Wilhelm Gideon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 November 1898 Oldenburg, Lower Saxony |
| Died | 23 February 1977[citation needed] |
| Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
| Service/ | Schutzstaffel (SS) |
| Years of service | 1933–1945 |
| Rank | Hauptsturmführer |
| Commands held | Gross-Rosen concentration camp |
Wilhelm Gideon (15 November 1898, in Oldenburg – 23 February 1977)[citation needed] was a Schutzstaffel officer and Nazi concentration camp commandant.
A native of Oldenburg in the state of Lower Saxony, Gideon began work as a trainee engineer but had his studies ended by the outbreak of World War I, when he volunteered for service in the German Imperial Army.[1]
Gideon enlisted in the SS in 1933 (member number 88,657) and the Nazi Party in 1937 (member 4,432,258).[2] He had various posts in the SS, initially being stationed with the 9th SS-Reiterstandarte (cavalry) from 1934 to 1939. Following this, he was moved to the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf until 1942, after which he was briefly attached to the SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt. He also served for a short period at Neuengamme concentration camp and as the administrator of the 88th SS-Standarte in Hamburg.[2]
Gideon had been identified by Oswald Pohl as a reliable SS officer, and was promoted to Hauptsturmführer by the concentration camp chief.[3] He was appointed commandant of Gross-Rosen concentration camp on 16 September 1942, in succession to Arthur Rödl, and held the post until 10 October 1943, when Johannes Hassebroek succeeded him.[4] His final post was on the staff of the SS and Police Leader in occupied Denmark until Germany's surrender in 1945. Legal proceedings against Gideon were dismissed in 1962.[2]
Gideon was found[clarification needed][where?] in 1975 when Israeli historian Tom Segev interviewed him for his book Soldiers of Evil, a study of concentration camp commandants. However, after initially cooperating with Segev, Gideon terminated the interview when he suddenly claimed that he was a different person who happened to be named Wilhelm Gideon rather than the former commandant of Gross-Rosen.[5]
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