Walter Graeschke

Walter Graeschke (born May 15, 1898 in Berlin ; † unknown) was a German lawyer, police officer and SS leader.

Live and act

In his youth, Graeschke took part in the First World War as a war volunteer . He then studied law . In addition, he took part in the Kapp Putsch as a free corps fighter and was involved in the Upper Silesian self-protection in 1921 . After its dissolution, he was active in the task force Olympia. He received his doctorate as Dr. jur. and was appointed court assessor with seniority from July 5, 1927.

Graeschke had been a member of the NSDAP since October 1926 ( membership number 45,694). Also from 1926 he was a member and leader of the SA in Berlin-Köpenick . In 1927 he was appointed leader of Standard V. On July 5, 1931, he joined the Schutzstaffel , SS (SS No. 14.470), in which he was appointed SS-Standartenführer in June 1932 . From June to December 1932 Graeschke was the leader of SS-Upper Section VIII, Austria, and incidentally until August 31, 1934 a member of the NSDAP regional leadership in Austria under regional inspector Habicht. On September 23, 1932 he was promoted to SS-Oberführer . In December 1932 Graeschke was relieved of his SS position because of unworthy behavior (including the purchase of an expensive service Mercedes), whereupon he temporarily resigned from the SS in 1933, but rejoined in December 1933.

In 1933 Graeschke was appointed to the Secret State Police Office in Berlin, where he took over the management of Department VIII as a public prosecutor's office (treason, betrayal of military secrets, industrial espionage, disintegration into the Reichswehr, protective police and military associations). He was thus one of the twelve highest-ranking members of the office in the early stages of the Gestapo . According to his own information, Graeschke was then head of Department III of Hermann Göring's Research Office at the Reichsführer SS from August 1, 1933 to the end of 1934. In this role, he claims to have set up a network of agents throughout Europe. In January 1934 Graeschke was promoted to the senior government council.

At the end of 1934 Graeschke was suspended from the research office due to internal differences. From 1936 to 1937 he served as regional court director in Berlin and then from 1937 to 1941 regional court president in Guben .

During the Second World War he was drafted into the Wehrmacht and reached the rank of major there .

Commendations

• Gold medal of the NSDAP
• Iron Cross 2nd class 1914
• Cross of honor for front fighters
• Iron Cross 1st Class
• Clasp for the Iron Cross II

literature

• Christoph Graf: Political Police between Democracy and Dictatorship , Berlin 1983 ISBN 3-7678-0585-5 p. 347
• Wolfgang Graf: Austrian SS generals. Himmler's reliable vassals , Hermagoras, Klagenfurt 2012, ISBN 978-3-7086-0578-4