Rudolf Diels
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Rudolf Diels was a German civil servant and first head of the Gestapo from 1933 to 1934. He obtained the rank of SS-Oberführer and was a protégé of Hermann Göring.
Diels in 1933
December 1933: Rudolf Diels addressing inmates at KZ Esterwegen, which was under control of the Prussian Interior Ministry
Dueling scar
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Dueling scars have been seen as a "badge of honour" since as early as 1825. Known variously as "Mensur scars", "the bragging scar", "smite", "Schmitte", or "Renommierschmiss", dueling scars were popul
Rudolf Diels
…law at the University of Marburg from 1919. At university, he had a reputation as a drinker and philanderer. While there he also received a number of dueling scars resulting from the academic fencing once practised by young upper-class Austrians and Germans. He joined the Prussian interior ministry in 1930 and was…
Aenne and Franz Burda, 9 July 1931. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, dueling scars were seen as a badge of honor in Germany and Austria, making their owners "good husband material".
Attorney Curt Silberman showing an old dueling scar on his jaw (1967)