28 Facts About Heinz Jost

Heinz Jost was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era.

Heinz Jost was involved in espionage matters as the Sicherheitsdienst or section chief of office VI of the Reich Security Main Office.

In December 1951, Heinz Jost was released from Landsberg Prison after his sentence was commuted to ten years and died in 1964.

Heinz Jost was born in the northern Hessian Homberg - Ortsteil Holzhausen - in Hersfeld in 1904, to a middle-class Catholic and nationalistic family.

Heinz Jost studied law and economics at the Universities of Giessen and Munich.

Heinz Jost completed his civil service examination in May 1927.

Heinz Jost later worked in the district court at Darmstadt.

Heinz Jost joined the Nazi Party on 2 February 1928 with an NSDAP membership number of 75,946.

Heinz Jost performed various functions for the party's operations in southern Hesse.

On 25 July 1934, Heinz Jost began his full-time career with the SD.

In May 1936, Heinz Jost was promoted in the SD Main Office to head Department III 2.

In 1938, Heinz Jost was head of the Einsatzgruppe Dresden which occupied Czechoslovakia.

Heinz Jost served as an SS officer in the German invasion of Poland in 1939.

Heinz Jost's career suffered by being linked with Werner Best, who was a rival of Reinhard Heydrich.

In March 1942, Heinz Jost was fired from his position as Chief of Ausland-SD.

Heinz Jost's place was taken by Brigadefuhrer Walter Schellenberg, a deputy of Heydrich.

Heinz Jost was sent to command Einsatzgruppe A, whose previous commander Franz Walter Stahlecker, had recently been killed in a battle with partisans.

Heinz Jost became Befehlshaber der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD or BdS in Reichskommissariat Ostland, with his headquarters at Riga.

In both cases Heinz Jost was responsible for all operations conducted in his territory.

At his later trial, Heinz Jost claimed that he held this position until May 1944, when as a result of enmity from Heinrich Himmler, he was forced to enlist with the Waffen-SS as a second lieutenant.

Himmler decided in January 1945, that Heinz Jost should be retired from the SS with a pension.

At trial, Heinz Jost tried to avoid responsibility for these crimes, by claiming the murders occurred before he came into command of the unit:.

Heinz Jost claimed, through his attorney, that whatever he had done was justified by "self-defense, necessity, and national emergency".

Heinz Jost further claimed he had nothing to do with carrying out the Fuhrer's order for the extermination of entire populations.

Heinz Jost did testify that when in May 1942 he received an order from Heydrich to surrender Jews under 16 and over 32 for liquidation, he placed the order in his safe and declined to transmit it.

Heinz Jost denied any knowledge of this letter but admitted that the subordinate in question had the authority to order equipment.

In December 1951, Heinz Jost was released from Landsberg Prison after his sentence commuted to ten years.

Heinz Jost then worked in Dusseldorf as a real estate agent.