Hausser in Mauthausen

[Michal78]

I think this is the first photo what I can see that Paul Hausser accompanied Heinrich Himmler during his visit in KL Mauthausen. Any idea who is SS Oberfuehrer in front of Pohl?
Michal

[Max Williams]

Definitely Mauthausen KL (you can see the granite wall on the right.)
If Hausser is there, then other WSS men might be. Do my eyes deceive me, or is that Otto Kumm in front of Hausser? I might be totally wrong of course, but it does look like him!
Max.

[Michal78]

Max I think you are absolutely right...I was not sure with Kumm and I didnt say anything about him....but you convinced me that it is him....(I tried to convince myself that it is Ziereis...but I knew that it is not him.)
Many thanks.
Michal

[Michal78]

Here is photo of Otto Kumm in Mauthausen...Any idea who are others ? (especially Oberfuhrer)
Michal

[harmel]

Hi Michal,I must admit I was a bit surprised to see Hausser in ans number of these
pics taken from Mauthausen,no id on the SS Oberf but could that be Otto Kumm as SS Stubaf
on the left.
Harmel

[harmel]

God Max,you beat me to it.
Pretty sure I have seen Fritz Klingenberg on these pics as well.
Harmel

[harmel]

On the pic with Kumm is Fritz Vogt,behind.
Harmel

[TH Albright]

Verrry interesting....an older thread on this forum also showed Otto Weidinger and Frizt Vogt getting a "dog and pony" show visit of this camp; they were there as part of a Waffen SS visit to "inspire" the morale of the guard battalion, I believe. Now what would be Hausser's purpose in accompanying the RFSS to Mauthausen? This is the strongest evidence yet of the organizational relationships and interconnectivities within the SS. Of course, Hausser may have just been interested in seeing that Spinal Tap predecessor, "The Quarrymen"! But seriously, this is pretty damning visual evidence against the "..we were just simple soldiers" pablum which Hausser used post-war. I mean what possible interest could Hausser have in this charnal house of a concentration camp? Well, the guard battalions were used a a source of replacement manpower for the frontline Waffen SS..and, Himmler certainly wanted to show his frontline warriors the importance of fighting the "enemy behind the wire" and how it all fit seamlessly into his vision of the SS as one stop shopping for Aryan hegemony. P.S., since I was writing this, it appears all these characters were there at the same time and the same visit..some dog and pony show for the boys behind the wire! Looks like the entire command staff of Das Reich was visiting "the troops".

[harmel]

The SS Ostuf on the left of Pohl I am pretty sure is
a later KC holder,name escapes me.
Harmel

[Michal78]

Behind Hausser is Kaltenbrunner
Michal

[Mark C. Yerger]

Behind Pohl is Karl Kreutz

[Georg_S]

Is´s nice to see more photos from what I discovered a year ago. I think we´ll in the end will see that most of the "higher" officers from the SS-VT was at this visit.

In the first photo far right with glasses is it not that SS-Stubaf (Later SS-Ostubaf) Dr Wim Brandt? Kdr of the SS-A.A.

Best reg,

Georg

[Ruslan M]

Hello, Michal,

I think Himmler's right it's "part" of August Zehender.

[Georg_S]

In some photos you also can see the later RK holder Werner Ostendorf


//Georg

[harmel]

Kreutz it is I knew he was a future KC holder.
Cheers Harmel