. NMT05-T1043
Volume V · Page 1043
| HANS BRIER |
| Hans Beier joined the National Socialist
Party on 1 May 1933. In 1937 Pohl induced him to enter the SS and had him
transferred from the navy in which he was then serving. From April 1937 until
August 1913 Baier conducted instruction courses on SS administration. He states
that in these courses he never mentioned concentration camps, but one of his
former students, Philipp Grimm, declared in an affidavit that at this school he
was taught — "Everything in connection with the administration of troops
in a concentration camp." Baier's work as instructor apparently so well satisfied the demands of Nazi and SS ideology that it brought from Pohl the compliment that Baier's students could be appointed immediately to the Death Head units as administrative leaders. Baier may not have mentioned concentration camps in his lectures but he could not help knowing about them, since in 1941 he had inmates from the Dachau concentration camp at his very school, employed in enlarging and extending it. Inmates worked there daily. In August 1943 Baier became chief of staff W of the WVHA, following Hohberg. His counsel states that it is open to discussion whether Baier could be called Dr. Hohberg's successor. But the minutes of the W Chiefs of Amt meeting on 29 September 1943, written up by Dr. Volk, carries this item: "He (Pohl) recalled Standartenfuehrer Baier, commander of the school in Dachau, and appointed him chief of staff W." As successor to Hohberg, Baier is as much involved as Hohberg in crimes against humanity arising out of his activities as chief of staff W. It is unnecessary to relate again the functions of the staff W chief, since that matter was sufficiently covered in the discussion of Hohberg's case. However, article 8 of the WVHA Code of Procedure may be quoted to show the important role the office of chief of staff W was given in the organization set-up: "The Chief W." |
| Article 8 |
"The chief W is the economic advisor of the chief of the Main Office. In this capacity he is especially responsible for the supervision as well as the economic and financial counselling of the companies and offices; he moreover assists the chief of the Main Office in his leadership tasks." |
| It has been advanced in Baier's behalf that his work was confined to the spheres of auditing and taxation, but the references in the document books in this case are legion as to Baier's activities beyond that of auditor and tax expert. |
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