Otto Abetz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Otto Abetz
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Otto Abetz
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| Born | 26 March 1903 Schwetzingen, Baden, German Empire
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| Died | 5 May 1958 (aged 55) |
| Occupation | German Ambassador to France (de facto) (1940–1944) |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Conviction(s) | Found responsible for actions during the war |
| Criminal penalty | 20 years in prison |
| SS service | |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |
 Schutzstaffel |
| Rank | SS-Brigadeführer |
Otto Abetz (born March 26, 1903 – died May 5, 1958) was a German ambassador to France during World War II. After the war, he was found responsible for some actions that happened during that time. He was released from prison in 1954 and passed away a few years later in a car accident.
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Early Life and Interests
Abetz was born in Schwetzingen, Germany, on March 26, 1903. His father, who managed an estate, died when Otto was only 13 years old. Otto went to school in Karlsruhe and later became an art teacher at a girls' school.
He joined the Hitler Youth, where he became good friends with Joachim von Ribbentrop. Abetz also helped start the Reichsbanner, a group linked to the Social Democrats. He was also connected to other groups, including the Black Front, which was a different group of National Socialists.
Abetz was very interested in French culture from a young age. In his twenties, he helped create a cultural group for young people from France and Germany. This group, called the Sohlberg Congress, worked to make relations between the two countries stronger. It brought together about a hundred young people from different jobs, social classes, and backgrounds.
The group held its first meeting in the Black Forest and often met around ski slopes, campfires, and in hostels. They stayed in touch with the media through Jean Luchaire, who worked for a newspaper called Notre Temps. Abetz also started a group called the Sohlberg Circle. In 1934, the Sohlberg Circle became the Franco-German Committee.
Abetz really loved French culture. In 1932, he married Susanne de Bruyker, who was Jean Luchaire's secretary. He was known for wanting peace and for trying to connect with different political groups.
Abetz and the German Government
Abetz began supporting the NSDAP in 1931 and officially joined in 1937. That same year, he applied to work for the German Foreign Service. From 1938, he worked for Germany in Paris, France.
He attended the Munich Conference in 1938. In June 1939, Abetz was asked to leave France. This happened after claims that he had paid two French newspaper editors to write articles that supported Germany. This caused a big stir in France.
Abetz was with Adolf Hitler when Warsaw fell, and he helped as a translator. He went back to France in June 1940 after Germany took control of parts of the country. He was then assigned to the German embassy in Paris.
Following Hitler's orders, Abetz was given the job of "protecting" all art objects in France. This included public, private, and especially Jewish-owned art. Abetz was very keen on this task. He told the Wehrmacht (German military) that the embassy was in charge of taking French artworks and listing items owned by Jewish people. By late October, so many items were gathered at the Louvre museum that more space was needed.
Ambassador in Occupied France
In November 1940, Abetz became the German Ambassador to Paris, in occupied France. He was 37 years old and held this position until July 1944. He also led a group of French people who supported Germany.
He gave advice to the German military in Paris. He was also in charge of dealing with the French Government, which was then based in Vichy. In May 1941, he helped arrange the Paris Protocols. These agreements gave Germany more access to French military sites.
Otto Abetz was one of the few German officials who looked up to and respected von Ribbentrop. His main goal was to get the French to fully cooperate with Germany. He did this by talking with French leaders like Laval. Abetz's role grew to include society, arts, industry, education, and especially propaganda.
He put together a team of journalists and experts. Besides running the German embassy in Paris, Abetz also took over the Château de Chantilly in the countryside. He often hosted guests in both places, acting like a powerful leader. The French writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline even jokingly called him "King Otto I."
The German Embassy was supposed to handle all political matters in occupied France. This included advising the German police and military. Abetz advised the military and the Gestapo. In 1940, he created the German Institute. This institute, led by Karl Epting, aimed to improve French-German relations. It offered German language courses, which 30,000 people signed up for. Even more popular were the concerts, which featured Germany's best musicians, including Herbert von Karajan.
After Germany took control of all of France on November 11, 1942, Abetz's influence became much smaller. All of France was then run by German military authorities. Abetz felt he was no longer in favor, though he didn't know why. He didn't see Hitler or von Ribbentrop for a whole year. He was only asked for advice once, about forming a French volunteer unit. In his writings, Abetz thought he was seen as "too friendly to France." He believed his constant warnings about the French fleet and colonies were not liked, especially when they turned out to be true. The French fleet was sunk in Toulon on November 27, which meant France would not join the Axis.
He left France in September 1944 as the German armies pulled back. This was despite telling the Swedish ambassador a month earlier that the Germans had not killed any political prisoners and had no plans to leave Paris.
After the War
Abetz was arrested by Allied forces in the Schwarzwald in October 1945. A French court found Abetz responsible for his part in arranging the movement of French Jews from the Drancy internment camp to other camps. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was released from Loos prison on April 17, 1954.
He died on May 5, 1958, in a car accident on the Cologne-Ruhr autobahn. His car had a problem while speeding near Langenfeld, and he died in the fire.
See also
In Spanish: Otto Abetz para niños
- List SS-Brigadeführer
Images for kids
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Otto Abetz
