Albert, Wilhelm

Date of birth:: September 8th, 1898 (Hessenthal, German Empire)
Date of death:: April 21st, 1960 (Erndtebrück, Germany)
Service number:: NSDAP Nr.: 1.122.215 // SS-Nr.: 36.189
Nationality:: German

Biography

Albert was the son of a teacher. After his primary and secondary studies, he fought in the First World War as a soldier serving in the artillery and then as an observer in the flying service 1916 to 1919.
Later he participated in battles fought by the Freikorps 'von Epp' 3.1919 - 7.1919 and Marschgruppe Wurzburg 3.1920 - 7.1920. He trained as an electrical engineer and earned his Doktoringenieur and awarded a Doctorate in Philosophy in 1940.

Albert joined the NSDAP on 1 May 1932 and the SS on 1 August 1932, and began working for the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the intelligence service of the SS.

In autumn 1933, as an SS-Sturmführer, Albert was entrusted with the direction of the SD-Oberabschnitt West section of the SD, located in Düsseldorf, and later the Oberabschnitt Rhein section, located in Frankfurt. In 1935, he succeeded Werner Best as the chief of staff and the organization of the central administration of the SD.

After the reorganization of the SD in January 1936, Albert took over the management of one of its three bureaus, the newly created Amt I (Administration). This promotion made him one of the five leaders highest in the hierarchy, along with Reinhard Heydrich, Werner Best, Heinz Jost and Franz Six. After the founding of the SS-Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA), Albert took over the Central Section I (staff, administration, organization).

In April 1939, Albert was promoted to SS-Brigadeführer. In 1939, he was appointed along with Werner Best, Walter Schellenberg and Kurt Pomme as director of the Stiftung Nordhav.

During World War II, Albert was chief of police in Litzmannstadt (Łódź). After his replacement in 1944, he became the successor to the district president Hans Burkhardt in the district Hohensalza in Reichsgau Wartheland.

After the war, Albert was interned until 1947. He was never heard in the Federal Republic of Germany in connection with Nazi crimes until his death.

Promotions:
19.09.1932: SS-Anwärter
10.02.1933: SS-Scharführer
15.04.1933: SS-Truppführer
31.07.1933: SS-Sturmführer
15.03.1934: SS-Obersturmführer
20.04.1934: SS-Hauptsturmführer
04.07.1934: SS-Sturmbannführer
20.04.1935: SS-Obersturmbannführer
20.04.1936: SS-Standartenführer
20.04.1937: SS-Oberführer
20.04.1939: SS-Brigadeführer

Career:
24.05.-01.09.1933: Nachrichtenfuhrer SS Ab XI
02.09.1933-01.01.1934: Führer SD Oa West
02.01.1934-19.07.1935: Führer SD Oa Rhein
30.01.1935-01.10.1937: Leiter Zentralabteilung I/1 SDHA
19.07.1935-27.09.1939: Chef Amt I SDHA
01.10.1937-27.09.1939: Chef Amt IVa SDHA
27.09.1939: RHSA - he had been omitted from the re-organised RHSA because he was an ally of Rudolf Best and was considered one of the academics that Heydrich hated
13.09.1939-12.04.1940: MWGB Pol Pras Oppeln
18.11.1940-31.03.1941: III Koloniale Lehrkurse für SS Führer der Sipo und SD
Attended the Corpo di Polizia Dell'Africa Italiana run by general Riccardo Maraffa under the Ministero Dell'Africa Italiana under generale Attilio Teruzzi. Three courses were run in Italy under Sbf Herman Gunther and Friedrich Riese and Obsbf Otto Wendland for members of the SIPO and SD ready for possible operations abroad.
20.03.1941-01.11.1944: Polizei Präsident - Litzmannstadt
15.08.1944-08.05.1945: Regierungsprasident - Hohensalza