Hans Loritz

Who was Hans Loritz?

Oberführer Hans Loritz joined the SS in September, 1930 and the NSDAP in August, 1930. In 1933, he formed and commanded the Austrian SS Standarte at the Dachau concentration camp. From mid-December, 1933 to July, 1934, he was the only commander of the camp at Papenburg and when that camp was closed in late July, 1934, he was transferred to KZ Esterwegen where he was the Commandant for two years before being transferred back to serve as Commandant of Dachau until 1939. He was dismissed in July, 1939 by Hitler for being to harsh. He became a section leader of the General SS in Klagenfurt. In 1940 Himmler posted him to Sachsenhausen, to replace Walter Eisfeld. That lasted until 1942, when he was removed by the suggestion of Oswald Pohl, leader of the SS-WVHA. He was then sent to oversee a camp in Norway.

After the war, he was arrested and imprisoned at the internment camp in Neumünster to await trial by the Soviets; he committed suicide, however, in January 1946.