Kruger, Friedrich Wilhelm

Son of the colonel, brother of Walter Krueger . Educated in the cadet corps of Karlsruhe (1909) and Berlin Lichterfeld (1913). March 22, 1914 with the rank of lieutenant joined the infantry regiment Luttsov. For military distinctions, he was awarded the Iron Cross of the 1st and 2nd class. In the years 1919-1920. part of the Luttsov Volunteer Corps, participated in the suppression of the communist movement in Germany. In May 1920, he was demobilized. In 1920-1923 worked in publishing houses, in 1924-1928 director of the incinerator (Berlin). Dismissed on suspicion of corruption.

November 15, 1929 joined the NSDAP (party card No. 171 199), in 1930 - in the SA , March 16, 1931 - in the SS (ticket No. 6123), received the rank of Sturmbannführer . From March 1931 to January 1935 he was for special assignments at the headquarters of the 3rd SSA. He held high posts in the SA: from April 5, 1931, the chief of staff of the SA Vostok group, from November 10, 1931, the commander of the SA Vostok group, from June 1932, the chief of the SA training service and the groupführer SA for special assignments at Ernst headquarters Rema . In June 1932 he was elected deputy of the Reichstag from Frankfurt an der Oder. Since July 1, 1933, the head of the education service of the SA In 1935 he returned to command posts in the SS. On June 15, 1933, the Obergruppenführer in Munich , a member of the Reichsfuhrer SS headquarters and the Prussian state adviser. From July 1933 to August 1934, the head of the training department of the SA. Since April 1, 1936, an inspector of the border units of the SS. From May 1938 to October 1939, an inspector of the cavalry SS.

From October 4, 1939 to November 9, 1943, the supreme leader of the SS and the police in the Governor-General, and simultaneously from September 15, 1942, the head of the SS "Vostok" obrabrashnit; Hans Frank's closest employee. Constantly came into conflict with Frank, demanding more vigorous and brutal anti-Polish and anti-Jewish measures. In conflict with Frank, he enjoyed the support of Heinrich Himmler . In May 1942, the confrontation was resolved in favor of Kruger, who took up the specially established post of Secretary of State for Security in the Government of the Governor General. After that, the influence of Kruger became comparable, and sometimes surpassed the influence of Frank. At the same time, he became Himmler's personal representative for strengthening the German nation in the governor general. In the years 1939-1943. He was the head of the entire system of Nazi terror in Poland, is responsible for the destruction of millions of Poles and Polish Jews (2.8 million people were killed only Jews). On his orders, 110 thousand Poles were evicted from Zamosc to make way for German colonists.

For some time, Kruger was the curator of SS judge Georg Konrad Morgen , but he was not satisfied that Morgen did not try to remove senior SS functionaries from the attack. Kruger’s patience snapped, and, as a senior in rank ( SS Obergruppenführer ), in October 1941 he sent Morgen ( SS Sturmbannführer ) to the Eastern Front. When Himmler found out about Krueger's trick, he immediately promoted Morgen to the SS Obersturmbannführer , and sent Krueger, who finally quarreled with Frank, to the front.

On November 9, 1943, Krueger was enlisted in the SS Reichsfuhrer’s Personal Headquarters and until April 1944 was engaged in training units of the 7th Mountain Division SS Prince Eugen . On May 20, 1944, the commander of the 6th Mountain Division SS “Nord” . Since August 26, 1944, the commander of the V mountain rifle corps SS . September 20, 1944 was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for commanding a division of the 20th Mountain Army in Finland. He participated in operations against partisans in Western Yugoslavia.

In February 1945, he was appointed supreme leader of the SS and police in Vienna . He committed suicide. As Kruger wrote in his last letter, his reputation was tarnished by the “Polish cases” of corruption that Morgen was involved in and in which he introduced Kruger as one of the accused.

• Iron Cross (1914) 2nd class ( Kingdom of Prussia )
• Iron Cross (1914) 1st class (February 17, 1915) ( Kingdom of Prussia )
• Cross "For Military Merit" 3rd class with military distinction (autumn 1916) ( Austria-Hungary )
• Royal Order of the Hohenzollern House Knight's Cross with Swords (April 25, 1918)
• Breastplate "For the wounded" (1918) in silver ( German Empire )
• Honor cross of a war veteran with swords (1934)
• Chevron of the old fighter
• CA Sports Sign in Gold
• Golden party badge of the NSDAP (01/30/1939)
• Order of the Yugoslav crown of the 2nd class (May 1939) ( Kingdom of Yugoslavia )
• Order of the Crown of Italy 2nd class (January 1940) ( Kingdom of Italy )
• 2nd degree military merit cross with swords
• 1st Class Military Merit Cross with swords (April 20, 1942)
• Buckle to the Iron Cross 2nd class (August 2, 1943)
• Buckle to the Iron Cross 1st class (May 15, 1944)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (October 20, 1944)
• Medal "For the length of service in the NSDAP" in bronze and silver
• Medal "For the length of service in the SS"
• Ring "Dead Head"
• Reichsfuhrer SS Honor Saber

• 1967 - "Major Whirlwind" - Evgeny Kuznetsov ,
• 1973 - “Seventeen Moments of Spring” - Evgeny Kuznetsov ,
• 1976 - “The Duma of Kovpak” - Algimantas Masiulis