As an aide to Erich von dem Bach Zelewski he first suggested the site of the former Austrian and later Polish artillery barracks[1] in the Zasole suburb of Oswiecim for a concentration camp in January 1940.

At the time, Polish officials were unaware of Wigand's extensive participation in the Holocaust, and instead prosecuted him for his high-ranking position and SS membership.

In October 1981, Wigand was convicted of ordering police to shoot Jews found outside of the Warsaw ghetto in which they were forced to live.

The court said it could not ascertain the exact number of Jews killed because of his order, but at least 100 died between August 1941 and the spring of 1942 when he was police chief.

[4][5][6][7] The court rejected the defense's contention that the order was designed to halt the spread of typhus by preventing carriers from leaving the ghetto.