Theodor Eicke, German SS officer, c1930s-c1940s. Artist: Unknown
The Print Collector / Alamy Stock Photo
Image ID: W7EF2K
Theodor Eicke, German SS officer, c1930s-c1940s. In 1933 Eicke (1892-1943) was made commandant of Dachau, the first concentration camp established by the Nazis. The following year he was appointed Concentration Camps Inspector, and was a key figure in shaping the development of the camp system. In 1934 Eicke and his adjutant shot and killed Ernst Röhm, the commander of the Sturmabteilung (SA) during the purge of the Nazi Party known as the 'Night of the Long Knives'. In 1940, he left his position overseeing the concentration camps for a combat role in command of the 3rd SS Division Totenkopf, a unit notorious for its brutality and involvement in war crimes. In 1943, Eicke was killed on the Eastern Front when his aircraft was shot down while he was carrying out a reconnaissance flight during the Third Battle of Kharkov.
