Heinrich Johann Hersche

Heinrich Johann Hersche (born September 30, 1889 in Zurich , † February 9, 1971 in Hergiswil ) was a Swiss officer , equestrian and member of the Waffen SS .

Life

Born in Zurich in 1889 as the son of Appenzell landlords, Hersche grew up in his parents' Appenzell inns. He completed secondary school in Appenzell , a commercial school- leaving certificate and a commercial apprenticeship at a bank. In 1916 he married Bertha Reimann, who belonged to a wealthy Basel family.

In 1909 he was in the Swiss Army to Lieutenant of Train troop appointed and 1916 instructor (professional officer). By 1927 he rose to the degree of major and served as chief riding instructor in the Federal Cavalry and Remonten Depot. As a show jumping and dressage rider he was internationally successful on «Siegfried».

During the Great Depression in 1929, he ran into financial difficulties and had a wage garnishment to satisfy accept its debtors. In 1936 he therefore had to quit his service in the Swiss Army. The police also monitored him for Nazi-friendly activities. German diplomats offered him a managerial position in the Getewent armaments company in Gablonz . In December 1941, Hersche emigrated to Germany .

Dissatisfied with the position, Hersche worked briefly as a civilian riding instructor at the main riding school in Munich, until he was asked to join the Waffen SS. This took place in February 1942 as Sturmbannführer , corresponding to his Swiss major. During the war, Hersche served as an instructor for foreign SS volunteers in Alsace and elsewhere, but never as a front-line commander. In May 1945 he became an American prisoner of war and was extradited to Switzerland in September 1947.

The Swiss Divisional Court 7A sentenced Hersche to eight months in prison two months later because of his foreign military service . It credited him with his good repute and his good military qualifications, as well as the fact that he had offered his services to the Swiss Army in vain and had not wanted to be used against Switzerland as an SS member . Hersche was released early from prison in June 1948 because of good conduct. Socially marginalized and suffering from a lung disease, he could not gain a foothold again and died in 1971 in poor conditions in Hergiswil.

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• Peter Eggenberger: A dark chapter: Swiss in the Waffen SS. In: Swiss soldier . 4/2012, p. 46 f.
• Vincenz Oertle: An Appenzeller in the Waffen SS. Appenzeller Volksfreund , Appenzell 2012, ISBN 978-3-9523714-7-3 .