Walter Schimana

Walter Schimana
SS-Gruppenführer Walter Schimana
Born	(1898-03-12)12 March 1898 Troppau, Austria-Hungary
Died	12 September 1948(1948-09-12) (aged 50) Salzburg, Allied-occupied Austria
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Waffen-SS
Rank	SS-Gruppenführer, Lieutenant General of the Police and Lieutenant General of the Waffen-SS
Commands	SS and Police Leader (SSPF) Central Russia and Belarus Higher SS and Police Leader Greece

Walter Schimana (12 March 1898 – 12 September 1948) was an Austrian functionary in the German SS during the Nazi era. He was SS and Police Leader in the occupied Soviet Union in 1942 and Higher SS and Police Leader in occupied Greece from October 1943. Responsible for numerous war crimes and atrocities in the occupied territories, Schimana was arrested by the Allies after the war and died by suicide while awaiting trial.

In 1915, after attending school, he went to a cadet school in Prague. He then spent a short time at the Theresian Military Academy. From September 1918, during the endphase of WWI, to 15 December 1918, when demobilization was completed, he served with the k. k. Schützenregiment Nr. 1 (SchR 1) of the k. k. 25. Schützenbrigade (Vienna), a unit of the Landwehr of the Imperial Austrian k.u.k. Armee (Imperial and Royal Army). After the war, he moved to Bavaria. On 1 June 1919, he joined the 3rd Battalion of the 2. bayerisches Reichswehr-Infanterie-Regiment 44 in Passau and was promoted to Fähnrich der Reserve (cadet officer of the reserves) on 15 July 1919.

On 2 September 1919, he joined the Freikorps in the Baltic and served with the Iron Division (Eiserne Division) which, only shortly later, joined the West Russian Volunteer Army. In mid-December 1919, the German troops were evacuted to East Prussia, Schimana was released from service on 20 April 1920 as Leutnant der Reserve (2nd lieutenant of the reserves). He attended a business school from 1921 to 1922, then worked as an accountant, with a bank and as a commercial businessman.

Schimana became an early member of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), on 7 December 1926 (Party-Nr. 49042), and joined the paramilitary SA in Munich. After the Nazis came to national power, in 1934 he joined the uniformed Protection Police (Schutzpolizei) with the rank of captain. In 1936, Schimana was transferred to the Gendarmerie as a major. After the Anschluss, he was transferred to the Police Headquarters at Vienna as Commander of the motorized Gendarmerie for Austria. On 15 August 1939, he joined the SS with the rank of Standartenführer. At the outbreak of the war in Europe, he took over command of a field gendarmerie battalion in Poland, France then General Government (Poland) up to 1940. He held command of various schools of the motorized gendarmerie then staff duties into Main Office for the Order Police from 1940 to 1941.

On 4 September 1941, he was appointed SS and Police Leader (SSPF) for the Saratov area, and later attached to the staff of the Higher SS and Police Leader (HSSPF) for Central Russia until July 1942, taking part in rear-security operations. From 21 July 1942 to 15 July 1943, he was SSPF of Belarus, with headquarters at Minsk. Reporting to Friedrich Jeckeln, he was responsible for the formation of the Schutzmannschaft (collaborationist police) battalions.^[1] Subsequently, he underwent training as a divisional commander and was appointed commander of the newly formed SS Division Galicia until October 1943.

On 18 October, Schimana was appointed HSSPF for Greece, in replacement to Jürgen Stroop, a position he held until the withdrawal of German forces from the country in September–October 1944. On 20 April 1944, he was promoted to SS-Gruppenführer, on 20 June 1944 also to Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS und Polizei (Lieutenant General of the Waffen-SS and Police).

He became actively engaged in carrying out the persecution of Greek Jews and the campaign against the Greek Resistance movement. In this capacity, he was instrumental in the formation of the infamous "Security Battalions". After the German withdrawal, he was appointed HSSPF of the Danube Sector, which had its headquarters in Vienna. He remained in that position until the German capitulation.

After Germany's capitulation, Schimana was arrested by the Allies. He died by suicide before he was brought to trial.

• Baltic Cross
• Order of St. George, 4th Class
• Golden Party Badge
• Julleuchter der SS
• SS Zivilabzeichen (No. 172,994)
• Anschluss Medal
• Sudetenland Medal
• SS-Ehrenring
• Iron Cross (1939), Second & First Class
• Eastern Medal
• War Merit Cross, 2nd Class with Swords
• German Cross in Gold on 7 August 1943

• Bandenbekämpfung

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Greece during World War II

1940–1941 Balkans Campaign

Greco-Italian War (1940–1941) Battles Pindus Elaia–Kalamas Korytsa/Korcë Saranda Morava–Ivan Himara Klisura Pass Trebeshina Italian spring offensive Hill 731 Leaders Greece Ioannis Metaxas Alexandros Papagos Charalambos Katsimitros Konstantinos Davakis Markos Drakos and Ioannis Pitsikas Dimitrios Papadopoulos Georgios Kosmas Italy Benito Mussolini Galeazzo Ciano Sebastiano Visconti Prasca Ubaldo Soddu Ugo Cavallero Carlo Geloso Units Greece 8th Infantry Division Epirus Army Section Western Macedonia Army Section Italy 9th Army 11th Army German invasion (April–May 1941) Battles Operation Lustre Metaxas Line Vevi Kleisoura Pass Thermopylae Crete Leaders Greece King George II Alexandros Papagos Konstantinos Bakopoulos Georgios Tsolakoglou British Commonwealth Henry Maitland Wilson Thomas Blamey Bernard Freyberg Germany Wilhelm List Sepp Dietrich Kurt Student Units Greece Eastern Macedonia Army Section Central Macedonia Army Section Epirus Army Section British Commonwealth 1st Armoured Brigade 2nd New Zealand Division 6th Australian Division Germany XVIII Army Corps XXXX Panzer Corps Luftflotte 4 1st Parachute Division 5th Mountain Division

Occupation and collaboration

Occupying powers Leaders and commands Germany Günther Altenburg Hermann Neubacher Walter Schimana Alexander Löhr Army Group E Hellmuth Felmy LXVIII Army Corps Hubert Lanz XXII Mountain Corps Alexander Andrae, Bruno Bräuer and Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller Fortress Crete Max Merten Italy Angelico Carta Pellegrino Ghigi Piero Parini Carlo Geloso and Carlo Vecchiarelli 11th Army III Army Corps [it] VIII Army Corps XXVI Corps Bulgaria Ivan Markov [bg] Trifon Trifonov [bg] Asen Sirakov Atrocities Kondomari Kandanos Alikianos Doxato Kommeno Kalavryta Lingiades Distomo Domenikon Drakeia Cephalonia (Acqui Division) Mesovouno Pyrgoi Vorizia Viannos Kallikratis and Kali Sykia Anogeia Kedros Kleisoura Haidari concentration camp Larissa concentration camp 200 of Kaisariani Chortiatis Economic exploitation Greek economy, 1941–1944 Great Famine GWRA DEGRIGES Compulsory loan Occupation Reichsmark [el] The Holocaust Bulgarian-occupied Greece Thessaloniki Zvi Koretz Jewish cemetery of Salonica Baron Hirsch ghetto Expropriation of property Rescue of the Jews of Zakynthos Collaborationist government People Georgios Tsolakoglou K. Logothetopoulos Ioannis Rallis Sotirios Gotzamanis Georgios Bakos Georgios Poulos Friedrich Schubert Nikolaos Bourantas George S. Mercouris Ioannis Plytzanopoulos Dionysios Papadongonas Organizations Security Battalions Hellenic Socialist Patriotic Organisation (ESPO) National Union of Greece (EEE) Greek National Socialist Party Secessionists Roman Legion Alcibiades Diamandi Nicolaos Matussis Vassilis Rapotikas Ohrana Andon Kalchev Cham collaboration Këshilla Xhemil Dino Atrocities Paramythia Executions of Kokkinia

Resistance and Free Greece

National Liberation Front (EAM) People Aris Velouchiotis Stefanos Sarafis Andreas Tzimas Georgios Siantos Alexandros Svolos Ilias Tsirimokos Markos Vafeiadis Evripidis Bakirtzis Organizations Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Socialist Party of Greece (SKE) Union of People's Democracy (ELD) Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS) Greek People's Liberation Navy (ELAN) Political Committee of National Liberation (PEEA) and National Council United Panhellenic Organization of Youth (EPON) National Solidarity (EA) Organization for the Protection of the People's Struggle (OPLA) Slavic-Macedonian National Liberation Front (SNOF) Anti-Fascist Committee for a Free Germany (AKFD) Operations Drama uprising Ryka Mikro Chorio Gorgopotamos Bridge Meritsa Fardykambos Porta Sarantaporos Kournovo Tunnel 1943 Athens protest Pinerolo disarmament Steiri Agorelitsa Killing of Franz Krech Atrocities Feneos executions 5/42 Regiment dissolution Meligalas Kilkis Red Terror (Greece) Non-EAM resistance People Napoleon Zervas Georgios Kartalis Dimitrios Psarros Komninos Pyromaglou Antonis Fosteridis Kostas Perrikos Ilias Degiannis Vasileios Sachinis Lela Karagianni Konstantinos Ventiris Manolis Paterakis Petrakogiorgis Kimonas Zografakis Organizations National Republican Greek League (EDES) National Bands of Greek Guerrillas (EOEA) National and Social Liberation (EKKA) 5/42 Regiment Defenders of Northern Greece (YVE)/Panhellenic Liberation Organization (PAO) Panhellenic Union of Fighting Youths (PEAN) Prometheus II Apollo National Organization of Crete (ΕΟΚ) Hellenic Army (ES) Northern Epirus Liberation Front (MAVI) others... Operations ESPO bombing Gorgopotamos Bridge (Operation "Harling") Agia Kyriaki Milia Skala Paramythias Execution of Josef Salminger Xirovouni Trahili Menina Dodona Atrocities Expulsion of Cham Albanians British Military Mission (SOE) People Eddie Myers Monty Woodhouse Patrick Leigh Fermor Bill Stanley Moss Themis Marinos George Psychoundakis Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz Operations Operation "Albumen" Gorgopotamos Bridge (Operation "Harling") Operation "Animals" Asopos Bridge (Operation "Washing") Kidnapping of Heinrich Kreipe Damasta sabotage

Greek government-in-exile

Greek government in exile Events/Battles Mareth Line El Alamein Wadi Akarit Dodecanese April 1944 mutiny Rimini Symi Santorini People King George II Emmanouil Tsouderos Sofoklis Venizelos Panagiotis Kanellopoulos Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos Christodoulos Tsigantes Pafsanias Katsotas Greek Armed Forces in the Middle East 3rd Mountain Brigade Sacred Band Vasilissa Olga Adrias Katsonis Papanikolis 13th Squadron 335th Squadron 336th Squadron

Liberation and road to the civil war
Prelude to Civil War Events National Bands Agreement Plaka agreement [el] Red Terror Lebanon Conference Caserta Agreement Operation "Manna" Percentages agreement Dekemvriana Treaty of Varkiza White Terror People Ronald Scobie Georgios Papandreou Archbishop Damaskinos Georgios Grivas Angelos Evert Nikos Zachariadis

Commemoration

Events Ohi Day Museums Athens War Museum Holocaust Museum of Greece Kalavryta Massacre Museum Kalpaki War Museum Museum of the Battle of Crete and the National Resistance Thessaloniki War Museum Popular culture Aera! Aera! Aera! Captain Corelli's Mandolin film Ill Met by Moonlight film Ipolochagos Natassa Mediterraneo The 11th Day: Crete 1941 The Guns of Navarone film What Did You Do in the War, Thanasis?