Sepp Dietrich

Josef "Sepp" Dietrich
Dietrich in 1944
Birth name	Josef Dietrich
Born	(1892-05-28)28 May 1892 Hawangen, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Died	21 April 1966(1966-04-21) (aged 73) Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
Service / branch	German Empire Kingdom of Bavaria SS & Waffen-SS
Years of service	1911–1918 1928–1945
Rank	SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer and Generaloberst of the Waffen-SS
Service number	NSDAP #89,015 SS #1,117
Commands	Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler I SS Panzer Corps 5th Panzer Army 6th Panzer Army
Battles / wars	World War I Silesian Uprisings Battle of Annaberg World War II Battle of France Battle of Dunkirk Battle of Greece Invasion of Yugoslavia Eastern front Battle of Normandy Battle of the Bulge Battle of Elsenborn Ridge Operation Spring Awakening
Awards	Iron Cross First Class (1914) Tank Memorial Badge Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds
Other work	Member of HIAG, Waffen-SS lobby group
Signature
Known for	Night of the Long Knives Malmedy massacre Wormhoudt massacre
Criminal status	Deceased
Convictions	U.S. Military War crimes West Germany Accessory to manslaughter (6 counts)
Criminal penalty	U.S. Military Life imprisonment; commuted to 25 years imprisonment West Germany 18 months imprisonment

Josef "Sepp" Dietrich (28 May 1892 – 21 April 1966) was a German politician, general and war criminal in the Schutzstaffel (SS) during the Nazi era. Despite having no formal staff officer training, Dietrich was, along with Paul Hausser, the highest-ranking officer in the Waffen-SS, the military branch of the SS. He joined the Nazi Party in 1928 and was elected to the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic in 1930. Prior to 1929, Dietrich was Adolf Hitler's chauffeur and bodyguard.

Reaching the rank of SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer, he commanded units up to army level during World War II. As commanding officer of the 6th Panzer Army during the Battle of the Bulge, Dietrich bore responsibility for the Malmedy massacre, the murder of U.S. prisoners of war in December 1944.

After the war, an American military tribunal convicted Dietrich of war crimes at the Malmedy massacre trial. Upon his release from Landsberg Prison in 1955, Dietrich became active in HIAG, a lobby group established by former high-ranking Waffen-SS personnel. He died in 1966.