Heinrich Schulz

Heinrich Ernst Walter Schulz (July 21, 1893 in Saalfeld - June 5, 1979 in Eltville) was a German officer and political bombers. He became known as an accomplice of Heinrich Tillessen on August 26, 1921 when the murder of German politician Matthias Erzberger took place.

Life

Heinrich Schulz as a witness during Nuremberg trials

Youth, World War I and Freikorps time

In his youth Schulz visited four years the public school, then four years the gymnasium in Saalfeld and three years secondary school in Jena. After year exam he entered for the completion of a commercial apprenticeship a machine factory and iron foundry in Saalfeld.

At the beginning of First World War, he volunteered for military service. During the war, in which he fought till the end, he was wounded three times and awarded several times. When the war ended, he was discharged with the rank of Lieutenant from the military service. His demobilization took place in December 1918 in Rudolstadt.

Afterwards Schulz returned to his parents' house and worked again in his old job at the Saalfeld engine works and iron foundry. In April 1919, he joined the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt. These Freikorps were organized to combat the left revolutionary aspirations. With the marine brigade, he was successively employed in Munich, Hof and Berlin. In March 1920, he also participated in the occupation of Berlin's government district during the Kapp Putsch.

After the dissolution of the Marinebrigade Erhardt Schulz was from April 1921, a member of Organization Consul, a nationalist secret society, which represented the successor organization of the Marinebrigade in many ways, and tried to destabilizise the Weimar Republic.

The assassination of Erzberger

On behalf of the Organisation Consul, Schulz murdered on August 26, 1921 together with Henry Tillessen at Bad Griesbach in the Black Forest the centrist politician and former Finance Minister Matthias Erzberger. Erzberger had signed as head of the German Armistice Commission on 11 November 1918, the ceasefire agreement of Compiègne. Therefore, right-wing and national groups hated Erzberger and called him a November-thug.

Flight and emigration

Advertised to search Schulz fled shortly after the assassination along with Tillesen and pursued for murder Hermann Berchtold to Hungary. He was recognized in 1924 and arrested. Since the Hungarian government refused his extradition, he was released but expelled from the country. As a result, he came via Italy to South-West Africa and later to Spanish Guinea, where he lived as a plantation manager from 1926 to 1932. Due to malaria disease, he traveled in 1932 or 1933 for recovery to Barcelona.To get better health, he returned in March or April 1933 to Germany.

Life in the Nazi state (1933 through 1945)

Shortly before or shortly after his return to Germany Schulz was amnested by the impunity regulation from March 21, 1933,[1] which was signed by Paul von Hindenburg.

In May or June 1933 Schulz joined the SS.

From the end of 1933 to 1934, Schulz was as Untersturmführer rod guide in the SS-section XXX in Kassel. He left this position after clashes with his superior Unger. Instead, he was transferred to the SS upper section Rhine in Koblenz, where he worked in the administration. With the reorganization of the upper sections he came in January 1936 to SS upper section Fulda-Werra in Arolsen. There he was first employed in the administration, before being appointed in 1938 to welfare referent. He joined the Nazi Party in June 1937. In the SS, he was successively promoted to Sturmbannführer and Obersturmbannführer.

On April 15, 1940 Schulz was taken in the Waffen SS. In this he was used as a welfare officer in the Waffen-SS and police in the military district II (Kassel). In this position, he was concerned with the care of wounded members of the Waffen SS and the supply of survivors. In regional terms, he was subordinated to the SS Group Leader Josias Erbprinz zu Waldeck-Pyrmont.

Postwar

When the war ended, Schulz came in May 1945 in American captivity. As a result, he was interrogated during the Nuremberg Trials as a witness. This was his involvement in the murder of Erzberger became obvious. In November 1946, the Baden General attorney requested the transfer to the competent Baden law enforcement authorities. But this did not take place immediately, as only the denazification process was awaited. Heinrich Schulz was sentenced to eight years of forced labor. In December 1949 Schulz was handed over to the German authorities and came in Offenburg in custody.

The all procedures for the murder of Erzberger took place from 17 to 19 July 1950 at the district Court Offenburg. The complicity Heinrich Tillessen was heard as a witness and relieved Schulz by portraying himself as the main culprit. It has nevertheless been established that at least one deadly head shot came from the weapon of Schulz.[2] As a consequence, Heinrich Schulz was convicted of manslaughter and not for murder. The sentence was twelve years of imprisonment.

On 22 December 1952, the sentence was suspended. Heinrich Schulz lived afterwards in Frankfurt am Main.

Literature

References

  1. ↑ Die Straffreiheitsverordnung vom 21. März 1933
  2. ↑ Report of court chemist Popp from Frankfurt from 19 September 1921 (Staatsarchiv Freiburg).
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