Oskar Dirlewanger

Oskar Dirlewanger
Germany Germany 1895–1945 ✕ Beaten to death

SS special-unit commander implicated in the Wola massacre

Nazi German SS officer and war criminal. From 1940 he commanded the special unit bearing his name, which committed war crimes in Poland and Belarus. During the suppression of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, his formation participated in the massacre of civilians in Wola. His command responsibility belongs within the history of Nazi occupation policy and the SS and police command structure.

Related historical events

1944: Suppression of the Warsaw Uprising and the Wola massacre

Dirlewanger’s SS special regiment served in Reinefarth’s battle group during the suppression of the uprising. It murdered unarmed residents in Wola and later fought in the Old Town. The RONA regiment responsible for murder, rape and looting in Ochota was a separate formation. Distinguishing the units helps identify the responsibility of their commanders. See the Warsaw Uprising for the wider chronology.

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