Otto Hofmann

Otto Hofmann (March 16, 1896 – December 31, 1982) was an Austrian SS-Gruppenführer ,an official of Nazi Germany's "Race and Settlement Main Office". Although Hofmann was sentenced to 25 years in prison for war crimes in 1948, he was pardoned on 7 April 1954. Thereafter, he worked as a clerk until his death in 1982.

Life


Hofmann was born in Innsbruck, Tyrol. Hofmann, the son of a merchant, in August 1914 volunteered for service in the First World War. In March 1917, he was promoted to lieutenant. In June 1917, he was taken prisoner by the Russians. However, Hofmann escaped from captivity and returned to Germany. Hofmann completed his pilot training before he was released in 1919 to civilian life. After short-term operation in a Freikorps, he trained as a wine salesman and was active from 1920 to 1925 in wine wholesale. He then started his own business as a wine representative.

In April 1923, Hofmann joined the NSDAP (member: 145,729) and in April 1931 he joined the SS (member: 7,646). From 1933 forward, he worked full time as an SS officer. On 29 March 1933, he ran unsuccessfully in the general election.

In 1931, the SS Race and Settlement Main Office (SS-Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt) or (RuSHA), was created by Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler and SS-Obergruppenführer Richard Walther Darré. In 1939, Hofmann was co-editor of the journal "Biologist". From July 1940 to April 1943, he was chief of the RuSHA. In this capacity, he participated in the "germanization" of the captured territory of Poland and in the Soviet Union. This involved the resetting of Germans in the Nazi occupied Eastern territories and ejecting the native families from those lands. He was responsible for conducting the official Race test on the population e the occupied territories for racial selection. The office was also responsible for the abduction of Polish children to Germany and for the SS - kin care. He was present at the Wannsee Conference on 20 January 1942, for the so-called, "Final Solution of the Jewish Question". In April 1943, Hofmann was transferred to Stuttgart as SS and Police Leader for South-Western Germany (Württemberg, Baden and Alsace). He was the commander of the prisoners in the local Military District V.

Role in the Holocaust
From 1940-43 Hofmann was chief of the RuSHA within the SS. In this capacity he took part in the Wannsee Conference headed by Reinhard Heydrich. There members of the Nazi hierarchy discussed policies which were later enacted and led, in part, to The Holocaust.

Post war
After the war in March 1948, Hofmann was put on trial for his actions as chief of the Race and Settlement Main Office. He was charged with Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes. Although in 1948 Hofmann was sentenced to 25 years in prison for war crimes, on 7 April 1954 he was pardoned and released from Landsberg Prison. Thereafter, he was a clerk in Württemberg until he died in Bad Mergentheim on 31 December 1982.

Fictional portrayals
In the 2001 HBO film Conspiracy, he was played by Nicholas Woodeson.