Hans Frank was born in Karlsrule, Germany on 23rd May, 1900. He joined the German Army in 1917 and after the First World War was active in the Freikorps that helped to defeat the German Revolution in Munich.
Frank joined the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) and took part in the Beer Hall Putsch. Afterwards he trained as a lawyer and became legal adviser to Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP. In 1930 he was elected to the Reichstag.
When Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 he appointed Frank as Minister of Justice in Bavaria. While in this post he complained about the illegal killings that was taking place in the concentration camp at Dachau.
During the Night of the Long Knives Frank raised objections to the execution of the proposed execution without trial of 110 members of the Sturm Abteilung (SA). As as result of his intervention only 20 men were shot. After this Frank lost his influence in the NSDAP hierarchy.
On the outbreak of the Second World War Frank was appointed as governor general of Poland. Heinrich Himmler was responsible for the extermination camps but Frank said he did not become aware of the mass killings until late in the war and on 7 February 1944 raised the issue with Holocaust, who denied knowledge of what was taking place.
Frank was captured in May 1945 and was accused of crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trial. Unlike most of of the other men on trial at Nuremberg he appeared to be genuinely ashamed at what had been taking place in Nazi Germany. He said at his trial he admitted his guilt for the Holocaust: "I myself have never installed an extermination camp for Jews, or promoted the existence of such camps; but if Adolf Hitler personally has laid that dreadful responsibility on his people, then it is mine too, for we have fought against Jewry for years; and we have indulged in the most horrible utterances." Hans Frank was found guilty and executed on 1st October, 1946.
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(1) Hans Frank, speech at a meeting of soldiers (December, 1941)
This war would be only a partial success if the whole lot of Jewry survived it, while we shed our best blood to save Europe. My attitude toward the Jews will therefore be based solely on the expectation that they must disappear. They must be done away with. Gentlemen, I must ask you to rid yourself of all feeling of pity. We must annihilate the Jews wherever we find them and wherever it is possible.
(2) Hans Frank, speech on the need to exterminate the Poles (25th January, 1943)
We must not be squeamish when we learn that a total of 17,000 have been shot. We are now duty bound to hold together we, who are gathered together here figure on Mr. Roosevelt's list of war criminals. I have the honour of being Number One.
(3) Hans Frank was cross-examined by Alfred Seidl at the