Otto Kumm – then and after. Kumm was a highly decorated, exceptionally talented and successful officer, a Hamburger, who ended his career as commander of the most elite SS unit, the "Adolf Hitler" Bodyguard (in the rank of SS-Brigadeführer). He came to Yugoslavia from the SS Division "Das Reich", in late May 1943 (after fierce battles in Russia), as chief of staff (Ia) of the newly-formed V SS Mountain Corps. He commanded the "Prinz Eugen" Division for a year, from (late) January 1944 to (late) January 1945. He was the only commander of this unit who survived the war and escaped (by fleeing) the trial in Yugoslavia, and also its highest decorated member. After the war, he became a businessman and founded the Mutual Aid Association of Former Members of the Waffen-SS (HIAG; there were several known, convicted war criminals who were members of the association). He published two books on the "Prinz Eugen" Division: the unit history and a book of photographs. He wrote about the members of the division, the Banat Swabians, with true paternal affection, completely omitting the subject of their (many) war crimes. Otto Kumm died of natural causes, in Offenburg, aged 95. He was holder of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, and he was declared a war criminal by the Yugoslav State Commission and the United Nations Commission. He is pictured posing with his Knight's Cross, as an SS-Standartenführer in Germany, prior to transferring to Yugoslavia, and as an old man, at the end of his life.
Text: Ivan Ž.
Photographer: a) Heinrich Hoffmann; b) unknown.
Date: a) 20 May 1943; b) unknown.
Location: a) unknown, Germany; b) unknown.
Original caption: a) "SS-Standartenführer Otto Kumm." b) unknown.
File source: a) German Postal History, 74151; b) Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS 1939–1945.
NOT ALLOWED: removing source credits from the files – using text without crediting the original author – using files and information for political propaganda and commercial purposes.
Oto Kum – onda i posle. Kum je bio visokoodlikovani, vanredno talentovani i uspešni oficir, rodom iz Hamburga, koji je karijeru završio kao komandant najelitnije SS-jedinice, Telesne garde "Adolf Hitler" (u činu SS-brigadefirera). U Jugoslaviju je došao iz SS-divizije "Rajh", krajem maja 1943. godine (posle žestokih borbi u Rusiji), kao načelnik štaba (Ia) novoformiranog V brdskog SS-korpusa. Divizijom "Princ Ojgen" komandovao je godinu dana, od (kraja) januara 1944. do (kraja) januara 1945. Bio je jedini komandant ove jedinice koji je preživeo rat i (bekstvom) izbegao suđenje u Jugoslaviji, i njen najviše odlikovani pripadnik. Posle rata je postao biznismen i osnovao Udruženje za uzajamnu pomoć bivših pripadnika SS-trupa (HIAG; nekoliko poznatih, osuđenih ratnih zločinaca bili su članovi ovog udruženja). Objavio je dve knjige o diviziji "Princ Ojgen": istoriju jedinice i knjigu fotografija. O pripadnicima divizije, banatskim Švabama, pisao je sa pravom očinskom ljubavlju, a temu njihovih (mnogobrojnih) ratnih zločina zaobišao je u širokom luku. Oto Kum je umro prirodnom smrću, u Ofenburgu, u 95. godini života. Bio je nosilac Viteškog krsta sa hrastovim lišćem i mačevima, a za ratnog zločinca proglasile su ga Državna komisija Jugoslavije i Komisija Ujedinjenih nacija. Na fotografijama je prikazan kako pozira sa svojim Viteškim krstom, kao SS-štandartenfirer u Nemačkoj, pred odlazak u Jugoslaviju, i kao starac, pred kraj života.
Tekst: Ivan Ž.
Fotograf: a) Hajnrih Hofman; b) nepoznat.
Datum: a) 20. maj 1943; b) nepoznat.
Mesto: a) nepoznato, Nemačka; b) nepoznato.
Originalni natpis: a) "SS-štandartenfirer Oto Kum." b) nepoznat.
Izvor fajla: a) German Postal History, 74151; b) Die Ritterkreuzträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS 1939–1945.
NIJE DOZVOLJENO: uklanjanje naziva izvora sa fajlova – korišćenje teksta bez navođenja izvornog autora – korišćenje fajlova i informacija u političko-propagandne i komercijalne svrhe.
