Obersturmbannfuhrer Richard Wendler

[schnellmann]

I just thought I'd share this nice Vintage portrait of Obersturmbannfuhrer Richard Wendler, who also was the Mayor of Hof, Germany. Those are his "Chains of Office" he is wearing. It is my understanding he was in the SD.

[HPL2008]

It is my understanding he was in the SD.

Yes, he was. He is listed in the SS-Dienstalterslisten as being with the SD-Hauptamt (DAL of 1 July 1935, 1 Dec. 1936, 1 Dec. 1938 and 1 Dec. 1937) and later with the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (DAL of 30 Jan. 1944 and 9 Nov. 1944).
By the way, Wendler's sister Hilde was married to Heinrich Himmler's older brother Gebhard. Wendler got along very well with Heinrich, too.

[HPL2008]

In wartime, Wendler was assigned to the Generalgouvernement, initially being appointed as the Stadthauptmann (the title for the top civil administrator of occupied cities) of Kielce and then in Nov. 1939 of Tschenstochau (Częstochowa).
He was made Gouverneur of the Krakau (Kraków) district in Feb. 1942 and of the Lublin district in May 1943.

[zbcdn]

Was he prosecuted after the war?

[schnellmann]

Since he was in charge of Lubin concentration camp, he was probably hung. Or did a long time in prison.

[Adrian Stevenson]

I think you will find this site of interest about him. I have added a translated link:

Google Translate

Cheers, Ade.

[HPL2008]

More biographical information on Wendler's post-war fate can be found in "Die Brüder Himmler. Eine deutsche Familiengeschichte" by Katrin Himmler, Heinrich Himmler's grand-niece.

Fearing extradition to Poland, Wendler had adopted the false name of Kurt Kummermehr, which he used when he was taken prisoner by U.S. forces on 8 May 1945.
His true identity was found out on 3 August 1948, with him being subsequently transferred to the internment camp at Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart.

On 20 December 1948, the Zentrale Spruchkammer Nord-Württemberg (the central de-nazification court of Northern Wurttemberg) classified him as a "Hauptschuldiger", i.e. as belonging to the group of the "main guilty persons" and sentenced him to imprisonment in a work camp, a sentence against which he promptly and unsuccessfully appealed: On 28 April 1949, the Zentralberufungskammer (the central appeal court) confirmed the sentence.

Nonetheless, he was already released on 20 December 1949 and allowed to return to Rosenheim, where his wife lived and worked, with both of them moving to Prien am Chiemsee a short while later.

Constantly attempting to be rehabilitated, Wendler yet again appealed against his sentence and on 12 September 1952 was indeed "downgraded" to the lower category "Belasteter" (roughly the "burdened/blamable" segment), because of which the earlier confiscation of his wealth was largely overturned. The court fully realized his high position within the General Gouvernment and refused to believe his absurd claims of ignorance to the proceedings there and of having been "made" to join the SS, yet based its decision on an inability to conclusively prove his active involvement in war crimes.
Still not satisfied with this, Wendler continued to attempt to be classified as a "Mitläufer" (a passive follower), which he was denied.

Finding work as a legal aide with a Munich law firm, he strove to be fully rehabilitated so that he would be able to work in his pre-war occupation as a lawyer; thus he pleaded to be pardoned. He actually succeeded in this and, bizarrely, the former SS General was actually classified a "Mitläufer" on 1 November 1955 and took to practicing law again.

In 1970, the Munich District Court investigated his role in the deportation of the Cracow Jews in 1942 and 1943, but cancelled the proceedings on 7 October 1971.

In early 1971, Wendler was indicted yet again. He was defended by Dr. Alfred Seidl, the same lawyer who had also defended Hans Frank and Rudolf Heß, the physicians Karl Gebhardt, Fritz Fischer and Herta Oberheuser as well as Oswald Pohl.
Aside from the usual legal arguments, Dr. Seidl filed for his client to be found incapable of standing trial on medical grounds, as he provided a physician's certfication that Wendler had suffered a severe heart attack and was suffering from a lack of concentration and memory troubles.
The legal proceedings were "temporarily suspended" on 14 August 1971 and Wendler, still a free man, died on 24 August 1972 in Prien.

[wewelsburgss]

Look like shooting award chains.