Commander of the Waffen-SS IX Mountain Corps who led the German forces in the siege of Budapest and refused to surrender
He joined the army in 1907 and in the First World War served as a General Staff officer, including with the German military mission in Constantinople. Moving to the police in 1919, he headed Chile’s Carabineros and became inspector general of police schools, then joined the SS and served on Himmler’s staff. He commanded the SS Polizei Division from late 1939 and the VI SS Army Corps (Latvian) from 1943. Appointed commander of the IX SS Mountain Corps in Budapest in December 1944, he led the German forces in the siege from 24 December 1944 to 11 February 1945 and refused all invitations to surrender, setting off a long and bloody siege. Taken prisoner by the Soviets after the failed breakout, he was sentenced in 1949 to 25 years, released in 1955 and killed in a traffic accident at Bielefeld in 1971.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1907–1919German army officer and General Staff officer
- 1919Joined the police
- 1928Chief of the Chilean Carabineros
- 1936Inspector General of Police schools
- 1939–1940Commander, SS Polizei Division
- 1943–1944Commander, VI SS Army Corps (Latvian)
- 1944–1945Commander, IX SS Mountain Corps; defence of Budapest
- 1945–1955Soviet prisoner; sentenced to 25 years in 1949