1. Hans Otto Georg Hermann Fegelein was a high-ranking commander in the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany.
61 Facts About Hermann Fegelein
1. 2.
Hermann Fegelein was a member of Adolf Hitler's entourage and brother-in-law to Eva Braun through his marriage to her sister Gretl.
3.
Hermann Fegelein became a leader of an SS equestrian group, and was in charge of preparation for the equestrian events of the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936.
4.
Hermann Fegelein tried out for the Olympic equestrian team himself but was eliminated in the qualifying rounds.
5.
In September 1939, after the invasion of Poland, Hermann Fegelein commanded the SS Totenkopf Reiterstandarte.
6.
Hermann Fegelein was present at the failed attempt on Hitler's life on 20 July 1944.
7.
Hermann Fegelein was on duty at Hitler's Fuhrerbunker in Berlin in the closing months of the war, and was shot for desertion on 28 April 1945, two days before Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide.
8.
Hermann Fegelein was born in Ansbach, Bavaria, to the retired Oberleutnant Hans Hermann Fegelein.
9.
In 1925, after studying for two terms at Munich University, Hermann Fegelein joined the Reiter-Regiment 17.
10.
Hermann Fegelein later stated that he had left the police on "his own account" to better serve the Nazi Party and SS.
11.
Hermann Fegelein's father had started the Reitinstitut Fegelein in 1926.
12.
In Munich, Hermann Fegelein came into contact with Nazism and the SS.
13.
Hermann Fegelein's father had made the institute available to the SS as a meeting place, and the training facilities and horses were used by equestrian units of the Sturmabteilung and SS.
14.
Hermann Fegelein joined the Nazi Party and the SA in 1930.
15.
Hermann Fegelein transferred to the SS on 10 April 1933, with membership number 66,680.
16.
Hermann Fegelein worked as an instructor at the Reitinstitut Fegelein and became the leader of the SS-Reitersturm, the SS equestrian group based at the facility.
17.
Hermann Fegelein was promoted to the Allgemeine-SS rank of SS-Untersturmfuhrer that year and to SS-Obersturmfuhrer on 20 April 1934 and to SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer on 9 November 1934.
18.
Hermann Fegelein was promoted to the rank of SS-Sturmbannfuhrer on 30 January 1936.
19.
Hermann Fegelein tried out for the German equestrian team, but was unable to prevail against the strong competition from the Kavallerieschule Hannover, who went on to win all the equestrian gold medals.
20.
Hermann Fegelein won the Deutsches Spring- und Dressurderby international tournament in 1937, as did his brother Waldemar, in 1939.
21.
Hermann Fegelein was named its commander and promoted to SS-Standartenfuhrer the same day.
22.
Hermann Fegelein won the "Braunes Band von Deutschland", an annual horse race which in 1938 was held on the premises of the riding school in Munich.
23.
Hermann Fegelein's fear was that the horses would be handed to the Wehrmacht.
24.
In September 1939, Hermann Fegelein commanded the SS Totenkopf Reiterstandarte, which arrived in Poland shortly after the end of the Polish Campaign.
25.
Hermann Fegelein's unit was involved alongside the Orpo in the extermination, ordered by Hitler, of members of the Polish elite such as intellectuals, aristocrats, and clergy, in an action called Intelligenzaktion.
26.
On 7 December 1939, Hermann Fegelein's unit was involved in the mass shooting of 1,700 such people in the Kampinos Forest.
27.
On 23 April 1941, Hermann Fegelein faced court-martial charges for an incident in 1940 where he and his unit had been caught stealing money and luxury goods for transportation back to Germany.
28.
The allegations brought forward against Hermann Fegelein had included "murder motivated by greed".
29.
The woman had become pregnant and Hermann Fegelein forced her to have an abortion.
30.
In May and June 1940, Hermann Fegelein, who had been promoted to SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer of the Reserves in the Waffen-SS on 1 March 1940, participated in the Battle of Belgium and France as a member of the SS-Verfugungstruppe.
31.
The ambitious Hermann Fegelein stressed in his reports that he believed his unit was combat ready and exaggerated its contribution to the operation.
32.
Ten of his men received the Iron Cross, Second Class for their efforts, and Hermann Fegelein was awarded the Iron Cross, First Class.
33.
Hermann Fegelein sought to improve this by asking Himmler to combine the 1st and 2nd SS cavalry regiments into a brigade, with additional support units.
34.
Hermann Fegelein's unit was one of several that undertook field training and political indoctrination in the coming weeks.
35.
Hermann Fegelein interpreted these orders as follows: Enemy soldiers in uniform were to be taken prisoner, and those found out of uniform were to be shot.
36.
On 1 February 1942, Hermann Fegelein was promoted to SS-Standartenfuhrer in the Waffen-SS and transferred from the reserve force to active service.
37.
Hermann Fegelein was then granted home leave and was appointed Inspector of Cavalry and Transportation in the SS-Fuhrungshauptamt on 1 May 1942.
38.
Hermann Fegelein returned to the front line on 1 December 1942 and on the same day promoted to SS-Oberfuhrer.
39.
Hermann Fegelein was given command of Kampfgruppe "Fegelein", based in the great bend of the Don.
40.
Hermann Fegelein was wounded in action by Soviet snipers on 21 and 22 December 1942.
41.
Hermann Fegelein personally blew up a bunker in the attack.
42.
Hermann Fegelein was severely wounded on 30 September 1943 and was hospitalised for a few weeks.
43.
Hermann Fegelein received the German Cross in gold on 1 November 1943.
44.
Hermann Fegelein was promoted to the rank of SS-Gruppenfuhrer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS on 10 June 1944.
45.
On 20 July 1944, Hermann Fegelein was present at the failed attempt on Hitler's life at the Wolf's Lair headquarters in Rastenburg, East Prussia and received a minor wound to his left thigh from the bomb blast.
46.
Hermann Fegelein often showed around the photographs of the hanged men who had been executed as a result of this failed assassination attempt.
47.
Hermann Fegelein's politically motivated marriage to Gretl Braun, Eva Braun's sister, took place on 3 June 1944 in Salzburg.
48.
Hermann Fegelein was a known playboy and had many extramarital affairs.
49.
Hitler's secretaries, Christa Schroeder and Traudl Junge, state Hermann Fegelein was popular socially, particularly with women.
50.
Hermann Fegelein worked hard to develop a friendship with Hitler's powerful private secretary, Martin Bormann.
51.
On 27 April 1945, Reichssicherheitsdienst deputy commander SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer Peter Hogl was sent out from the Reich Chancellery to find Hermann Fegelein, who had abandoned his post at the Fuhrerbunker after deciding he did not want to "join a suicide pact".
52.
Hermann Fegelein was located by the RSD squad in his Berlin apartment, wearing civilian clothes and preparing to flee to Sweden or Switzerland.
53.
Thereafter, according to Otto Gunsche, Hitler ordered that Hermann Fegelein be stripped of all rank and to be transferred to Kampfgruppe "Mohnke" to prove his loyalty in combat.
54.
Hermann Fegelein's wife was then in the late stages of pregnancy.
55.
Hermann Fegelein was so drunk that he was crying and vomiting; he was unable to stand up, and even urinated on the floor.
56.
Hitler then ordered Hermann Fegelein to be demoted and court-martialed by a court led by Mohnke.
57.
That same evening, Hermann Fegelein was shot from behind by a member of the Sicherheitsdienst.
58.
Hermann Fegelein repeatedly overstated the combat readiness of his troops and exaggerated their accomplishments, in Pieper's opinion in order to be seen as a leader worthy of promotion and honours.
59.
Hermann Fegelein gave birth to a daughter on 5 May 1945.
60.
Eva Hermann Fegelein killed herself in April 1971 after her boyfriend died in a car accident.
61.
Hermann Fegelein held various ranks in both the Allgemeine-SS and Waffen-SS.