Hermann Priess | |
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Born | Marnitz, German Empire | 24 May 1901
Died | 2 February 1985 Ahrensburg, West Germany | (aged 83)
Allegiance | German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
Service | Waffen-SS |
Years of service | 1919–31, 1934–45 |
Rank | SS-Gruppenführer and Generalleutnant of the Waffen-SS |
Service number | NSDAP #1,472,296 SS #113,258[1] |
Commands | SS Division Totenkopf I SS Panzer Corps |
Battles / wars | Estonian War of Independence |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords |
War crimes | |
Criminal status | Deceased |
Conviction(s) | War crimes |
Trial | Malmedy massacre trial |
Criminal penalty | 20 years imprisonment |
Hermann August Fredrich Priess (24 May 1901 – 2 February 1985) was a German general in the Waffen-SS and a war criminal during World War II. He commanded the SS Division Totenkopf ("Death's Head") following the death of Theodor Eicke in February 1943. On 30 October 1944 he was appointed commander of the I SS Panzer Corps and led it during the Battle of the Bulge.
After the war, Priess was convicted of war crimes for his involvement in the Malmedy massacre, and was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. He was released from the Landsberg Prison in 1954.