From German Prince to Nazi War Criminal: Josias of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Royals and Aristocrats Before and During WWII
•
13m
Josias, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, was no ordinary aristocrat. Cousin to Dutch royalty, he joined Hitler’s SS and rose to power under Himmler. As Higher SS and Police Leader in Weimar, he had supervisory authority over Buchenwald concentration camp, where thousands suffered. Tried at the Buchenwald Trials, he was sentenced to life, later reduced. This film uncovers his journey from noble heir to Nazi criminal—and how privilege shielded him from full justice.
Up Next in Royals and Aristocrats Before and During WWII
-
From Royal Palace to Nazi Death Camp:...
She was the daughter of King Victor Emmanuel III, the wife of a German prince, and once moved in the most elite royal circles. But when Italy turned against Hitler, Princess Mafalda was arrested and deported to Buchenwald. Under a false name, she endured isolation and starvation. Wounded in an ai...
-
The Royal Behind the Nanjing Massacre...
Prince Yasuhiko Asaka was no ordinary soldier—he was royalty. In 1937, Prince Asaka commanded Japanese troops during the infamous Nanjing Massacre, where as many as 300,000 civilians and unarmed soldiers were killed. Despite eyewitness accounts of his orders to “kill all captives,” Asaka was neve...
