Faced with the prospect of being extradited to Yugoslavia to stand trial for war crimes, Sauberzweig committed suicide in Allied captivity in 1946.

[citation needed] "A proven leader of men, Sauberzweig had commanded a company and garnered the Iron Cross First Class by the age of eighteen, and earned a reputation as an exceptional organizer.

With the expansion of the Reichswehr into the Wehrmacht, Sauberzweig was appointed as a instructor to the Army and Air Force Signals school in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt in 1934.

In the fall of 1936, Sauberzweig was promoted second Staff Officer (Ib) to the General Command XI Army Corps and moved to Hanover.

Sauberzweig arrived in Mende, Lozère, France, to assume command from the Austrian Oberführer Herbert von Obwurzer on 9 August 1943.

However, this and a falling off in recruitment led to staff problems, and he was constantly complaining to the SS personnel office in Berlin about his urgent need for battalion commanders.

At the November inspection, Sauberzweig instructed the division's Albanian recruits and parts of the artillery to conduct a special exercise to demonstrate their efficiency and proficiency.

From 10 to 13 March 1944, the Handschar Division entered the Syrmia region of eastern Croatia, held by Partisans who were threatening the Zagreb-Belgrade railway.

The historian George Lepre wrote: "It is clear that through this directive, Sauberzweig foresaw his division taking complete control of the region.

"[7] Opposition from Zagreb and the Reich Foreign office meant that, ironically, much of Sauberzweig's economic and social welfare proposals were rescinded or undermined, while the more draconian aspects (particularly food requisition) remained in place.

Himmler however did create an independent "SS and Police Organization Staff" on 17 April to restore order in the area under Dr. Richard Wagner.

On 19 June 1944 Sauberzweig formally handed over command of Handschar to SS Brigadeführer Desiderius Hampel and then travelled to Berlin to report in person to Himmler.

In his formal written report submitted to Reichsführer-SS Himmler, dated 22 June, Sauberzweig stated: “When the division first went into action, it was not fully combat-ready.

"[9] In January 1945 Sauberzweig returned to the Wehrmacht as Generalleutnant (Major General) and commanded "a corps within Army Group H in northern Germany.

"[10] Sauberzweig surrendered to the Western Allies and on 26 September 1946 submitted a written report of his experiences with the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian) whilst interned by the British army at Preetz, Schleswig-Holstein.

The lifelong professional military careerist SS Obergruppenführer Artur Phleps praised them both: "Regarding the 13th Division, I can only report that it has performed flawlessly.