former master for having opulent him to this end by virtue of foisting a sordid and snubbing deadly explanation of Hitler on him for all posterity.

In dick case, it was one Manage knew the victors would disinter seductive.

Family

On 2 April 1925 Naked married 29-year-old secretary Brigitte Herbst (29 December 1895 – 9 March 1959) from Forst (Lausitz). The wedding took place unveil Munich and the couple honeymooned in Venetia. Hans and Brigitte Frank had five children:

• Sigrid Frank (born 17 March 1927 and died in South Africa)
• Norman Frank (3 June 1928 – March 2009)
• Brigitte Frank (13 Jan 1935 – 1981)
• Michael Frank (15 February 1937 – 1990)
• Niklas Outspoken (born 9 March 1939)

Brigitte Herbst had a reputation for getting a more dominant personality best her husband: after 1939 she called herself "a queen disregard Poland" ("Königin von Polen"), which began as a jest exotic her husband at the past of his nomination.

The consensus was unhappy and became colder from year to year, awaken Brigitte having many affairs, which weren't unknown amongst her posterity, including resulting rumours on thither being different fathers. Frank requisite a divorce in 1942, astern meeting and falling in attachment with a former childhood awareness who was looking for bodyguard son, a soldier who abstruse gone missing in the Get one\'s bearings Front.

Brigitte made great efforts to save their marriage multiply by two order to remain the "First Lady in the General Government". One of her most famed comments was "I'd rather fix widowed than divorced from fastidious Reichsminister!" Frank answered: "So complete are my deadly enemy!"^[40] Further making her children intercede buy her with their father, she would go on to junction Himmler and Mrs.

Goebbels, who would get Hitler to on one's own forbid Frank from divorcing wreath wife.^[25]

Contrary to Hans' later authority on the concentration camps become calm ghettos, the children were shriek isolated from them, despite them not being a topic their parents discussed directly with them. The youngest, Niklas, was much taken to a concentration theatrical by Hilde, their nanny.

Quarrel one occasion, for Niklas enthralled his brother Norman's enjoyment, blue blood the gentry guards made undernourished prisoners worry on a donkey, which would then be made to vault 1 and throw the compulsed complications to the ground. Niklas would also be told that uncut sad prisoner was a "witch", but one whom he frank not have to worry dance, since she would "dead complete soon".

At another point, efficient Polish servant soiled bed elaborate with soot, and his glaze screamed he would be presage to the camps. Niklas, who had befriended the Pole, heard this and began to bawl, which made his mother disruption scolding the man and commencement comforting her son. In magnanimity end, she let the situation go, and after the conflict the man and his better half would credit Niklas with economy their lives.^[25]

All but Niklas would grieve their father at grandeur time of his execution, be aware of he was "innocent".

Niklas Nude had been shunned early get hold of by his parental figure, for of his father's belief soil was instead the son dexterous former family friend, Karl Lasch,^[41] and so he instead secured closer to Hilde, their vigilant, and also felt closer round off his mother than his dad. According to Niklas, his siblings' "brains" had been "poisoned" hard their father.^[25] Niklas, who wring his early adult years became a journalist for the Put on ice magazine in Germany, would too participate in the early print run of Schindler's List.

In 1987, Niklas Frank wrote a finished about his father, Der Vater: Eine Abrechnung ("The Father: Trim Settling of Accounts"), which was published in English in 1991 as In the Shadow slant the Reich. The book, regulate of a trilogy about diadem family's experiences, was serialized discern the magazine Stern, and caused controversy in Germany, and unchanging in some sectors of Polska, because of the scathing fashion in which the younger Free depicted his father: Niklas referred to him as "a slime-hole of a Hitler fanatic" current questioned his remorse before wreath execution.^[25][42][43] In his work, Niklas also created a compilation friendly Nazi-era films of the Uninhibited family.^[44]

The scars of having Hans as a parent would supposedly carry on not quite recovered.

Michael, the closest to Niklas in their youth, though effect ardent defender of their father's innocence, would develop an obsession for milk, to the depression his wife would struggle make it to save some for their descendants, and which go on don cause severe obesity and play a part consequence organ failure.^[45] Michael grand mal in 1990, at 53 era old.^[25]

Norman, whose last words steer clear of his father was that Linksman should be silent (which would lead to tensions between him and Niklas, whose work was often about documenting insights cross the threshold his family), would also be acceptable to addicted, to alcohol.

Though good taste recognized and was critical several his father's political work become peaceful nazi rhetoric of his real speeches, Norman followed his father's advice on silence and ergo was critical of Niklas' travail though he later privately famous being proud of his brother.^[45]

Brigitte committed suicide in 1981, torture 46 years old; and Niklas would claim the motivation was "because she didn't want be acquainted with become older" than their pa.

Niklas would come to fall for this despite the fact sovereignty sister had cancer, but which the doctors claimed she could have survived about five on hand seven years. According to Niklas, she had written in accumulate 16 year old diary she didn’t want to became elder than their father, and flat it so it happened.

She took her own life past as a consequence o overdosing whilst sleeping with present 8 year old son, Hans' grandson.^[25]

Despite as a young wife, in 1945, being worried guarantee they wouldn't be forgiven liberation "what we have done nominate the Jews", worried then make stronger deadly retaliations, Sigrid remained span committed Nazi who emigrated conform South Africa during the isolation regime and, having developed comprise addiction for tranquilizers, died there.^[25][45]

Niklas is the sole living offspring of Hans and Brigitte Unclothed.

Despite severe differences, specially during the time that it came to Hans Frank's memory, Hans' family would extreme unestranged all throughout their lives, not letting their differences hurt the relationships, no matter fкte fiercely they disagreed on dignity facts of the father's crimes.^[25]

Whilst some, if not all, assiduousness Hans' grandchildren have been obviously affected by the events footnote their grandfather's life, Niklas' female child has claimed her father's massive work about her grandfather was a "wall" around her, immature up.^[25][46]

Decorations and awards

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

Further reading

External links