Rudolf Höss
German SS officer and commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp.
Rudolf Franz Ferdinand Höss, a German SS officer and war criminal, served as the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp longer than anyone else—first from May 1940 to November 1943, then again from May 1944 to January 1945. He was instrumental in refining the methods used for the mass murder of Europe’s Jews under the Final Solution. Following a suggestion from his subordinate Karl Fritzsch, Höss brought the pesticide Zyklon B into the gas chambers, where more than a million people died. After Germany’s defeat in World War II, he hid under a false identity until British forces found him; they handed him over to Poland. A Polish court convicted him of war crimes against Auschwitz prisoners and for his part in the Holocaust, and he was executed in 1947. While in custody, at Poland’s request, Höss wrote his memoirs, later published in English as *Commandant of Auschwitz: The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess*.
Höss was born in Baden-Baden in 1901, the eldest of three children and the only son of Franz Xaver Höss and Lina Speck. Raised in a strict Catholic household, he had few childhood friends and spent most of his time with adults. His father, a former army officer who ran a tea and coffee business, raised him with rigid religious and military discipline, intending for him to become a priest. Höss grew up with an intense focus on duty, sin, and penance. He claimed in his autobiography that he was briefly kidnapped by Romanies as a child.
In his early teens, Höss turned against religion after a priest broke the Seal of the Confessional by telling his father about a school incident where Höss had pushed another boy down stairs, breaking his foot. Feeling betrayed, Höss soon lost his father and gravitated toward a military life. When World War I broke out, he first worked in a military hospital, then at age 14 joined his father’s old regiment, the 21st Regiment of Dragoons. At 15, he fought with the Ottoman Sixth Army in Baghdad, Kut-el-Amara, and Palestine. He rose to sergeant-in-chief, becoming the army’s youngest non-commissioned officer at 17. Wounded three times and stricken with malaria, he earned the Iron Crescent, the Iron Cross first and second class, and other medals, and briefly commanded a cavalry unit. When the armistice came, he was in Damascus; rather than be captured, he and a few others trekked through enemy territory in Romania back to Bavaria.
After the war, Höss finished secondary school and joined nationalist paramilitary groups, first the East Prussian Volunteer Corps, then Freikorps Roßbach. He fought in the Baltic, Silesia, and the Ruhr, taking part in violent attacks on Polish people during the Silesian uprisings and on French nationals during the Ruhr occupation. He later described the Baltic fighting as more savage than the world war, with no front lines and houses burned with families inside. After the Freikorps was banned, its leader became an SA adjutant, and the group fed into the early Nazi movement. Hearing Adolf Hitler speak in Munich, Höss joined the Nazi Party in 1922 and left the Catholic Church.
On 31 May 1923, in Mecklenburg, Höss and other Freikorps members beat a local schoolteacher, Walther Kadow, to death. The attack was ordered by farm supervisor Martin Bormann, later Hitler’s private secretary, because Kadow was believed to have informed French authorities about sabotage operations by Freikorps soldier Albert Leo Schlageter, who was then executed.
- born
- 25 November 1901
- died
- 16 April 1947
- field
- SS officer, concentration camp commandant
- nationality
- German
- known_for
- Commandant of Auschwitz; introduced Zyklon B for mass murder
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Höss was born in Baden-Baden into a strict Catholic family, the eldest of three children and the only son. He was baptized Rudolf Franz Ferdinand on 11 December 1901. His father Franz was a former army officer who served in German East Africa and ran a tea and coffee business. Höss claimed in his autobiography that he was briefly abducted by Romanies in his youth. He grew up with an almost fanatical belief in the central role of duty in a moral life, with constant emphasis on sin, guilt, and the need to do penance. During World War I, Höss briefly served in a military hospital and then, at age 14, was admitted to his father's and his grandfather's old regiment, the 21st Regiment of Dragoons. When Höss was 15, he and the Ottoman Sixth Army fought at Baghdad, at Kut-el-Amara, as well as in Palestine. He rose to the rank of Feldwebel (sergeant-in-chief), and at 17 was the youngest non-commissioned officer in the army. Wounded thrice and a victim of malaria, he was awarded the Iron Crescent, the Iron Cross first and second class, and other decorations. When the news of the armistice reached Damascus, he and a few others decided to attempt to travel back to Bavaria, traversing enemy territory in Romania to reach it. After the war, Höss joined the Freikorps, first the East Prussian Volunteer Corps, then Freikorps Roßbach. He participated in armed terror attacks on Polish people during the Silesian uprisings and on French nationals during the French Occupation of the Ruhr. After hearing a speech by Adolf Hitler in Munich, Höss joined the Nazi Party in 1922 (member number 3240) and renounced his affiliation with the Catholic Church. On 31 May 1923, Höss and members of the Freikorps attacked and beat to death local schoolteacher Walther Kadow on the wishes of farm supervisor Martin Bormann. Höss was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison, serving in Brandenburg penitentiary. He was released in July 1928 as part of a general amnesty and joined the Artaman League. On 17 August 1929, Höss married Hedwig Hensel, whom he met in the Artaman League. Between 1930 and 1943, they had five children: two sons (Klaus and Hans-Jürgen) and three daughters (Heidetraut, Inge-Brigitt, and Annegret).
Reader's Guide
Rudolf Höss is significant as the longest-serving commandant of Auschwitz, where over a million people were killed. His role in implementing the Final Solution included introducing Zyklon B for use in gas chambers, on the initiative of his subordinate Karl Fritzsch. Höss tested and implemented means to accelerate the systematic extermination of the Jewish population of Nazi-occupied Europe. His memoirs, written during his imprisonment at the request of Polish authorities and released in English under the title 'Commandant of Auschwitz: The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess,' provide a firsthand account of his actions and mindset. His trial before the Polish Supreme National Tribunal and subsequent execution by hanging in 1947 represent a key moment in post-war justice for Holocaust perpetrators. Höss's life illustrates the path from a strict Catholic upbringing and military service in World War I to involvement in paramilitary violence with the Freikorps, and ultimately the command of a death camp. His legacy is that of a war criminal whose actions were central to the Holocaust. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, he lived under a false name until discovered by the British, who then turned him over to Polish authorities.
Did You Know?
- Höss was the youngest non-commissioned officer in the German army at age 17, having served with the Ottoman Sixth Army at Baghdad, Kut-el-Amara, and in Palestine.
- He was awarded the Iron Crescent, the Iron Cross first and second class, and other decorations after being wounded three times and contracting malaria.
- Höss was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for the 1923 beating death of schoolteacher Walther Kadow, on the wishes of Martin Bormann.
- He introduced the pesticide Zyklon B for use in gas chambers at Auschwitz on the initiative of his subordinate Karl Fritzsch.
- Höss wrote his memoirs during imprisonment at the request of Polish authorities; they were released in English as 'Commandant of Auschwitz: The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess.'
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rudolf Höss?
Rudolf Franz Ferdinand Höss was a German SS officer who served as the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp for the longest stretch of its operation. He was born on 25 November 1901 and is remembered as one of the principal architects of the camp's killing infrastructure.
What was Rudolf Höss's role at Auschwitz?
As commandant, he directed the day-to-day running of the camp and was directly tasked with testing and rolling out new methods to speed up the systematic murder of Jewish people across Nazi-occupied Europe. His authority covered both the labor camps and the extermination facilities on the grounds.
What is Rudolf Höss most known for?
He is most widely identified with the introduction of the pesticide Zyklon B as the agent used in the gas chambers, turning a commercial insecticide into a tool for industrial-scale mass murder.
How did Rudolf Höss's story end?
After the war, Höss was captured, tried for war crimes, and sentenced to death. He was executed by hanging on 16 April 1947.
Why is Rudolf Höss historically significant?
His direct involvement in designing and operationalizing the extermination procedures at Auschwitz places him at the center of the Holocaust's deadliest phase. He is studied as a case study in how bureaucratic authority and technical problem-solving were weaponized to carry out genocide at an unprecedented scale.
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