Diekmann, Adolf, born on 08-12-1914 in Magdeburg
Before the war he taught at the SS-Junkerschule in Bad Tolz
. He was the battalion commander, SS-nr.: 309 984, from 18-05-1933, of Division Das Reich, nickname “Wolfsangel”
, who was the highest ranking officer present at Oradour-sur-Glane on 10-06-1944 the day that 642 men, women and children were murdered and the whole town was destroyed by fire. Together with SS Obersturmbahnführer, Commander of SS-Panzer Grenadier Regiment 4 “Der Führer”, Otto Weidinger,

















When Stadler heard about the massacre and the destroying of Oradour. he reported Diekmann to Brigadeführer Heinz Lammerding,
Lammerding died age 65, on 13-01-1971 in Dusseldorf and requested that Diekmann be court martialled for exceeding his orders.

Death and burial ground of Diekmann, Adolf Rudolf Reinhold.




Diekmann married his fiancée Hedwig Meinde, the war wedding took place on 12-02-1940. The marriage resulted in son Rainer Diekmann (born 11-03-1942), who later became a well-known pediatrician after studying in Munich and doing his doctorate in Augsburg. Diekmann a dedicated father here with son Rainer, was court martialled but never brought to trial since he was killed in action a few weeks later, on 29-06-1944. His fellow officers said that Diekmann was distraught; they believed that Diekmann committed suicide by deliberately getting himself killed in battle. Robert Hebras,
one of the 5 survivors of the Laudy barn, wrote a book called “Oradour-sur-Glane, the Tragedy Hour by Hour,” in which he described Diekmann as a “blood-thirsty man” and said that “Major Diekmann was a man whose callousness had earned him the reputation of a cold, cruel butcher, and a drunkard besides.” The commander of “Der Führer” (see Adolf Hitler) (did you know) Battalion 3, who was kidnapped by members of the FTP, the French Communist resistance, on 09-06-1944. The SS soldiers claimed that the reason for going to Oradour-sur-Glane on 10-06-1944 was to look for Kämpfe, an officer who was very well liked and a close friend of Adolf Diekmann
. On the day of the massacre, Diekmann had been given information about Kämpfe by two collaborators in the Milice, (see Joseph “Jo” Darnand)








Diekmann was married to Hedwig Meinde (12-02-1940) and their son was born, named Rainer (11-03-1942). In 2014 the then 72 years old son of Adolf Diekmann, Dr. Rainer Diekmann
was suitably disgusted, “sick to the stomach”. He said he had never traveled to Oradour – German leaders and, to the extent they survive, former combatants have been familiar visitors to French soil for the various war commemorations – because he was “ashamed to be the son of such a man”.

Near his father’s grave are also buried Panzer Ace Hauptsturmführer der Waffen SS, Zugführer 13 SS Panzer Regiment 1 “LSSAH”, Michael Wittmann
and his crew. Also the Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Kommandeur der 6th Infanterie Division
, Arnold von Biegeleben, Generalmajor der Infanterie, Chef der ST Panzergruppe West, Sigismund Edler von Dawans and Generalleutnant der Infanterie, Kommandeur 326th Infanterie Division
, Victor Drabich Waechter.





