Richard Schulze-Kossens

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class="fn" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" | Richard Schulze-Kossens
colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" |
colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: 90%; border-bottom: 1px solid #aaa; line-height: 1.5em;" | File:Richard Schulze.jpg
Birth date 2 October 1914(1914-10-02)
Place of birth Spandau, Berlin, Germany
Death date 3 July 1988 (aged 73)
Place of death Düsseldorf, West Germany
Allegiance File:Flag of the NSDAP (1920–1945).svg National Socialist Germany
Service/branch File:Flag Schutzstaffel.png SS
File:Flag Schutzstaffel.png Waffen-SS
Years of service 1934–1945
Rank SS-Obersturmbannführer
Unit LSSAH
Führerbegleitkommando
Commands held 38th SS-Grenadier-Division "Nibelungen"
Battles/wars World War II
Awards German Cross in Gold

Richard Schulze, after 1945 Schulze-Kossens (b. 2 October 1914 in Spandau, Berlin, German Empire; d. 3 July 1988 in Düsseldorf, West Germany), was a German officer of the SS and Waffen-SS, who served in various positions. In April 1945 he served as provisional commander/leader (Führer) of the 38. SS-Grenadier-Division „Nibelungen“ in WWII, which was taken over by Knight's Cross holder SS-Brigadeführer Heinz Lammerding (de) on 15. April 1945.

Life

File:Sepp Dietrich and Richard Schulze.jpg
Sepp Dietrich and Richard Schulze, who received the DKiG on this day
File:Richard Schulze, Heinrich Himmler und Karl Wolff bei einem Spaziergang 1941 in der Wolfsschanze.jpg
Richard Schulze, Heinrich Himmler and Karl Wolff 1942 in the Führerhauptquartier "Wolfsschanze".
File:Der Führer und Ante Pavelic am 18. 9. 1944.jpg
The Führer greets guest Ante Pavelić on 18 September 1944; in the background aide-de-camp/adjutant SS-Sturmbannführer Schulze-Kossens.
File:Richard „Rix“ Schulze-Kossens mit Gemahlin in der Nachkriegszeit.jpg

Richard Schulze was born in Spandau, Berlin. A year after graduating from Gymnasium in 1934, the 20-year-old Hitler Youth member Schulze entered the Allgemeine SS (SS-Nr.: 264 059) and was assigned to 6. SS-Standarte in Berlin. In November 1934, he served in the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH), one of Adolf Hitler's SS bodyguard units. Between 1935 and 1937 took various officer training courses at the SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz, in Jüterbog and Dachau.

In May 1937, Schulze became a member of the NSDAP. Schulze served as personal adjutant to Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop from April 1939 until January 1941. Schulze is pictured standing with Molotov, Ribbentrop, Stalin and Soviet Chief of Staff Shaposnikov at the signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 23 August 1939.

WWII

From October 1941 and at intervals thereafter, he was an SS ordinance officer and SS adjutant for Adolf Hitler. While serving in these roles, Schulze was also a member of the Führerbegleitkommando (FBK), which provided personal security for Hitler. In December 1942, Hitler transferred some of the command authority of the FBK to Schulze. He was placed in charge of administration, guidelines for training, discipline, deployment and transfer of members of the unit.

By 1944, he was promoted to the rank of SS-Obersturmbannführer (lieutenant colonel). He became the divisional commander of the 38th SS Division Nibelungen in 1945. At that time, Schulze was the commanding officer of the SS-Brigade Nibelungen and the SS cadet training school at Bad Tölz.

Post-war

David Irving has stated that

"On June 9, 1977, I planted Hitler's personal adjutant Richard Schulze-Kossens (you can see him in the background at the Kremlin signing of the Ribbentrop-Stalin pact in August 1939) in the London audience of the live David Frost Programme, and invited this former S.S. colonel, when I was challenged on this point, to stand and tell the multi-million television audience just that: that from 1942-1944 he had been charged by Hitler to attend every single conference, even the most secret ones alone with Heinrich Himmler, and that not once had any extermination of the jews been discussed or even mentioned in these conclaves."[1]

Death

SS-Obersturmbannführer a. D. Richard Schulze-Kossens died of lung cancer in 1988.

Funeral

His funeral was attended by more than 100 former SS personnel, including Hitler's aide Otto Günsche, a longtime close friend, as well as Himmler's, according to the "New York Times" in a 11 July 1988 article citing a report by "Die Welt" Chief adjutant Werner Grothmann, who was one of two former officers who gave dignified eulogies.

Family

Schulze had a younger brother, Hans-Georg Hubertus „Frettchen“ Schulze, who fell (⚔) on 27 July 1941 as an SS-Obersturmführer (SS-Nr. 270.844) in the 1st company of the 1st Sturmbann of the Leibstandarte "Adolf Hitler" on the Eastern Front.

Marriage

After the war, Richard Schulze married his fiancée Monika Kossens, after which both of them used the marital double name "Schulze-Kossens".

SS-Promotions

Awards and decorations

Pre-war

WWII

Writings

  • Tätigkeitsbericht des Chefs des Heerespersonalamtes General der Infanterie Rudolf Schmundt. 1.10.1942–29.10.1944. Fortgeführt von Wilhelm Burgdorf. Osnabrück 1984.
  • Militärischer Führernachwuchs der Waffen-SS. Die Junkerschulen, Munin-Verlag, Osnabrück 1982 (Zweite, erweiterte Auflage, 1987)
  • Europäische Freiwillige im Bild (gemeinsam mit Heinz Ertel), Munin-Verlag, 1986
  • Rede von Richard Schulze-Kossens für das 1978 vorgesehene Treffen ehemaliger Junker, s. l. e. a. (published approx. 1988)

Gallery

  • Richard (links) und Hans-Georg Schulze, hier beide als SS-Obersturmführer.jpg
  • SS-Hauptsturmführer Richard Schulze-Kossens.jpg
  • Richard Schulze II.jpg
  • Richard Schulze-Kossens, side cap for Waffen-SS officers.jpg

See also

References

  1. ↑ A Radical's Diary Thursday, February 14, 2002 http://www.fpp.co.uk/docs/Irving/RadDi/2002/140202.html
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