Rudolf Hoess

The Sadistic, German SS War Criminal

By: Kelly Mass

Narrated by: Chris Newman

We’ve all had our humble beginnings, and we seemed so innocent as children. However, for some people, given their childhood and circumstances, and then the political or war-driven environment they face, it goes completely wrong. Such was the case for Rudolf Hoess, a cruel, murderous Nazi commander who had been brainwashed by the system that justified his aid in exterminating millions of Jews.

Rudolf Franz Ferdinand Hoess was a Nazi German SS officer who was found guilty of war criminal activities after Nazi Germany was beaten. Hoess was the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp for the longest time (from four May 1940 to November 1943, and again from eight May 1944 to January 18, 1945). He tried out and executed techniques to accelerate Hitler's directive to get rid of the Jewish population of Nazi-occupied Europe.

Learn more about what Rudolf Hoess did and why he has become so infamous in the history of World War II.

©2021 Kelly Mass (P)2022 Kelly Mass