Karlis Ozols (SD, Ostuf)

Discussions on all aspects of the SS and Polizei. Hosted by Andrey.
Post Reply
Peter
Financial supporter
Posts: 4792
Joined: 24 Nov 2002, 12:13
Location: Europe

Karlis Ozols (SD, Ostuf)

#1

Post by Peter » 21 Aug 2006, 15:14

Does anybody have any photos of him, thanks.
9 August 1912 Born Karlis Aleksandrs Ozols - Riga, Latvia.

1936-7 Karlis Ozols represents Latvia in the Munich 1936 Olympic Games & the Stockholm 1937 Chess Championships.

Studying law at University of Latvia. Meets Viktors Arajs.

1 July 1941 Joins Latvian Security Police (SD), in Riga.

August 1941 Given command of a platoon in the Latvian SD.

Nov-Dec 1941 Appointed company leader of Latvian SD unit, trained and led by German Waffen SS Untersturmfuhrer Kurt Junker, in anti-partisan manoeuvres. Junker describes how on arrival at a village he had to control Ozols' unit to prevent them from shooting every inhabitant of the village.

26 March 1942 Sent to the elite SD officers school in Furstenberg, Germany. Ozols trained there with members of the Arajs Kommando. The Arajs Kommando is reorganised under the auspices of the SD.

28 June 1942 Awarded the OSTV II in Bronze (bravery award).

24 July 1942 - 27 Sept 1943 Lieutenant Ozols commands a unit of the Latvian SD and SIPO based in Minsk (capital of Belorussia). Ozols' company assists in the transportation, guarding and execution of Jews at the killing pits.

28-30 July 1942 Ozols' unit commences mass killings of Jews in the Minsk Ghetto.

July 1942-Sept 1943 More than 10,000 Jews from Minsk Ghetto are executed at Gut Trostinez and Maley Trostenets. Ozols kills people at the pits as well as commanding his company to guard the area of the pits while Jews are executed, and gas-trucks arrive with their dead passengers to be buried.

8 and 9 February 1943 Ozols and the 110 Latvians under his command assist the SS to kill more than 2,000 Jews of the Slutzk ghetto after transporting them to pits outside the town. The ghetto of Slutzk is completely exterminated.

Early 1944 Ozols' company returns to Riga. His home - Apt 13, 4 Zvaignu St Riga - is reportedly filled with valuables stolen from Jewish victims. Ozols' wife Erika, is observed in town with expensive jewellery from her husband's Jewish victims, and apparently even today continues to talk about her gems.

20 April 1944 Promoted to the rank of Obersturmfuhrer (Lieutenant-Colonel/1st Lieutenant) and is decorated with KVK II (Kriegsverdienstkreuz) - War Cross of Merit. (This was rarely given to non-Germans which indicates that Ozols must have distinguished himself in his duties.) December 1944 Ozols disappears. He remains in Germany from 1945, travelling around playing chess.

25 March 1949 Arrives in Australia on the Mozzafari.

17 October 1956 Naturalised in Victoria. Victorian Chess Champion.

1958 Australian Chess Champion - tied for national title and later represented Australia at a number of correspondence chess championships. Awarded the correspondence IM title in 1972. October 1986 Karlis Ozols was on the first list of suspected Nazi war criminals the Simon Wiesenthal Center presents to the Federal Government in October 1986.

13 May 1992 SIU presents five years of documentation on allegations of Ozols' war crimes to the DPP for prosecution.

10 June 1992 SIU receives further documentation of witnesses in Latvia to atrocities committed by Karlis Ozols.

28 June 1992 Senior Counsel advises the DPP that a prima facie case exists against Karlis Ozols for the committing of war crimes and genocide.

30 June 1992 SIU closed down by the Attorney-General.

1 July 1992 SIU requests permission from Attorney-General to finalise case against Ozols.

30 July 1992 Attorney-General refuses permission. Case closed.

1997 Ozols still living in Melbourne.

Violeta
Member
Posts: 238
Joined: 20 Nov 2004, 18:56
Location: Spain

#2

Post by Violeta » 21 Aug 2006, 16:05

Dear Iltis,

Ozols died in Melbourne in 2001. There are many pictures taken of Ozols after the war (found by a simple Google search). I send you two of these.


Best,
Violeta
Attachments
Ozols1.jpg
Ozols1.jpg (15.49 KiB) Viewed 1326 times


Violeta
Member
Posts: 238
Joined: 20 Nov 2004, 18:56
Location: Spain

#3

Post by Violeta » 21 Aug 2006, 16:09

... and a second one, being already an Australian chess player.


Source: http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/ozols.html

Hope this helps.
Attachments
ozols2.jpg
ozols2.jpg (9.01 KiB) Viewed 1324 times

Peter
Financial supporter
Posts: 4792
Joined: 24 Nov 2002, 12:13
Location: Europe

#4

Post by Peter » 21 Aug 2006, 19:19

Thanks Violetta


I found this also

Ozols' last public appearance in the chess world came when he briefly visited the Melbourne Australian Championship in January 1997 but found himself shunned by most.

Soon thereafter Ozols was confined to a northern Melbourne nursing home, where he died in his sleep on March 26, aged 88. His funeral was attended by only a few chessplayers.

Karlis Ozols
Born Riga, Latvia 9/8/1912
Died Melbourne 26/03/2001

Wilfried Abenaschon
Member
Posts: 882
Joined: 28 Jun 2002, 22:25
Location: UK

#5

Post by Wilfried Abenaschon » 21 Aug 2006, 19:50

So sad he didn't pay for his crimes!

I'm surprised to hear that there was a non German SD! Are you sure it's not a Hilfpolizei? I thought SD members were SS (so racialy Germans)...

Willab

Post Reply

Return to “The Phil Nix SS & Polizei section”