Kurt Daluege

Kurt Daluege was born in Kreuzburg on 15th September, 1897. He joined the German Army and during the First World War he was decorated for bravery.

After the war Daluege worked as an engineer. He was also active in the Freikorps before joining the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) in 1922. He formed the first Sturm Abteilung (SA) unit in Berlin before transferring to the Schutzstaffel (SS) in 1928 where he worked closely with Heinrich Himmler.

In 1933 Daluege was elected to the Reichstag and soon afterwards Hermann Goering moved him to the Prussian Ministry of the Interior where he took over the police force. Goering now took control of all the police forces in Germany and placed Daluege in charge of what now became known as the Ordnungspolizei (Orpo).

Deluege also established the Kameradschaftsbund Deutscher Polizebeamten, an organisation of police officials responsible for the suppression of internal revolt. During the Second World War Daluege became second in command to Reinhard Heydrich in the Schutzstaffel (SS).

When Hans Frank failed to take sufficient action after the assassination of Heydrich in May, 1942, Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler sent Daluege to Prague and appointed him as Protector of Czechoslovakia. Daluege's reprisals included the destruction of Lidice. The village was razed to the ground and its 173 male inhabitants were murdered and the 198 women were sent to a Concentration Camp in Ravensbueck. Altogether 256 Czechs were condemned to death for aiding the assassination plot.

At the end of the Second World War Daluege was arrested and tried for war crimes. Convicted by a Czech court Kurt Daluege was hanged in Prague on 24th October, 1946.