Hermann Behrends

This article is about the Nazi SS official. For the Generalmajor, see Hermann-Heinrich Behrend.

Hermann Johann Heinrich Behrends (11 May 1907 – 4 December 1948) was a Nazi Party member and SS official with the rank of lieutenant general (Gruppenführer).^[1]

Hermann Behrends
Born	(1907-05-11)11 May 1907 Rüstringen, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, German Empire
Died	4 December 1948(1948-12-04) (aged 41) Belgrade, FPR Yugoslavia
Nationality	German
Alma mater	Marburg University
Years active	1932–1945
Organization	Schutzstaffel
Title	SS-Gruppenführer
Political party	Nazi Party
Criminal status	executed
Criminal charge	War crimes
Penalty	Death by hanging

Born in Rüstringen, Oldenburg, the son of a provincial innkeeper, he was educated to doctorate level in law at Marburg University but struggled to find employment in an economically depressed Weimar Germany.^[2] He joined the Nazi Party in January 1932 and the SS the following month.^[3] With no military experience he initially floundered but soon attracted the attentions of Reinhard Heydrich, who valued academic expertise, and he was transferred to the Sicherheitsdienst (SD).^[4]

Becoming a close friend of Heydrich, Behrends was the first chief of the SD in Berlin.^[5] He also served as Chief of Staff to Werner Lorenz in his capacity as head of the Hauptamt Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle (VOMI).^[6] During the Second World War he was sent to Yugoslavia to lead the regional arm of the VOMI.^[5] His star had fallen somewhat after Heydrich's death as Heinrich Himmler was unimpressed by him, sensing that he was too ambitious.^[4]

On 5 July 1945, he faced charges from the British services in Flensburg. He was interned with the number 560294 in the Island Farm Special Camp in Bridgend, South Wales.^{[citation needed]} On 16 April 1946 he was extradited to Yugoslavia. He was hanged in Belgrade on 4 December 1948.^[5]

Decorations and awards

• 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class^[1]
• War Merit Cross 2nd Class^[1]