Karl Höcker

Karl-Friedrich Gottlieb Höcker (b. 11 December 1911 in Engershausen near Preußisch Oldendorf; d. 30 January 2000 in Lübbecke) was a German officer of the SS, at last SS-Obersturmführer, adjutant to Richard Baer and a commandant of Auschwitz in WWII.

Life

SS-Sturmbannführer Richard Baer (left) and his adjutant SS-Obersturmführer Karl Höcker

Höcker, whose father fell (⚔) 1915 in WWI, was a bank clerk and accountant. In October 1933 he joined the SS (Mitglieds Nr.: 182,961), on 1 May 1937 he joined the NSDAP (Mitglieds Nr.: 4,444,757). 1937 he also married and fatherd two children.

On 16 November 1939, he was promoted to SS-Oberscharführer, on 16 November 1939 he became member of the SS-Totenkopfverbände in Danzig (SS-Totenkopf-Standarte 9; on 25 February 1941 renamed in SS-Infanterie-Regiment 9). He graduated from the SS-Junkerschule Braunschweig and was promoted to SS-Untersturmführer on 6 May 1943 Beförderung zum SS-Untersturmführer. On 21 June 1944 he was promoted to SS-Obersturmführer. Since May 1944 he served at the Auschwitz camp and became adjutant of SS-Sturmbannführer Richard Baer, with whom he was transfered to the Dora-Mittelbau in January 1945. In April 1945 near Rendsburg he was captured by the British and became a POW, although under a false name and as a Unteroffizier of the Wehrmacht. He was released in January 1946.

In August 1965 in Frankfurt he was convicted to seven years imprisonment. 1970 he was released and returned to his family and his bank (Kreissparkasse Lübbecke), where he was the chief cashier.

Imprisonment

In 1965, Höcker was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for allegedly aiding and abetting in over 1,000 murders at Auschwitz. In 1989, he was sentenced to four years imprisonment for his alleged involvement in gassings in the Majdanek camp. Höcker denied personal involvement in the alleged genocidal killings. Furthermore, he believed that the prisoners were principally not killed.

Awards and decorations

• SA Sports Badge (SA-Sportabzeichen) in Bronze
• German Reich Sport Badge (Deutsches Reichssportabzeichen) in Bronze
• SS-Julleuchter (de)
• SS-Ehrendegen
• War Merit Cross (1939), 2nd Class with swords

See also

• Robert Mulka, adjutant to Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss.
• Richard Baer