Karl von Krempler

Karl von Krempler , later just Karl Krempler, (born May 26, 1896 in Pirot , † April 17, 1972 in Salzburg ) was a Volksdeutscher SS-Standartenführer during the Second World War . As SS and police leader in the Balkans , he was responsible for the recruitment of Bosnian Muslims . He also had recruits for the Waffen SS in Sandžak .

history

Karl von Krempler was born on May 26, 1896 in Pirot , Serbia . In addition to his native German, he also spoke fluent Serbian and Turkish .

In 1942 he was selected by Heinrich Himmler and Phleps Artur invited to participate in the formation of the proposed Bosniaks -Division - the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS "Handschar" (Croatian no. 1) within the - Waffen SS to participate . Krempler was accepted into the Waffen SS under SS number 487.625V (a provisional membership number) and was ultimately considered a specialist in Islam there .

Due to Kremplers' knowledge of Turkish, he helped to establish contact with Mohammad Amin al-Husseini - the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem - and to ensure security for his visit to Bosnia from March 30 to April 14, 1942. The mufti, though an Arab , had served in the Ottoman army during the First World War. Croatian authorities tried to prevent the visit, but Krempler arranged for the Mufti to meet several Bosnian leaders.

After his appointment to the office of SS and Police Leader Sandschak in September 1943 and the relatively successful formation of the SS and Police Self-Protection Regiment, Krempler became known as Sandschak-Prinz .

Karl von Kremplern lived in Austria after the war and died on April 17, 1972 in Salzburg.

literature

• Munoz, Antonio J., editor, The East Came West: Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist Volunteers in the German Armed Forces. (chapters 2 and 13) Bayside, NY: Axis Europa, 2001 ISBN 1-891227-39-4
• Malcolm, Noel (1996). Bosnia: A Short History. New York University Press. pp. 174-176. ISBN 0814755615 .
• Stein, George H., The Waffen SS: Hitler's Elite Guard at War, 1939–45. (Cornell University Press, 1984), ISBN 0801492750 .
• Lepre, George (2000). Himmler's Bosnian Division: The Waffen-SS Handschar Division 1943–1945 . Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0764301349 .