August Heissmeyer

August Friedrich Heissmeyer
Born	1897-01-11 Aerzen, Germany
Died	1979-01-16
Occupation(s)	Nazi Party official, SS-Obergruppenführer
Years active	1925–1945
Known for	Head of the SS Main Office (1935–1939); Higher SS and Police Leader for Berlin (1939–1945); Inspector of National Political Institutes of Education

August Friedrich Heissmeyer or Heißmeyer (born 11 January 1897 – died 16 January 1979) was a German member of the Nazi Party who advanced to the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer within the Schutzstaffel (SS). He occupied prominent leadership positions, notably serving as head of the SS Main Office from 1935 until 1939 and as Higher SS and Police Leader for the Berlin region from 1939 through 1945. Additionally, he directed the National Political Institutes of Education, which were elite boarding schools aimed at preparing future Nazi leadership. Heissmeyer was married to Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, leader of the National Socialist Women's League. Following the conclusion of World War II, he underwent denazification, was convicted as a major offender, and served a three-year prison sentence.

Early life

Born in Aerzen to a farming family, Heissmeyer completed four years at a local Volksschule, followed by private lessons and attendance at a Gymnasium in Hamelin for four years. With the onset of First World War, he enlisted in the Royal Prussian Army as a one-year volunteer in August 1914, seeing action on the western front. Elevated to the rank of Leutnant in 1916, he served as both platoon commander and orderly officer. After sustaining injuries in 1917, he took command of a company before transferring to the Luftstreitkräfte where he operated as a pilot. His military decorations included both classes of the Iron Cross and the black version of the Wound Badge.

Following a brief period with , Heissmeyer exited military service in February 1919. He then worked in manual labor roles related to wool manufacturing and pest control at Farbwerke Höchst. There, he established a National Socialist factory cell but was dismissed in April 1925 due to his political activities. Married to Marie Lode in 1923, they had six children before her passing in 1939.

Nazi Party and SS career

Heissmeyer became a member of the Sturmabteilung (SA) on 1 May 1925 and quickly rose to SA-Führer in Göttingen. His official enrollment in the Nazi Party occurred on 30 October 1925 (membership number 21,573), later earning him the distinction of the Golden Party Badge. He held leadership as SA-Gauführer for Hannover-Süd until August 1928 and fulfilled duties as business manager for Gau Hannover-Süd under Gauleiter Ludolf Haase. Attempts to resume academic studies between 1925 and 1927 were interrupted by his political commitments. Between 1928 and 1931, he was employed as a sales representative, worked at the Siemens-Schuckert aircraft engine factory, and served as an instructor at a driving school.

Heissmeyer entered the ranks of the Schutzstaffel (SS) on 17 December 1930 (SS number 4,370), swiftly advancing to command SS-Standarte 12 "Niedersachsen" by November 1931. In October 1932, he assumed leadership of SS-Abschnitt XVII based in Münster, then led SS-Oberabschnitt "Elbe" (Dresden) starting November 1933 and "Rhein" (Koblenz) from January 1934. In May 1935, he was appointed chief of the influential SS Main Office, a position he held until December 1939. He also briefly headed Amt I, the Leadership Office, between late 1935 and early 1936.

In February 1936, Heissmeyer was named Inspector of the National Political Institutes of Education (Napolas), which were prestigious schools designed to cultivate Nazi leadership; by war's end, he oversaw a network of 43 such institutions. Elevated to SS-Obergruppenführer in November 1936, he also chaired the Reichsbund der Kinderreichen, an organization promoting large Aryan families beginning April 1938.

Politically, Heissmeyer secured election to the Reichstag in March 1933 representing constituency 17 (Westphalia North) and maintained this seat until Nazi Germany's downfall. On 30 January 1935, he was appointed as Prussian provincial councilor for the Rhine Province.

Second World War

After the Second World War commenced, Heissmeyer was designated Higher SS and Police Leader (HSSPF) "Spree" on 2 September 1939, responsible for all SS and police units within the Berlin-Brandenburg region, a position he maintained until the conclusion of the conflict. When Theodor Eicke stepped down as head of the Concentration Camps Inspectorate, his deputy Richard Glücks took over in November 1939, handling daily administration under Heissmeyer's oversight until August 1940. That same month, Heissmeyer advanced to the role of Ministerialdirektor at the Reich Ministry of Science, Education and Culture. On 11 January 1941, he assumed leadership of the SS main office titled "Dienststelle Obergruppenführer Heissmeyer", aiming to enhance SS authority over Napolas and National Socialist educational institutions. Additionally, in August 1941, he was appointed Inspector of German Home Schools.

In December 1940, Heissmeyer wed Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, who served as Reichsfrauenführerin for the National Socialist Women's League, and together they had a son born in 1944. During the April 1945 Battle of Berlin, he commanded the Kampfgruppe "Heissmeyer," which merged his SS forces with the Volkssturm militia and Hitler Youth units to defend the airfield at Spandau. This formation endured severe casualties during a Red Army attack on 25 April, with the remaining members withdrawing westward across the Havel river. For his service, Heissmeyer received the War Merit Cross, both 1st and 2nd class with swords.

Post-war life and prosecutions

Prior to Berlin’s capture, Heissmeyer and Scholtz-Klink escaped, destroyed their identification documents, and were briefly detained in a Soviet camp near Magdeburg during the summer of 1945. They claimed refugee status and were released in September. With assistance from Princess Pauline of Württemberg, they concealed themselves in Bebenhausen, near Tübingen, assuming false identities as Heinrich and Maria Stuckenbrock while working as domestic helpers. French authorities apprehended them on 28 February 1948 for carrying forged papers; they were convicted in April and sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment, being freed in August 1949.

Upon returning to Tübingen, they underwent denazification trials; on 21 June 1950, Heissmeyer was classified as a Category I major offender and received a three-year prison term along with asset confiscation. Scholtz-Klink was sentenced to thirty months in a labor camp. After serving his sentence, Heissmeyer settled in Schwäbisch Hall where he took on the role of director at a West German Coca-Cola bottling facility. He passed away on 16 January 1979.

Heissmeyer was also the uncle of Kurt Heissmeyer, a Nazi medical doctor found guilty in 1966 for committing crimes against humanity related to human experiments conducted at Neuengamme concentration camp.

SS and police ranks

SS and police ranks
Date	Rank
5 January 1931	SS-Truppführer
31 March 1931	SS-Sturmführer
25 August 1931	SS-Sturmbannführer
18 March 1932	SS-Standartenführer
6 October 1932	SS-Oberführer
9 November 1933	SS-Brigadeführer
28 February 1934	SS-Gruppenführer
9 November 1936	SS-Obergruppenführer
1 July 1944	General der Polizei und General der Waffen-SS

Sources

• Klee, Ernst (2007). Das Personenlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945. Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag. Frankfurt am Main. p. 241. .
• Stockhorst, Erich (1985). 5000 Köpfe: Wer War Was im 3. Reich. Arndt. p. 186. .