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| Josef 'Sepp' DIETRICH |
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| Born: 28.5.1892, Hawangen, Bayern. Died: 21.4.1966, Ludwigsburg |
| Dietrich's school years were not particularly bright, and he spend most of his youth working rather than being in school. In 1907, he started working in his father's hotel, much to his dislike. 18.10.1911: Josef joined the Imperial Bavarian Army, at first 1. Royal Bavarian Regiment, later he moves to the second battery of the 4. Artillery Regiment. 17.11.1911: Makes a terrible fall from a horse, thereby wounding him and making him unfit for further service, he resigns. 6.8.1914: Re-joins the German Army, 7. Artillery Regiment, but gets wounded shortly after. |
| 1.15: Josef is wounded once more. He is transferred to the 13th tank detachment, in this unit he will finish the war with, heavily decorated (Iron Cross I and II class and the Bavaria Bravery Medal [Tapferkeitsmedaille]). He did not receive his Kampfwagenabzeichen in Silber until after the war, are there were no tank medals during the First World War. They were not installed until 13.7.21. After the war, he worked for the Landespolizei, which he left in 1927 with the rank of Hauptmann, captain. As were many veterans from the WW I, Dietrich was active in a Freikorps, Freikorps 'Oberland'. The Freikorpsen were groups of armed men whom the German government wielded to protect herself from leftist coup-d'états. After having worked in a tobacco-plant and even a gas-station, Dietrich joins the NSDAP on 1.5.28, being n° 89015. Located in München, where he commands 1. SS-Sturm, he was quickly perceived by Hitler as being one of his most loyal subordinates, as well as being an expert in street-fighting. 1.8.28: Dietrich appointed as SS-Standartenführer. 11.7.30: Dietrich appointed as SS-Oberführer, and commander of SS-Gruppe 'Süd'. 29.2.32: Dietrich assigned as head of SS-Begleitkommando Der Führer, which was the bodyguard unit of Adolf Hitler. 17.5.33: The Leibstandarte is founded, which grew out of SS-Stabswache Berlin, which, in its turn, grew out of Dietrich's old Begleitkommando. Dietrich is appointed head of the Leibstandarte. The Leibstandarte comes under control of the Internal Minister in 1934. In June of 1934, two companies of the Leibstandarte, commanded by Martin Kohlroser, execute the S.A. prisoners at the München prison. After the Anschluss of Austria in 1938, the LSSAH is transformed into Infantrieregiment Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (motorisiert), which took part in the first campaign of the German Army. 5.40: Dietrich appointed as General der Waffen-SS. 5.7.40: Ritterkreuz des Eisernes Kreuzes, as Kommandeur der Leibstandarte. 4.41: 'Operation Marita', invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece. Dietrich still commands the Leibstandarte. 6.6.41: 'Operation Barbarossa' 31.12.41: Eichenlaub to his Ritterkreuz. 16.3.43: Dietrich leaves the Leibstandarte, leaves command to SS-Brigadeführer Theodor Wisch, is awarded Schwertern to his Ritterkreuz same day. 1944: Dietrich commands I. SS-Panzerkorps in Normandy. 1.8.44: Dietrich appointed SS-Oberstgruppenführer und Generaloberst der Waffen-SS, he also received the unique honorific title of Panzer Generaloberst der Waffen-SS. 6.8.44: Brillanten to his Ritterkreuz, as Kommandeur von I. SS-Panzerkorps. 9.44: Receives command of VI. Panzerarmee, formed out of the remains of VII. Panzerarmee. 16.12.44: Ardennes-offensive; Leibstandarte commanded by SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke. 31.1.45: VI. Panzerarmee renamed VI. SS-Panzerarmee. 8.5.45: Josef 'Sepp' Dietrich, together with his wife, surrenders to Patton. 12.46: Dachau trials, Dietrich gets 25 years. 10.55: Dietrich is finally freed from prison, but is charged again with the murder of six S.A. members during the night of the long knives, for which he gets another 18 months in prison. 2.59: Because of health-problems; Dietrich is released from prison, and settles in Ludwingsburg, where he is active in the HIAG, a support-organisation for former Waffen-SS soldiers. 21.4.66 Dietrich dies of a heart attack, he was 74 years old. Over 6.000 former Waffen-SS soldiers attended his funeral, organized by Wilhelm Brittich. |
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