Walter Rauff
Walter (Walther) Rauff (19 June 1906 – 14 May 1984) was a mid-ranking SS commander in Nazi Germany. From January 1938, he was an aide of Reinhard Heydrich firstly in the Security Service (Sicherheitsdienst or SD), later in the Reich Security Main Office. He worked for the Federal Intelligence Service of West Germany (Bundesnachrichtendienst) between 1958 and 1962, and was subsequently employed by the Mossad, the Israeli secret service. Recruited by Augusto Pinochet, Rauff played a role in the creation of the Chilean internal security apparatus during the military dictatorship. His funeral in Santiago, Chile, was attended by several former Nazis.
Walter Rauff | |
|---|---|
Walter Rauff during his arrest in Italy in 1945 | |
| Born | 19 June 1906 Köthen, Germany |
| Died | 14 May 1984 (aged 77) Santiago, Chile |
| Allegiance | Weimar Republic (1924–1933) Nazi Germany (1933–1945) Syrian Republic (1948–1949) West Germany (1958–1963) Chile (since 1973) |
| Service/ | Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine Schutzstaffel Bundesnachrichtendienst Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional |
| Rank | SS-Standartenführer (Schutzstaffel) Korvettenkapitän (Kriegsmarine) |
Rauff is accused by Jewish sources of being responsible for nearly 100,000 deaths during World War II. Among other actions, he was instrumental in the use of mobile gas chambers for the execution of prisoners. He was arrested in 1945, but subsequently escaped and was never brought to trial.