Albert Ganzenmüller

Albert Ganzenmüller (born 25 February 1905 in Passau – died 20 March 1996 in Munich) was a German Nazi and, as the State Secretary at the Reich Transport Ministry , was involved in the deportation of German Jews. Under Ganzenmüller's command, around three million were transported to their deaths by the Reichsbahn and at least 600,000 people were deported to several concentration camps between 1942 and 1943. After graduating from the Technical College in Munich (now the Technical University of Munich), where he was a member of a student fraternity known as the Corps Rheno-Palatia München, he became an executive with the Deutsche Reichsbahn (German State Railways) in 1931 and joined the Nazi Party and the Sturmabteilung (SA or “brownshirts”).

Involvement in deportations

Ganzenmüller was immediately involved in the organization of trains for deportation. He collaborated in the transportation scheme for elderly German Jews to Theresienstadt and ensured the smooth running of transport to the extermination camps set up under Operation Reinhardt. On 16 July 1942, Karl Wolff, the Personal Adjutant to Heinrich Himmler, complained to the newly appointed State Secretary about irregular transport and track repairs on the line to the extermination camp at Sobibor. Ganzenmüller replied in writing on 28 July 1942 as follows

Postwar Ganzenmüller escaped to Argentina via Italy from the interrogation camp in 1945. The case was terminated altogether in 1977. Ganzenmüller died on 20 March 1996.

Awards and decorations Knight's Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords (19 September 1943) Blood Order number 1411933 (1933)