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• Theodor Eicke

Theodore Eicke, the son of a station master, was born in Hampont (close to Château-Salins) on 17th October, 1892.

Eicke joined the German Army and during the First World War won the Iron Cross for bravery. He was active in the Freikorps before becoming an inspector in the Thuringian police force. He joined the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) in 1928 and two years later took command of a Schutzstaffel (SS) regiment of the Rhine-Palatinate.

Suspected of carrying out bomb attacks on political opponents, Heinrich Himmler advised Eiche to go and live in Italy in 1932. After Adolf Hitler came to power Eicke returned to Germany and was appointed as commandant of Dachau.

In May 1934 Eicke was given responsibility of reorganizing Germany's concentration camp system. One of his recommendations was that guards should be warned that they would be punished if they showed prisoners any signs of humanity.

During the Night of the Long Knives Eicke was given the task of killing Ernst Roehm and other leaders of the Sturm Abteilung (SA). Three days after the purge Eicke was appointed Inspector of Concentration Camps and head of Death's Head Units.

On the outbreak of the Second World War Eicke was placed in command of the Totenkopf division of the Waffen SS. He fought without distinction but committed several war crimes including the execution of over 100 prisoners of war in the 2nd Royal Norfolk Regiment.

During Operation Barbarossa Eicke fought in the Soviet Union. Theodore Eicke died on 26th February, 1943, when his plane was shot down behind enemy lines near Orella.