Ernst Kaltenbrunner
Ernst Kaltenbrunner
(Ried im Innkreis, October 4, 1903 – Nuremberg, October 16, 1946)
Fue un abogado austríaco y general de las SS durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Tras el asesinato de Reinhard Heydrich, fue designado como su sucesor al frente de la Gestapo y de la Oficina Central de Seguridad del Reich (RSHA), lo que lo convirtió en uno de los más estrechos colaboradores del Reichsführer de las SS, Heinrich Himmler, entre 1942 y 1945.
Captured by U.S. troops after the end of the war, he was tried by the International Military Tribunal during the Nuremberg Trials. He was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was found guilty and executed by hanging on October 16, 1946. In his own words:
“Throughout my life, I had a constant need for love and support, although I showed this as little as possible.”
Gestapo Headquarters
Chapter 1
…Ernst Kaltenbrunner felt a special hatred for Kramer; he could not bear the invulnerability that the latter enjoyed thanks to Himmler, worsened by the fact that he was merely a Kriminalrat, a rank far below his own…
Note: The images shown are authentic historical archives, used for documentary purposes. The figure of Ernst Kaltenbrunner is presented solely in its historical context, with no intention of glorification or justification.
Although Ernst Kaltenbrunner was a key figure in the Nazi repressive apparatus, he is one of the high-ranking leaders least represented in books or films. His role was overshadowed by more notorious figures such as Himmler or Heydrich, even though he directed the RSHA during three crucial years. Moreover, he was the highest-ranking Nazi captured alive after the deaths of Himmler and Hitler.
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