Franz Kutschera
Austrian Nazi politician and government official (1904–1944)
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Key Takeaways
- Franz Kutschera (22 February 1904 – 1 February 1944) was an Austrian Nazi politician and government official.
- During World War II, he served with the SS in France, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, and finally Poland.
- Due to his crimes against Poles, including Polish Jews, the Polish Home Army, in agreement with the Polish government in exile, targeted him for assassination.
- In reprisal, the Germans executed 300 Polish civilians.
- After primary school he served as a cabin boy in the Austro-Hungarian Navy from 1918–19 and later attended a gymnasium in Villach.
Franz Kutschera (22 February 1904 – 1 February 1944) was an Austrian Nazi politician and government official. He held numerous political and administrative offices with the Nazi Party and the Schutzstaffel (SS) both before and after the Anschluss of Austria in 1938. During World War II, he served with the SS in France, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, and finally Poland.
In 1943, Kutschera was appointed the SS and Police Leader in German-occupied Warsaw. Due to his crimes against Poles, including Polish Jews, the Polish Home Army, in agreement with the Polish government in exile, targeted him for assassination. On 1 February 1944, he was gunned down in front of the SS headquarters in Warsaw in a special operation by Kedyw, a dedicated resistance special operations unit. In reprisal, the Germans executed 300 Polish civilians.
Life
Kutschera was born in Oberwaltersdorf, Lower Austria (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) on 22 February 1904 and was the son of a professional gardener and minor civil servant. After primary school he served as a cabin boy in the Austro-Hungarian Navy from 1918–19 and later attended a gymnasium in Villach. After graduation he briefly enrolled at a machinists school in Budapest before training to become a gardener like his father. For several years Kutschera would reside in Opava and Karlovy Vary in the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.
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