Baldur von Schirach

Baldur von Schirach

May 1907 - August 1974

Overview

Baldur von Schirach was born on May 9, 1907, in Berlin. A member of an aristocratic family, Schirach was introduced to nationalist ideas at a young age and joined the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) in 1925.

In 1931, he was appointed leader of the NSDAP’s youth organizations and officially became the head of the Hitler Youth in 1933. In 1940, he left this position to serve as Gauleiter of Vienna, where he played a role in the deportation and persecution of Austria’s Jewish population.

After the war

After the war, he was tried at the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal and sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity. Following his release, he died of a heart attack on August 8, 1974, in Kröv.