Otto Harder

Otto Fritz Harder (Nickname: Tull Harder) (born November 25, 1892 in Braunschweig, died March 4, 1956 in Hamburg) was a soccer player for the Hamburger SV. He won two German football championships and played 15 times in the German national team. Harder was a former SS officer and had been a warder at the Ahlem concentration camp in Hanover.

Career

His football fame in Germany was comparable with Uwe Seeler's fame.^[1][2] After his football career Harder was an SS-Untersturmführer (equivalent second lieutenant) and was a commander (Schutzhaftlagerführer) at the Ahlem camp.^[3] After World War II Harder was convicted of war crimes by the British military court at the Curio house in Rotherbaum. He was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment.^[1] After the trial the Hamburger SV excluded him for a short time. In 1951 His Majesty 's Government pardoned Harder.^[4] Harder moved to Bendestorf.

Harder died in a hospital in Hamburg after surgery in 1956.^[1] The Hamburger SV published an obituary

“	Er war (...) stets ein guter Freund und treuer Kamerad.	”
	— Vereinsnachrichten des Hamburger Sport-Verein, April 1956

'He was (...) always a good friend and faithful comrade.'^[4]

For the world cup in 1974, the senate of Hamburg published the booklet Hamburg '74. Fußballweltmeisterschaft, which praised among others Josef Posipal, Uwe Seeler and Harder as role models for the young. The sheets mentioning Harder were removed.^[4]

See also

Neuengamme concentration camp

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Staff (2002-06-26), "Tull" Harder - Vom Idol zum Kriegsverbrecher, abendblatt.de, http://www.abendblatt.de/daten/2002/06/26/40188.html, retrieved 2008-08-21  (German)
2. ^ Peters, Fritz (1942), Tull Harder stürmt für Deutschlands Fussballruhm, Hamburg: Falken, OCLC 72331632  (German)
3. ^ Schwab, Georg (2004-05-05), SS personnel serving at Neuengammer, Axis History site, http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=4989, retrieved 2008-08-21 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Heinrich, Arthur, Tull Harder - Eine Karriere in Deutschland*, http://library.fes.de/gmh/main/pdf-files/gmh/1996/1996-07-a-464.pdf, retrieved 2008-08-13  (German)

Further reading

• Repplinger, Roger (2008) Leg dich, Zigeuner. Die Geschichte von Johann Trollmann und Tull Harder. München, Piper, ISBN 3-492-04902-8 (German)

External links

• http://www.fussballdaten.de/spieler/harderotto/ (German)
• http://www.national-football-teams.com/v2/player.php?id=17559

Persondata
Name	Harder, Otto
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1892-11-25
Place of birth
Date of death	1956-03-04
Place of death