The Making of an SS Killer : The Life of Colonel Alfred Filbert, 1905–1990

In this pioneering biography of a frontline Holocaust perpetrator, Alex J. Kay uncovers the life of SS Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Filbert, responsible as the first head of SS-Einsatzkommando 9, a mobile killing squad, for the murder of more than 18,000 Soviet Jews - men, women and children - on the Eastern Front. He reveals how Filbert, following the political imprisonment of his older brother, set out to prove his own ideological allegiance by displaying particular radicalism in implementing the orders issued by Hitler, Himmler and Heydrich. He also examines Filbert's post-war experiences, first in hiding and then being captured, tried and sentenced to life imprisonment. Released early, Filbert went on to feature in a controversial film in the lead role of an SS mass murderer. The book provides compelling new insights into the mindset and motivations of the men, like Filbert, who rose through the ranks of the Nazi regime. In This Pioneering Biography Of A Frontline Holocaust Perpetrator, Alex J. Kay Uncovers The Life Of Ss Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Filbert, Responsible As The First Head Of Ss Task Force 9, A Mobile Killing Squad, For The Murder Of More Than 18,000 Soviet Jews - Men, Women And Children - On The Eastern Front. He Reveals How Filbert, Following The Political Imprisonment Of His Older Brother, Set Out To Prove His Own Ideological Allegiance By Displaying Particular Radicalism In Implementing The Orders Issued By Hitler, Himmler And Heydrich. He Also Examines Filbert's Post-war Experiences, First In Hiding And Then Being Captured, Tried And Sentenced To Life Imprisonment. Released Early, Filbert Went On To Feature In A Controversial Film In The Lead Role Of An Ss Mass Murderer. The Book Provides Compelling New Insights Into The Mindset And Motivations Of The Men, Like Filbert, Who Rose Through The Ranks Of The Nazi Regime-- 1. 'i Went To School With Quite A Number Of Jewish Co-religionists And Never Knew Hatred For Jews' : Childhood, Youth And Early Adulthood, 1905-32 -- 2. 'in Terms Of His Character He Is Irreprochable In Every Respect' : Nazi Party Membership And Career In The Ss Security Service, 1932-9 -- 3. 'pity That Scoundrel Didn't Perish' : Brother's Imprisonment And Career Stagnation, 1939-41 -- 4. 'so, We've Finished Off The First Jews' : Ss-einsatzkommando 9 And Deployment In The East, June-july 1941 -- 5. 'in Vileyka, The Jews Had To Be Liquidated In Their Entirety' : Genocide Of Belarusian Jewry, July-october 1941 -- 6. 'was It Thinkable That I, A Jurist And A Soldier, Would Do Such A Thing? : Suspension From The Reich Security Main Office And Reinstatement Until The War's End, 1941-5 -- 7. 'my Son, Who Has Not Yet Returned Home From The War' : Post-war Submergence And Reintegration Into West German Society, 1945-59 -- 8. 'a Trial Of This Magnitude Has Never Previously Taken Place Before A German Court' : Arrest And Trial, February 1959-june 1962 -- 9. 'a Limited, Lower Middle Class, Status-and-promotion Seeking Philistine' : Imprisonment And Early Release, 1962-75 -- 10. 'a Chess Game Of Egos' : Wundkanal And Aftermath, 1975-90. Alex J. Kay, Institute Of Conteporary History, Berlin. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 212-234) And Index. Cover 1 Half-title page 3 Title page 5 Copyright page 6 Contents 7 Illustrations 9 Tables 12 Acknowledgements 13 Abbreviations 15 Glossary 18 Introduction 21 1 ‘I went to school with quite a number of Jewish co-religionists and never knew hatred for Jews’: Childhood, youth and early adulthood, 1905–1932 28 2 ‘In terms of his character he is irreproachable in every respect’: Nazi Party membership and career in the SS Security Service, 1932–1939 41 3 ‘Pity that the scoundrel didn’t perish’: Brother’s imprisonment and career stagnation, 1939–1941 50 4 ‘So, we’ve finished off the first Jews’: SS-Einsatzkommando 9 and deployment in the East, June–July 1941 63 5 ‘In Vileyka, the Jews had to be liquidated in their entirety’: Genocide of Belarusian Jewry, July–October 1941 77 6 ‘Was it thinkable that I, a jurist and a soldier, would do such a thing?’: Suspension from the Reich Security Main Office and reinstatement until the war’s end, 1941–1945 98 7 ‘My son, who has not yet returned home from the war’: Post-war submergence and reintegration into West German society, 1945–1959 108 8 ‘A trial of this magnitude has never previously taken place before a German court’: Arrest and trial, February 1959–June 1962 116 9 ‘A limited, lower middle class, status-and-promotion seeking philistine’: Imprisonment and early release, 1962–1975 124 10 ‘A chess game of egos’: Wundkanal and aftermath, 1975–1990 130 Concluding thoughts 142 Notes 147 Sources and literature cited 232 Index 255 The first in-depth biography of a frontline Holocaust perpetrator from one of the SS mobile killing squads