Heinrich Schwarz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about a 20th century Nazi camp commander. For 19th century Prussian politician, see Heinrich Schwarz (politician).

Heinrich Schwarz (June 14, 1906 in Munich – March 20, 1947 in Sandweier, executed) was camp commandant of the Auschwitz III Monowitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Schwarz was posted to the Auschwitz I camp within the town of Oświęcim (Auschwitz) itself, and as of 30 September 1941 he was active in the Work Assignment Department (Abt. IIIa). In November 1943, Rudolf Höß was appointed leader of Office Group D in the SS Economic and Administrative Main Office (SS-WVHA) and left Auschwitz.

The camp complex was then divided into three independent administrative units. Schwarz became camp commandant for Auschwitz III Monowitz. While camp commandants at other camps in the complex were removed after only a few months, Schwarz continued to enjoy his superior Oswald Pohl's goodwill.

After the evacuation he became camp commandant at the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp in Alsace-Lorraine. SS-Hauptsturmführer Schwarz was sentenced by a French military court to death and as a war criminal, he was put to death.