Rudolf Höss’ SS personnel file
Rudolf Höss’ SS personnel file listing basic information about his service.
© US National Archives, College Park
Rudolf Höss’ SS personnel file listing basic information about his service. On 20 September 1933, Rudolf applied to join the SS, partly in order to establish an SS stable on the farm in Pomerania where he was working. To be accepted, he had to meet the criteria of an SS soldier: be over twenty-three years old, and at least five feet six and a half inches tall. Rudolf was thirty-two at the time, and a good half an inch taller that the requirement. Seven months after his submission, Rudolf's application was accepted.
From the time that he enlisted, Rudolf told everyone that he had been born on 25 November 1900, contradicting his birth, baptism and marriage certificates. Rudolf had his official SS personnel file altered so that the last digit of his birth year, 1901, was rounded out into a ‘0’, thus retrospectively covering up the lie about his age.
Map
Return to all images