Voting Station

Erich Priebke

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Military Personnel

The Resume

    (July 29, 1913-October 11, 2013)
    Born in Henningsdorf, Germany
    Captain in the SS
    Oversaw the Fosse Ardeatien massacre in which 335 Italian civilians were murdered in retaliation for a partisan attack that killed 33 German soldiers (March 24, 1944)
    Escaped from a British prison camp (1946)
    Received a falsified visa from Alois Hudal
    Settled in Argentina and became a teacher
    Extradited to Italy (1995)
    Received a life sentence (1998)

Why he might be annoying:

    He described his victims as terrorists, even though many had been rounded up solely to fulfill Hitler's demand that ten Italians be killed for every German who died and 75 were 'guilty' of nothing more than being Jewish.
    At his first trial, he was found not guilty on the grounds that he had been following orders. (Apparently, the Italian courts never got the memo that 'just following orders' stopped being considered a legit defense with the Nuremburg War Crimes Trials.)
    Because of his age, he served his life sentence under house arrest.
    He was allowed out with an escort, to do his shopping, take walks in a park, or go to restaurants for dinner.
    He never expressed any remorse for his acts.
    In his last interview before his death, he said the Holocaust never happened and people were 'brainwashed' into believing it.
    He managed to create trouble even in death, as the governments of Italy, Argentina and Germany debated which country would get stuck as his burial site.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His initial acquittal was overturned by a higher court and a new trial ordered.
    He received a ten-year sentence at his re-trial, which he then appealed.
    The appeals court ruled that he was actually guilty of first degree murder and handed down a life sentence.
    He noted that few of the other participants in the massacre were ever tried and claimed to have been a scapegoat.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 26 Votes: 57.69% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 18 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 90.91% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 90 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 17 Votes: 35.29% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 11 Votes: 18.18% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 43 Votes: 55.81% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 35 Votes: 51.43% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 126 Votes: 64.29% Annoying