Rudolf was a SS officer during WWII and was the commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp from May 4, 1940 – Nov 1943 and again from May 8, 1944 – Jan 18 1945. During his time at Auschwitz it is estimated that between 1,000,000 – 2, 500,000 inmates perished there.
Hoess always appeared as a very calm individual, in spite of his being, perhaps, the greatest mass murderer the world has ever seen.
Although he was involved in the atrocities that took place at Auschwitz, he was married and had four children. They lived just yards away from the concentration camp.
After WWII Hoess lived under an alias for a while, but in 1946 he was arrested by a British team who tracked him down. He was one of the Nazis who were tried at the Nuremberg trials in 1947.
While he was in prison awaiting trial he wrote his memoirs in a book called Commandant of Auschwitz: The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess. As many of the other Nazis tried in Nuremberg, Hoess stated that he was only following orders, and really did not show remorse for what he did.
He was eventually found guilty and was hanged on April 16, 1947.
