Oskar Dirlewanger

Oskar Paul Dirlewanger (26 September 1895 – c. 7 June 1945) was a German SS commander known for committing numerous war crimes and atrocities in German-occupied territories during World War II. Dirlewanger was the commander of the SS penal unit known as the Dirlewanger Brigade, considered to be the most brutal and notorious Waffen-SS unit. His unit epitomized the expansion of the war of terror in its most brutal form within the SS, and with Dirlewanger himself regarded as perhaps the Nazi regime's "most extreme executioner," indulging himself in sadistic acts of violence, rape and murder. He reportedly died after the war while in the custody of the Western Allies.

Dirlewanger had an impressive career as a junior officer during World War I. He further fought in the post-World War I conflicts in Germany as a minor commander in the Freikorps militia movement, with the troops he led then also characterized by excessive violence, and participated in the Spanish Civil War. He was also a habitual offender, convicted in the interwar Germany for raping a child and other crimes. During World War II, Dirlewanger created and headed a special SS unit that was officially named after him and was composed for the most part of conscripted convicts and other prisoners. Serving mostly in Poland and Belarus, he has been closely linked to many atrocities, being responsible for the deaths of at least tens of thousands. His methods included rape and torture, and he personally kept numerous women as his sex slaves. In Belarus alone, he was responsible for up to 200 villages destroyed and estimated over 120,000 people killed. He is also noted to have committed the worst crimes of the bloody suppression of Warsaw Uprising. Dirlewanger's brutality was not limited to civilians and enemy combatants, as he was ruthless to his men, whom he would beat and shoot dead if they displeased him. His unit is regarded as the most infamous Waffen-SS unit in both Poland and Belarus, and arguably the worst military force in modern European history based in terms of criminality and cruelty.