User:Reguyla\Otto Herzog

[Link label/Photo of Otto Herzog]

Otto Friedrich Herzog (* October 30th, 1900 in Zeiskam - † May 6th, 1945 in Breslau) was a German SA-Obergruppenführer in the Sturmabteilung and Volkssturm during World War II.

Life and Work
A middle-class family entstammend, Herzg began after attending the elementary school and the training school in December 1916 in Landau an apprenticeship in the trade, but changed on 1 June 1917, the NCO School in Fürstenfeldbruck. After the end of World War I, Herzog joined the Freikorps Epp on, with whom he at the suppression of the Bavarian Soviet Republic was involved. After the dissolution of the Freikorps became Duke of the Reichswehr adopted, where he was commissioned officer in the Rifle Regiment 41. Duke was a member of the Military Association Reichskriegsflagge and on the Beer Hall Putsch involved in November 1923. As a party coup, he was dismissed from the of December 1923. The Reichswehr. Probably Duke was already at this time in connection with the NSDAP. From 1924 to 1929 he worked as a commercial assistant. 1930 married Duke; from the 1938 divorced showed a child.

Duke came in 1926 in the NSDAP. Since 1927, he lived in the land of Oldenburg, where he NSDAP group Varel led. 1928 to 1929 he was Managing Director in the Gau of the NSDAP in Oldenburg ; 1929 to 1933, he assumed the office of Gauorganisationsleiters in Gau Weser-Ems. It Herzog worked full for the NSDAP in 1930. 1933 and 1934 gave the Duke "Oldenburg State newspaper" out.

From 1931 he was chairman of the National Socialist Party Group in until the abolition of the law of the country in 1933 Oldenburg parliament. In the general election of July 1932, he was able to win a mandate, but he at the election in November 1932 lost again. As of March 1933, he was then up to the end of the National Socialist German Reich had become meaningless member of the Reichstag.

No later than 1928 Duke joined the SA one, commanding he built in the country Oldenburg. He took over from October 1, 1928 to September 30, 1929, the leadership of the SA Standard 18 and then to 31 March 1931, the SA Brigade Weser-Ems. He was from 1 October 1928 to 1 April 1931 to Gausturmführer for Gau Weser-Ems, then until August 9, 1938 leaders of the SA-subgroup Weser-Ems. In the SA Duke was promoted several times: On April 1, 1930, SA Standard Commander, on April 1, 1931 SA chief officer, on April 1, 1933 SA group leader and on November 9, 1938 SA Obergruppenführer. On July 10, 1934 Duke took over as the successor of the so-called Röhm-Putsch murdered Edmund Heines the leadership of the SA group "Silesia" in Wroclaw. On 1 May 1936, he was staff leader of the Supreme SA leadership ; on June 15, 1939 Duke returned to his old office in Breslau. On February 1, 1942, he was Chief of the mountain-SA.

In a war effort on the Western Front Herzog 1940 wounded. In the final stages of World War II Wroclaw was incorporated in February 1945 by the Red Army. Duke remained in the "fortress" declared Wroclaw and led there as commander of the Volkssturm units. On the day of the surrender of Breslau he committed suicide.

The historian Werner Vahlenkamp characterized Herzog former Freikorps fighter "to the group of particularly brutal and fanatical Nazis" part and "life of the party uncritically connected" was.

Awards

 * Goldenes Parteiabzeichen der NSDAP


 * Dienstauszeichnung der NSDAP in Silber


 * Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse


 * Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse


 * Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on April 15th, 1945 as SA-Obergruppenführer and Führer of the Volkssturmeinheiten Festung Breslau / Führer Kampfgruppe Festung Breslau