Max Liedtke

Max Liedtke (25 December 1894 – 1955) was a German journalist and officer. He was honoured as Righteous Among the Nations for his resistance against the "liquidation" of the Ghetto of Przemyśl.^[1]

Liedtke was born in Preussisch Holland, East Prussia (today Pasłęk, Poland) to a Lutheran Vicar. He passed his Abitur in Gumbinnen (today Gusev, Russia) and started to study Lutheran theology at the University of Königsberg but volunteered for the Imperial Army at the outbreak of World War I. After the war he worked as a journalist and became the chief editor of a local newspaper in Greifswald. He was dismissed in 1935 because of his critical attitude towards the Nazis, and was conscripted into the Wehrmacht in 1939. He was deployed in Poland, Belgium and Piraeus (Greece).

In July 1942, he became the military commander of Przemyśl. On 26 July 1942, the SS prepared to launch their first large-scale “resettlement” action against the Jews of Przemyśl. Liedtke's adjutant, Oberleutnant Albert Battel, gave orders to block the bridge over the River San, the only access into the Jewish ghetto. As the SS attempted to cross to the other side, the Wehrmacht troops under Liedtke's command threatened to open fire unless the SS withdrew. The same afternoon, an army detachment under the command of Battel broke into the cordoned-off area of the ghetto and evacuated up to 100 Jews and their families to the barracks of the local military command. These Jews were placed under the protection of the Wehrmacht and were thus sheltered from deportation to the Belzec extermination camp.

Liedtke was dismissed as military commander of Przemyśl on 30 September 1942, most likely because of this incident. He was thereafter deployed to the 1st Panzer Army, which fought in the Caucasus. Liedtke remained in service and was evacuated to Bornholm in early 1945. After the end of World War II, he was transferred to the Soviet Union and sentenced for alleged war crimes. Liedtke died in Soviet custody in 1955.

On 24 June 1993 Yad Vashem officially recognized Liedtke as Righteous Among the Nations.

References

1. ^ Gutman, Israel; Fraenkel, Daniel; Borut, Jacob (2005). Lexikon der Gerechten unter den Völkern, Deutsche und Österreicher. p. 182. ISBN 3892449007. http://books.google.de/books?id=UQK4-L64zfgC&pg=PA182&dq=max+liedtke+holland#v=onepage&q=max%20liedtke%20holland&f=false. Retrieved 2009-12-06.  (German)

Persondata
Name	Liedtke, Max
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	25 December 1894
Place of birth
Date of death	1955
Place of death