Born in Detmold, Germany, Jürgen Stroop joined the Nazi Party in June 1932, and the SS
in October 1932. In 1941, he was an officer
of the Totenkopf Division operating in the Soviet Union, and responsible for maintaining law and order in Galicia. It was there that he acquired a reputation of great cruelty. On 17 April 1943, he was sent to Warsaw.
A few hours after the Insurrection began, Stroop was named to replace von Sammern, whom Himmler did not have much confidence in. Stroop took command of the German soldiers and tried to organize the relocation
of Ghetto workshops. Every day he sent a report to Headquarters in Cracow. His final report was 75 pages long and included photos that have become become famous since.
For his role in liquidating the Ghetto, Stroop received the Iron Cross, First Class. Following the abortive attempt on Hitler's life, on 20 July 1944, he played an important role in the repression of the conspirators. Arrested at the end of the War, he was tried for war crimes in Warsaw -on 23 July 1951- and sentenced to death. He was hanged in 1956.
