Günther Pancke
Günther Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Pancke (1 May 1899 – 17 August 1973) was an SS-Obergruppenführer (General) and the Higher SS and Police Leader of Denmark.
History
Pancke was born in Gnesen (Gniezno), Province of Posen, German Empire. He served during the First World War as frontline officer with the rank of Leutnant. Between 1920 and 1927 he stayed in South America. He joined the Nazi Party on 1 August 1930, and the SS on 1 June 1931.
Pancke was appointed as Verbindungsoffizier between the Führerhauptquartier and the SS-Totenkopfverbänden and Einsatzgruppen des SD in 1939. After that he served as Höherer SS- und Polizeiführer "Mitte". From October 1943 until the end of the war he was appointed as the SS- und Polizeiführer "Dänemark" and was promoted to Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei on 20 April 1944, and General der Waffen-SS on 21 March 1945.
During his role in Denmark, he became incensed by the refusal of the Danish police to combat resistance forces or to protect factories from sabotage. He ordered the entire national police force, amounting to approximately 10,000 officers, to be arrested and sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp. Approximately 1,700 were arrested, with the balance eluding capture.[1]
After 8 years of imprisonment in Denmark, Pancke was released 1953 and died on 17 August 1973 in Hamburg.
Promotions
| Rank | Achieved |
|---|---|
| Leutnant | June 1918 |
| SS-Sturmführer | 25 December 1932 |
| SS-Sturmhauptführer | 30 January 1933 |
| SS-Sturmbannführer | 12 June 1933 |
| SS-Obersturmbannführer | 3 September 1933 |
| SS-Standartenführer | 15 December 1933 |
| SS-Oberführer | 20 April 1934 |
| SS-Brigadeführer | 13 September 1936 |
| Rittmeister a.D. | 1 February 1938 |
| SS-Gruppenführer | 1 September 1938 |
| Generalleutnant der Polizei | 10 April 1941 |
| SS-Obergruppenführer | 21 June 1943 |
| General der Polizei | 20 April 1944 |
| General der Waffen-SS | 21 March 1945 |
Decorations and awards
- Iron Cross of 1914, 2nd class
- Sword of honour of the Reichsführer-SS
- Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
- Golden Party Badge of the NSDAP
- War Merit Cross, 1st and 2nd class with Swords
- Sudetenland Medal with Clasp
- Wound Badge in Black (1918)
- Service Award of the NSDAP for 10 years (Bronze) and for 15 years of service (Silver)
References
- ↑ Stephanie A. Lewis and Barbara C. Mallen, The Heel of the Conqueror, p. 107. Time Life series on The Third Reich (Henry Woodhead, Ed.), 1991.
Sources and external links
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Günther Pancke |
- World War II Awards, retrieved on January 20, 2008.
- http://www.dws.xip.pl/reich/biografie/10110.html, retrieved on January 20, 2008.
- Janssen-Militaria SS and Waffen-SS research, retrieved on January 20, 2008
- Axis History Factbook, retrieved on January 20, 2008.
- Interrogation of Pancke, Günther, in pdf format in Nuremberg.pdf