Germany Germany - Hans Kammler, 45, WW II Nazi SS General, 9 May 1945

[Richard]

Hans Kammler, Nazi Waffen SS General
Missing since May 1945 in the closing days of World War II.

Hans Kammler (born 26 August 1901) was an SS Obergruppenfurer (General) responsible for Nazi civil engineering projects and its top secret V-2 program which sent missiles into England. He oversaw the construction of various Nazi concentration camps before being put in charge of the V-2 Rocket and Emergency Jet Fighter Programs towards the end of World War II. Kammler disappeared in May 1945, during the final days of the war. There has been much conjecture regarding his fate.

LINKS:

Hans Kammler - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Hans Kammler, Hitler’s Last Hope, in American Hands

In CWIHP Working Paper #91, authors Frank Döbert and Rainer Karlsch examine new evidence suggesting that Hans Kammler, SS Obergruppenfuehrer and head of the Office of Unit C of the Economic Administration Main Office of the SS, fell into American custody in the closing days of the war.

www.wilsoncenter.org

The Nazi War Criminal the U.S. Kept Hidden – The American Spectator | USA News and Politics

The Hidden Nazi: The Untold Story of America’s Deal with the Devil By Dean Reuter, Colm Lowery & Keith Chester (Regnery History, 396 pages, $29.99) The Hidden Nazi uncovers a previously uncovered war criminal, Waffen-SS General Hans Kammler, who was never brought to justice even though clearly...

spectator.org

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/many-deaths-of-hans-kammler.html?chrome=1

What Happened to SS Gen. Hans Kammler?

What happened to SS General Hans Kammler? From 1944 onward, he was in change of advanced weapons development in Nazi Germany, including the Me-262 jets, the V-2 rockets and perhaps even more exotic projects. Did he commit suicide at the end of the war, escape to Argentina or perhaps become part o...

www.unexplained-mysteries.com

 

[Quoththeraven]

Hans Kammler, Nazi Waffen SS General
Missing since May 1945 in the closing days of World War II.

Hans Kammler (born 26 August 1901) was an SS Obergruppenfurer (General) responsible for Nazi civil engineering projects and its top secret V-2 program which sent missiles into England. He oversaw the construction of various Nazi concentration camps before being put in charge of the V-2 Rocket and Emergency Jet Fighter Programs towards the end of World War II. Kammler disappeared in May 1945, during the final days of the war. There has been much conjecture regarding his fate.

LINKS:

Hans Kammler - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Hans Kammler, Hitler’s Last Hope, in American Hands

In CWIHP Working Paper #91, authors Frank Döbert and Rainer Karlsch examine new evidence suggesting that Hans Kammler, SS Obergruppenfuehrer and head of the Office of Unit C of the Economic Administration Main Office of the SS, fell into American custody in the closing days of the war.

www.wilsoncenter.org

The Nazi War Criminal the U.S. Kept Hidden – The American Spectator | USA News and Politics

The Hidden Nazi: The Untold Story of America’s Deal with the Devil By Dean Reuter, Colm Lowery & Keith Chester (Regnery History, 396 pages, $29.99) The Hidden Nazi uncovers a previously uncovered war criminal, Waffen-SS General Hans Kammler, who was never brought to justice even though clearly...

spectator.org

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/many-deaths-of-hans-kammler.html?chrome=1

What Happened to SS Gen. Hans Kammler?

What happened to SS General Hans Kammler? From 1944 onward, he was in change of advanced weapons development in Nazi Germany, including the Me-262 jets, the V-2 rockets and perhaps even more exotic projects. Did he commit suicide at the end of the war, escape to Argentina or perhaps become part o...

www.unexplained-mysteries.com

These are only two of many stories of what happened to Kammler. I don't doubt he may have come to the US under a fake name and worked in the secret Army intelligence program, Operation Paperclip.​

​

The Akron Beacon Journal, 09 Feb 1958, Sun · Page 69​

states, "The most obvious among the missing is Kammler, who shot himself in Prague, Czechoslovakia, the day after the German surrender."

 

[Richard]

Kammler was one of the top Nazis sought for war crimes after WW II. He is one of only a few who was never brought to justice or positively accounted for.

Stories of his death are many and varied: he took cyanide, he shot himself, he died gloriously in battle against resistance fighters, he was shot by one of his officers, captured by the Russians, defected to the US, or escaped and went into hiding.

He was officially declared dead as of 9 May 1945. But the true story of his end remains a mystery.

 

[Richard]

Last seen 78 years ago. Did he escape justice?

Photos of the V-2 rockets under Kammler's command in World War II:

 

[Richard]

Here is an interesting video about 10 Nazi SS Officers who escaped or evaded capture following the end of World War II.

Hans Kammler is featured as Number 10, and coverage on him begins at the 23:52 mark toward the end of the linked film.

LINK:

 

[Richard]

Hans Kammler (26 August 1901 – 1 November 1945) Photo taken in 1932
He disappeared 80 years ago in the closing days of World War II. He was a Nazi Waffen SS General.

 

[Gators North]

These old cases are fascinating.

 

[seasideForest]

I would hazard a guess that he is no longer alive, since he would be about 124yo.

It is however maddening that he never had to face justice.

Some top Nazis disappeared off to Central and South America after WW2. But not only there, see Ratlines (World War II) - Wikipedia.

 

[Gators North]

I think at least one of them fled to the US. He was elderly when they finally found him and IIRC he was sent to Germany. Can’t remember his name and I don’t have a link, so MOO and IMO.

 

[Gators North]

Found it, and I was wrong. Poland wanted to extradite him but he was 98 when he was found. He died in Minnesota.

Michael Karkoc - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Richard]

Did Hans Kammler commit suicide? Did he die gloriously in a final battle? Was he shot by one of his own men? Did he slip away and escape to South America to live a quiet life under an alias? Was he captured by one the Allied powers and allowed to live in a protected status?

There are different theories and stories regarding the end of this Nazi war criminal.

 

[Gators North]

Did Hans Kammler commit suicide? Did he die gloriously in a final battle? Was he shot by one of his own men? Did he slip away and escape to South America to live a quiet life under an alias? Was he captured by one the Allied powers and allowed to live in a protected status?

There are different theories and stories regarding the end of this Nazi war criminal.

Richard, do you know if his full name was Hans Friedrich Karl Franz Kammler?

 

[Richard]

I believe that was his full name. He wasn't appointed a general in the SS until 1945, and therefore is not listed in a 1943 book I have which lists most known officers in the German general staff and commands.

Besides Kamller's work designing Concentration camps for mass murder, he headed the V1 and V2 rocket programs which launched missiles into England, killing thousands.

His last project was to get newly developed Nazi ME 262 jet fighter planes into production.

Regardless of what "alternate ending" of Kammler is true, one fact remains: no body was ever produced so he remains Missing.

 

[Gators North]

I believe that was his full name. He wasn't appointed a general in the SS until 1945, and therefore is not listed in a 1943 book I have which lists most known officers in the German general staff and commands.

Besides Kamller's work designing Concentration camps for mass murder, he headed the V1 and V2 rocket programs which launched missiles into England, killing thousands.

His last project was to get newly developed Nazi ME 262 jet fighter planes into production.

Regardless of what "alternate ending" of Kammler is true, one fact remains: no body was ever produced so he remains Missing.

I did a quick search on Ancestry today and I think I found his marriage license. I don’t know what other records are on Ancestry, but I’ll have more time to poke around tomorrow.

 

[Gators North]

Found out a tiny bit about Hans from Findagrave, but I don’t think we’ll ever know how he died.

Mods, please delete if Findagrave is not an accepted source.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/175752516/hans_friedrich_karl_franz-kammler

 

[Richard]

SS General Hans Kammler, missing since 1945