August Friedrich Jäger (21 August 1887 – 17 June 1949) was a German official of the Nazi era. In the Reichsgau Wartheland (Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany), Jäger served as administrative chief to the regional leader Arthur Greiser. Earlier, Jäger had led the effort at Nazification of the Evangelical Church in Prussia.[1] In Poland, he earned the nickname "Kirchen-Jäger" (Church-Hunter) for the vehemence of his hostility to the Catholic Church.[2] "By the end of 1941", wrote Richard J. Evans, "the Polish Catholic Church had been effectively outlawed in the Wartheland. It was more or less Germanized in the other occupied territories, despite an encyclical issued by the Pope as early as 27 October 1939 protesting against this persecution."[3]

August Jäger
August Jäger (1909)
Born(1887-08-21)August 21, 1887
DiedJune 17, 1949(1949-06-17) (aged 61)
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
NationalityGerman
OccupationOfficial
Known forThe vehemence of his hostility to the Catholic Church

After the war, Jäger was arrested by the British military. In 1946, he was extradited to Poland to stand trial for crimes against humanity. Jäger found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed in 1949.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Richard J. Evans; The Third Reich at War; Penguin Press New York; 2009; p.33-34
  2. ^ Mark Mazower; Hitler's Empire - Nazi Rule in Occupied Europe; Penguin; 2008; ISBN 978-0-713-99681-4; p.92.
  3. ^ Richard J. Evans; The Third Reich at War; Penguin Press New York; 2009; p.34
  4. ^ "SA-Brigadeführer Dr. iur. August Friedrich Jäger - Axis History Forum". forum.axishistory.com. Retrieved 2022-07-31.