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Walter Braemer (7 January 1883 13 June 1955) was a soldier in the Imperial German Army, general in both the Reichswehr and the Wehrmacht, member of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) who rose to the rank of ''Gruppenführer'' (third-highest SS rank overall) and the Nazi war criminal responsible for mass murders of the civilian population of Bydgoszcz in Poland at the outset of the Second World War, and later for crimes against humanity in the Holocaust on (what was then) the territory of the Soviet Union, who escaped prosecution and punishment after the War despite having been captured and held for nearly 2½ years as a prisoner of war by the British.〔Hans-Heinrich Wilhelm, "Personelle Kontinuitäten in baltischen Angelegenheiten auf deutscher Seite von 1917/19 bis zum Zweiten Weltkrieg"; in: ''The Baltic in International Relations between the Two World Wars: Symposium organized by the Centre for Baltic Studies, November 1113, 1986, University of Stockholm, Frescati'', ed. J. Hiden & A. Loit, Stockholm, Centre for Baltic Studies, University of Stockholm, 1988, pp. 165169. ISBN 9122011943.〕〔Edmund Pyszczyński, "'Akcja Tannenberg' w Bydgoszczy w okresie od 5 IX do 20 XI 1939 r."; in: ''Z okupacyjnych dziejów Bydgoszczy'', ed. J. Wiśniowski & J. Sziling, (Bydgoskie Towarzystwo Naukowe: ''Prace Wydziału Nauk Humanistycznych'' series E, No. 10), Warsaw, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1977, p. 80.〕〔Donald Bloxham, ''Genocide on Trial: War Crimes Trials and the Formation of Holocaust History and Memory'', Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 199201. ISBN 0198208723.〕〔Dieter Pohl, ''Die Herrschaft der Wehrmacht: Deutsche Militärbesatzung und einheimische Bevölkerung in der Sowjetunion, 19411944'', Munich, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 2009, p. 39. ISBN 9783486591743.〕 == Early career == Braemer was born at Königsberg, then an East Prussian port city on the Baltic Sea, on 7 January 1883.〔The entirety of this section, except as otherwise noted below, is based on the ''Lexikon der Wehrmacht'' ((see online) ), supplemented by the prisoner information from the British prisoner-of-war camp Island Farm where Braemer was held between 9 January 1946 and 6 October 1947 ((see online). )〕 His military career under the German Empire and the Weimar Republic bears the unmistakable hallmarks of patronage commonly accorded at the time to people of high birth. On 2 March 1901, at the age of 18, he enlisted as a ''fähnrich'' (officer candidate or ensign) in the 2nd Hanoverian Dragoon Regiment No. 16 (''2. Hannoversches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 16''), a unit of the 20th Division of the Prussian Army stationed in the northern garrison town of Lüneburg in the Prussian Province of Hanover. Less than eleven months later, on 27 January 1902, he was promoted, without much education, military or otherwise, to the commissioned rank of leutnant his commission as an officer (the so-called ''offizierspatent'') having been issued on 22 June 1900, i.e., actually prior to his enlistment in the army, at a time when he was a civilian minor of 17 years of age.〔''Militär-Wochenblatt'' (see ''Militär-Wochenblatt''), vol. 87, Berlin, E. S. Mittler & Sohn, 1902, p. 17. (Google Books )〕〔Wolf Keilig, ''Das deutsche Heer, 19391945'', vol. 3 (''Gliederung; Einsatz, Stellenbesetzung''), Bad Nauheim, Verlag Hans-Henning Podzun, 1956, p. 43.〕 Only subsequently, for two years between 1906 and 1908, did he study at the Military School of Equitation (''Militärreitschule'' see ''Militärreitinstitut'') in Hanover.〔On the Military School of Equitation in Hanover, see United States; Adjutant-General’s Office; Military Information Division (author ), ''Sources of Information on Military Professional Subjects: A Classified List of Books and Publications (1897 )'', Washington, Government Printing Office, 1898, p. 110.〕 This course was followed by 2 years 9 months and 3 weeks he spent at a military academy (sources speak of a ''Kriegsakademie'': unclear whether the ''Prussian'' War Academy is meant, three other options being possible) where he was enrolled until 21 July 1911.〔Hans-Heinrich Wilhelm, "Motivation und 'Kriegsbild' deutscher Generale und Offiziere im Krieg gegen die Sowjetunion"; in: ''Erobern und Vernichten: der Krieg gegen die Sowjetunion 19411945'', ed. P Jahn, ''et al.'', Berlin, Argon Verlag, 1991, p. 181. ISBN 3870241896.〕 His training was to be expanded later only by a 26-day-long artillery course he was to take at the age of 39, and by another 29-day course in heavy infantry weapons in October 1929. While still at the military academy, he was promoted to ''oberleutnant'' ("senior lieutenant") on 27 January 1910, and on 1 April 1912, was detached to the central military command known as the "Great General Staff" (''Grosser Generalstab'': see also German General Staff, and ''Generalstab''), the governing body of the army. While there, he was given the higher rank of ''rittmeister'' ("captain of the cavalry") on 17 February 1914, and five days later formally inducted into the Great General Staff at the age of 31. When the First World War broke out, Braemer was transferred on 2 August 1914 to the headquarters of the 9th Cavalry Division, a formation newly raised specifically for the war effort, where he served as a third-in-command (''zweiter generalstabsoffizier'' or so-called "Ib") under the fellow-Prussian commander Eberhard Graf von Schmettow and the latter's right hand or "Ia" (''erster generalstabsoffizier'' or second-in-command), Major Herwarth von Bittenfeld.〔Janet Robinson and Joe Robinson, ''Handbook of Imperial Germany'', Bloomington (Indiana), AuthorHouse, 2009, p. 263. ISBN 9781449021139.〕 Braemer married Erika ''freiin'' von der Goltz on 27 December 1915, when she was 22 and he nearly 33; they had three children (b. 1916, 1921, and 1923).〔Prisoner information from the British prisoner-of-war camp Island Farm where Braemer was held between 9 January 1946 and 6 October 1947 ((see online). )〕 Between 9 September 1916 and 18 April 1917 hw circulated between the General Staffs (divisional commands) of such formations as the 75th Reserve Division, and the 6th and 7th Cavalry Divisions, before being appointed to the General Staff of the XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps at Dresden. On 17 January 1917 hw was decorated with the Royal Prussian Hohenzollern House Order (Knight’s Cross with Swords) for military exploits that remain a complete mystery.〔''Militär-Wochenblatt'' (see ''Militär-Wochenblatt''), vol. 101, Berlin, E. S. Mittler & Sohn, 1902, p. 3188. (Google Books )〕 He then served for a few months between November 1917 and March 1918 under the ''oberquartiermeister'' (quartermaster-general) within the command known as the 10th Army in Cologne, before being posted very briefly on 28 March 1918 to the General Staff of the 234th Infantry Division (''234. Division (Deutsches Kaiserreich)''), and the next month again to that of the XXVI Reserve Corps. After the War he took over as a ''hauptmann'' (a rank approximating to that of captain) in the 20th Reichswehr Brigade based at Allenstein (now Olsztyn) in Ermland, 126 km south of his native Königsberg in East Prussia (1 May 191913 December 1919), before being delegated to a desk job at the Bendlerblock in Berlin the Ministry of the Reichswehr for a period of 2 years and 3½ months between 13 December 1919 and 1 April 1922. While there he was again promoted to the rank of ''major'' (roughly equivalent to major in Anglo-American taxonomies) on 1 January 1922. For 18 months between April 1922 to October 1923 he was squadron leader (''eskadronchef'') in the 2nd (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment (''2. (Preußisches) Reiter-Regiment (Reichswehr)'') that garrisoned both Allenstein and Osterode (now Ostróda) in Ermland, then within the Province of East Prussia. Next, over the period of 3 years and 4 months from October 1923 to February 1927, Braemer served on the General Staff of the 6th Division at Münster in Westphalia: here he saw another advancement in rank to ''oberstleutnant'' (lieutenant colonel) on 1 April 1926.〔Reichswehrministerium (Heeres-Personalamt),''Rangliste des deutschen Reichsheeres: Nach dem Stande vom 1. Mai 1927'', Berlin, Verlag von E. S. Mittler & Sohn, 1927, p. 56.〕 From 1 February 1927 to 1 January 1931 he held the command of the 6th (Prussian) Cavalry Regiment (''6. (Preußisches) Reiter-Regiment'') headquartered in the northern town of Pasewalk, about 40 km west of Stettin (now Szczecin) in Western Pomerania a post in which he spent 3 years and 11 months (his longest tour of duty ever).〔''Stellenbesetzung der deutschen Heere, 18151939'', vol. 3 (''Die Stellenbesetzung der aktiven Regimenter, Bataillone und Abteilungen von der Stiftung bzw. Aufstellung bis zum 26. August 1939...''), Osnabrück, Biblio-Verlag, 1993, p. 477. ISBN 3764824131.〕 A promotion to the rank of ''oberst'' (or colonel) was accorded him there on 1 October 1929. Lastly, Braemer held the military command of the city of Insterburg in East Prussia (now Chernyakhovsk in Russia), some 100 km east of his native Königsberg, during the nearly 22-month period from 1 January 1931 to 30 November 1932. Here he was elevated to the ''generalmajor''ship (a rank roughly corresponding to that of brigadier general) on 1 October 1932, and two months later retired from the Reichswehr at the age of 49.〔The entirety of this section, except as otherwise noted above, is based on the ''Lexikon der Wehrmacht'' ((see online) ), supplemented by the prisoner information from the British prisoner-of-war camp Island Farm where Braemer was held between 9 January 1946 and 6 October 1947 ((see online). )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Walter Braemer」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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