Günther Pancke

Pancke was born in Gnesen (Gniezno), Province of Posen, German Empire (today part of Poland).

From October 1943 until the end of the war he was appointed as the SS- und Polizeiführer "Dänemark" and was promoted to Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei on 20 April 1944, and General der Waffen-SS on 21 March 1945.

During his role in Denmark, he became incensed by the refusal of the Danish police to combat resistance forces or to protect factories from sabotage.

He ordered the entire national police force, amounting to approximately 10,000 officers, to be arrested and sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp.

[1] In 1948, Pancke was found guilty of war crimes by a Danish court and sentenced to 20 years in prison.