Globocnik, Odilo

(1904–1945)

   Globocnik was head of the Aktion Reinhard camps as well as the Majdanek death camp. Born in Trieste, Globocnik joined the Austrian Nazi Party in 1931 and became the liaison between his party and its German counterpart. In 1938 he became the Gauleiter (party district leader) of Vienna, but shortly thereafter he was relieved of his position because of illegal currency dealings. In late 1939, Heinrich Himmler pardoned him and subsequently he was appointed SS and police chief for the Lublin district. Himmler placed Globocnik, a virulent anti-Semite, in charge of a special Schutzstaffel (SS) unit for the purpose of exterminating Jews in the Aktion Reinhard camps. Globocnik carried out his duties with brutal efficiency that resulted not only in the murder of more than two million Jews but also the seizure of their personal property down to their spectacles and the gold fillings from their teeth. Ultimately, Globocnik was relieved of his duties in August 1943 for stealing his victims’ valuables and was reassigned to Trieste.