Klaus Barbie (October 25, 1913 – September 25, 1991) was a German soldier and Gestapo member. He was known as the Butcher of Lyon.
Klaus Barbie was born in Bad Godesberg, Bonn, to a Catholic family. His parents were both teachers. Until 1923 he went to the school where his father taught. Afterward, he attended a boarding school in Trier. In 1925, his whole family moved to Trier. In 1933, Barbie’s father and brother both died. The death of his hard-drinking and abusive father derailed plans for young Barbie to study theology or otherwise become an academic, as his peers had expected. Unemployed, Barbie began to associate with the Nazi labor service (Reichsarbeitsdienst) and Hitler Youth.
In September 1935, he joined the SD or Sicherheitsdienst (security service), a special branch of the SS. Soon he was sent to serve in the Netherlands. In 1942, he was sent to Dijon and in November of the same year he was sent to Lyon, where he became the head of the local Gestapo.
He first set...
Created by dipity
on Feb 7, 2008
Last updated: 03/06/10 at 08:39 AM
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