Lammerding's 29 September 1940 assessment from Totenkopf Division

It is interesting to note that the man signing Lammerding's assessment was Theodor Eicke who had been the Inspector of Concentration Camps prior to becoming the leader of the SS-Totenkopf Division. At the start of W.W.II he addressed the Camp Commanders thus: "It is the duty of every SS man to identify himself body and soul with the cause. Every order must be sacred to him and he must carry out even the most difficult and hardest of them without hesitation". Eicke was a committed Nazi, so his judgement of Lammerding is particularly significant.

Comments below are in italics.

Assessment:

SS-Totenkopf Division 29 September 1940.

Judgement of Sturmbannführer Lammerding, Commander of the Pioneer Battalion in the SS-Totenkopf Division.

Age: 35 Married: Yes Children: 2 Last promotion date: 18-10-1939

Character: Open, honest and exact.

Personality: A person, whose company is sought. Balanced nature. He is warmly recognised everywhere.

National Socialist: Ready anytime to fight ruthlessly for the Führer and his concept.

Soldier: Born leader. Great proficiency and great thoughtfulness. In his duty hard and ruthless. Has done outstandingly with his pioneers (compare this assessment of Lammerding's leadership qualities with his assessment of 1st July 1935).

Overall judgement: High quality individual with excellent personal qualities. Born soldier, who rises fully to his duty. He is not to be imagined as being away from the SS-Totenkopf-Division.

Drawn up by: Eicke. SS-Gruppenführer

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