The Collector’s Encyclopaedia · Signatories · SS & Police

Ernst Kaltenbrunner (1903–1946): Signature, Documents and Historical Profile

Ernst Kaltenbrunner (1903–1946) – archive portrait photograph
Photo: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Born 4 October 1903, Ried im Innkreis
Died 15/16 October 1946, Nuremberg (executed)
Key offices State Secretary for Public Security, Austria (11 March 1938); Higher SS and Police Leader, Vienna; Chief of the Security Police and SD / head of the RSHA (30 January 1943)
Documents bearing his name RSHA documents and correspondence 1943–45, Austrian SS papers
In the collection No pieces currently available

Ernst Kaltenbrunner, an Austrian lawyer and SS leader, succeeded Heydrich at the head of the Reich Security Main Office in 1943. His signature appears on RSHA documents of the last two years of the war, the period of the deportations from Hungary and the final phase of the Holocaust.

Who Was Ernst Kaltenbrunner?

Kaltenbrunner was born in Ried im Innkreis in 1903. He led the Austrian SS and on 11 March 1938 became State Secretary for Public Security in Seyss-Inquart’s government, and then Higher SS and Police Leader in Vienna. On 30 January 1943 he was appointed Chief of the Security Police and SD, at the head of the RSHA.

What Documents Bear Kaltenbrunner’s Signature?

His signature appears on RSHA documents and correspondence from 1943 to 1945 and on earlier Austrian SS papers. See original signature or facsimile and Reinhard Heydrich.

What Should Collectors Watch For?

  • RSHA documents signed by him date from 1943.
  • Check the title “Chef der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD” against the date.
  • Typed copies are common.

Responsibility and Fate

The International Military Tribunal sentenced Kaltenbrunner to death on 1 October 1946 for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was hanged in Nuremberg in the night of 15–16 October 1946.

Collector’s Note

For RSHA documents, the date tells me whose signature to expect: Heydrich until mid-1942, Kaltenbrunner from 1943. A mismatch is a clear warning.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When did Kaltenbrunner head the RSHA?

From 30 January 1943.

Who was Kaltenbrunner’s predecessor?

Reinhard Heydrich, after an interim period following Heydrich’s death.

What happened to Kaltenbrunner?

He was sentenced to death at Nuremberg and hanged in October 1946.

Historical Responsibility Notice: this entry documents historical figures and artefacts of the National Socialist period for collecting, preservation, education and research. It does not endorse or glorify any ideology, and it is written in memory of the victims of the regime.

References & Further Reading