Franz Hermann Anton Magill (August 22, 1900 – April 14, 1972) was a German riding instructor, SS officer and war criminal of the Nazi era.
After the Germans invaded the Soviet Union, the two SS cavalry regiments systematically searched for Jews in the rear of Army Group Centre in Belarus, in order to shoot them.
On the morning of August 1, Fegelein instructed the squadrons of the 2nd regiment after a meeting with Himmler and Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski: “Express orders from the RF-SS.
Historian Martin Cüppers [de] estimates the total number of Jewish victims was around 14,000, almost exclusively men and boys.
In contrast to other SS units, Magill interpreted his orders narrowly and stated that the swamps were not deep enough to drown the women and children.
Magill was seconded to HSSPF Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski in September 1941 and deployed in the "fight against partisans".
On April 20, 1943, he was promoted to SS-Obersturmbannführer and took command of the divisional supply troops of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS.
After the war ended in 1945, Magill was interned by British occupying forces until March 1948 because of his SS membership.