Oskar Dirlewanger

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Oskar Paul Dirlewanger (26 September 1895 – c. 7 June 1945) was a German military officer, mass murderer and war criminal. He commanded the Dirlewanger Brigade, a penal military unit of the Waffen-SS which served in World War II. Dirlewanger's unit is often considered the most notorious Waffen-SS unit, committing some of the conflict's worst atrocities, with Dirlewanger himself regarded as perhaps Nazi Germany's "most extreme executioner", engaging in frequent acts of violence, rape, and murder. He died after the war while in Allied custody. Dirlewanger had an impressive career as a junior officer during World War I. He fought in the post-World War I conflicts in Germany as a minor commander in the Freikorps militia movement, with the troops he led then also characterized by excessive violence, and participated in the Spanish Civil War. Through his service with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War, he was politically rehabilitated despite his criminal record, allowing his return...

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