Josias of Waldeck-Pyrmont: The SS Prince Behind the Crimes of Buchenwald

Josias, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, a German aristocrat turned SS leader, became deeply involved in the Nazi regime and held authority over the Buchenwald concentration camp during the Second World War.Josias, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, was a former German aristocrat whose pursuit of power and restored privilege led him deep into the criminal machinery of Nazi Germany, especially during the Second World War. Born in 1896 into a ruling noble family, Josias grew up in imperial Germany, but the collapse of the monarchy after World War I stripped his family of its principality, titles, and political influence. Like many dispossessed nobles, Josias embraced radical nationalism, military violence, and ultimately National Socialism as a path back to power.After serving and being wounded multiple times in World War I, Josias joined right-wing Freikorps units that fought against communists and the Weimar Republic. In 1929, he joined the Nazi Party and soon after the SS, rapidly advancing through the ranks due to his aristocratic status and close personal ties to senior figures such as Heinrich Himmler and Sepp Dietrich. By the early 1930s, Josias had become a high-ranking SS leader and a member of the Reichstag.He actively participated in the Night of the Long Knives in 1934, helping eliminate the SA leadership and consolidate SS power. In 1938, Josias was appointed Higher SS and Police Leader for Weimar, placing him in supervisory authority over Buchenwald concentration camp. Although he was not the camp commandant, he bore responsibility for crimes committed there under his jurisdiction.Josias is most notably associated with the investigation and execution of Buchenwald commandant Karl-Otto Koch. While often portrayed as an act of justice, the investigation was driven largely by SS corruption concerns rather than humanitarian motives. Prisoner abuse, torture, executions, and mass suffering continued unabated at Buchenwald throughout his tenure.After Germany’s defeat, Josias was arrested by U.S. forces and tried at the Buchenwald Trials. Convicted of responsibility for war crimes, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, later reduced. Released in 1950, he lived freely until his death in 1967. His life illustrates how former aristocrats became willing participants in Nazi terror—and how many escaped full accountability after the war.This episode is part of the series High-Ranking officials of the Third Reich.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv