Herbert Backe

1.1. Birth and Family Background

Herbert Friedrich Wilhelm Backe was born on 1 May 1896 in Batumi, Georgia, which was then part of the Kutais Governorate of the Russian Empire. He was the second son among five children of Albrecht Backe, a retired Prussian lieutenant who had become a trader. His mother was a Caucasus German, whose family had emigrated from Württemberg to Russia in the early 19th century. His father committed suicide in 1907.

1.2. World War I and Russian Revolution Experience

From 1902 to 1905, Backe attended a German Evangelical church school in Tbilisi (then Tiflis), and subsequently studied at a Russian school from 1905 to 1914. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, and the declaration of war between the German Empire and the Russian Empire, Backe was interned as an enemy alien due to his Prussian citizenship. This experience of imprisonment for being German, coupled with witnessing the onset of the Russian Revolution, solidified Backe's anti-communism. After the collapse of the Russian Empire, the Bolsheviks signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany in March 1918, leading to Russia's withdrawal from the war. Consequently, Prussian citizens were no longer considered enemy aliens, and Backe was released in April 1918. To escape the chaos of the Russian Revolution, he returned to Germany in June 1918 with the assistance of the Swedish Red Cross. Upon his return, he volunteered for the German army but did not see front-line combat.

1.3. Academic Pursuits and Dissertation

After the war, Backe passed his Abitur examination in 1919. He initially worked as a laborer before enrolling to study Agronomy at the University of Göttingen from 1920 to 1923. Following his degree, he briefly worked in agriculture. From 1924 to 1927, he became an assistant lecturer on agricultural geography at Hanover Technical University. In 1926, he submitted his doctoral dissertation, titled Die russische Getreidewirtschaft als Grundlage der Land- und Volkswirtschaft Russlands (The Russian Grain Economy as the Basis for the Agrarian and People Economy of Russia), to the University of Göttingen. However, his dissertation was rejected. Historians later characterized Backe's thesis as a "manifesto for racial imperialism," advocating for a German upper class to control food resources by fighting against the local, 'ethnically inferior' population.

2.1. Agricultural Work and Tenant Farming

In 1927, Backe worked as an inspector and administrator on a large farm in Pomerania. The following year, with financial support from his father-in-law, he became a tenant farmer of the Hornsen domain in the district of Alfeld in November 1928, managing approximately 950 acre ^{(950 acre)}s of land. He successfully managed this farm.

2.2. Joining the Nazi Party and Sturmabteilung (SA)

During his university years, Backe joined the SA (Storm Detachment), the Nazi Party's paramilitary wing, participating in its activities from the winter of 1922 until August 1923. He became a member of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Hanover on 1 December 1925, with party number 87,882. After the dissolution of the regional political entity (Gau) for South-Hanover, his membership lapsed. However, around 1930, while managing his farm, he re-established contact with the Nazi Party's activities and formally rejoined on 1 October 1931.

2.3. Marriage and Family

On 26 October 1928, Herbert Backe married Ursula Kahl. Together, they had four children: three sons and one daughter.

3.1. State Secretary in the Reich Ministry of Food and Agriculture

After the Nazi seizure of power, Backe was appointed State Secretary in the Reich Ministry of Food and Agriculture on 27 October 1933, serving under Richard Walther Darré, the then Minister of Food. Backe was a prominent member of the younger generation of Nazi technocrats, and even before formally assuming ministerial duties, he was the de facto Minister of Food and Agriculture under Darré.

3.2. Membership in the SS and Rank Progression

In the same month he became State Secretary, Backe joined the SS on 1 October 1933, with the rank of SS-Sturmbannführer (Major) and SS member number 22,766. Within the SS, he was assigned to the SS Race and Settlement Main Office. He steadily advanced through the SS ranks:

• 1 October 1933: SS-Sturmbannführer
• 29 March 1934: SS-Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel)
• 20 April 1934: SS-Standartenführer (Colonel)
• 9 September 1934: SS-Oberführer (Senior Colonel)
• 1 January 1935: SS-Brigadeführer (Brigadier General)
• 30 January 1938: SS-Gruppenführer (Major General)
• 9 November 1942: SS-Obergruppenführer (Lieutenant General)

3.3. Role in the Four Year Plan

Backe became a member of the Prussian State Council. In October 1936, he was appointed the agricultural representative to Hermann Göring's Four Year Plan, a series of economic measures aimed at preparing Germany for war, thereby significantly influencing economic policy.

3.4. Minister of Food and Agriculture

When Richard Walther Darré, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, was placed on an extended leave of absence due to illness and conflicts with Adolf Hitler on 23 May 1942, Backe was charged with carrying out his responsibilities as acting Minister. Although he nominally remained State Secretary, he was the effective head of the ministry. Backe was also tasked with Darré's responsibilities as Reich Farmers Leader within the Nazi Party's national leadership from 1943. On 6 April 1944, Hitler formally appointed Backe as the Reich Minister of Food and Agriculture.

3.5. Other Government and Party Positions

Beyond his ministerial roles, Backe held significant influence within the Nazi state apparatus. He was a member of the Prussian State Council and, from 1943, served as the Reich Farmers Leader, a powerful position within the Nazi Party's national leadership. He was often described as a "food dictator" due to his comprehensive control over food policy.

4.1. Racial Ideology and Technocratic Views

Backe was a doctrinaire racial ideologue, whose beliefs were deeply intertwined with his technocratic approach to governance. Unlike Darré, whose "Blood and Soil" ideology emphasized the mystical connection between race and land, Backe viewed agricultural policy through a cold, pragmatic lens, disregarding Darré's romanticized notions. He was a close associate of Reinhard Heydrich and other pragmatic technocrats within the Nazi system, focusing on efficient, albeit brutal, implementation of Nazi racial goals. His doctoral thesis, rejected in 1926, already revealed his vision of racial imperialism, advocating for German control of food resources at the expense of 'ethnically inferior' populations.

4.2. Development and Implementation of the Hunger Plan

In 1941, Backe warned Adolf Hitler of a looming food shortage crisis in Germany and, in May, submitted a report to the Four Year Plan office. This report outlined the necessity of seizing food supplies from the occupied territories of the Soviet Union to sustain the German war effort, even if it meant the starvation of millions of Slavic populations. This plan, often referred to as the "Hunger Plan" (Der Hungerplan or Der Backe-Plan), was developed during the planning phase of Operation Barbarossa, the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union. Its primary objective was to inflict deliberate mass starvation on the Slavic and Jewish civilian populations under German occupation by redirecting all food supplies to the German home population and the German Armed Forces on the Eastern Front. Backe's most important accomplice in this endeavor was Hans-Joachim Riecke, who headed the agricultural section of the Economic Staff East. The German leadership, including Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, shared Backe's view that German food security was paramount, and the starvation of Slavs was an acceptable consequence.

4.3. Consequences and Humanitarian Impact

The Hunger Plan had a devastating human cost. According to historian Timothy Snyder, as a direct result of Backe's plan, approximately 4.2 million Soviet citizens, primarily Russians, Belarusians, and Ukrainians, were deliberately starved by the German occupiers between 1941 and 1944. This policy constituted a systematic program of mass murder through starvation, targeting millions of Slavic and Jewish "useless eaters." The plan ensured that food resources from the fertile Ukraine were diverted away from the central and northern parts of Russia for the benefit of the invading German army and the population in Germany, leading to widespread famine and death among the occupied populations. The implementation of the Hunger Plan stands as a stark example of the Nazi regime's genocidal practices and severe human rights violations.

5.1. Wartime Food Policy and Administration

Throughout World War II, Herbert Backe was instrumental in managing Germany's food resources and agricultural policy, ensuring supplies for the German war effort. His comprehensive control over food policy earned him the moniker "food dictator."

5.2. Service in the Flensburg Government

In Hitler's last will, Backe was retained as Reichsminister of Food and Agriculture. He continued in this position until 23 May 1945, serving in the short-lived Flensburg Government led by Grossadmiral Karl Dönitz after Hitler's death.

5.3. Arrest and Interrogation

After the German Instrument of Surrender, Backe was ordered by the Allies, along with Julius Dorpmüller, to fly to Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims. He was surprised by his arrest, as he believed the Americans would require his expertise to prevent hunger problems in post-war Germany. Backe even prepared himself for an expected conversation with General Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was subsequently interrogated during the Nuremberg trials on 21 February and 14 March 1947.

6.1. Anticipated Nuremberg Trials

Backe was due to be tried for war crimes at Nuremberg as part of the Ministries Trial, which focused on high-ranking officials of the Nazi regime. His interrogations were part of the preparatory process for these trials.

6.2. Suicide in Captivity

Fearing extradition to the Soviet Union, Herbert Backe committed suicide by hanging himself in his prison cell at the Nuremberg war criminals' prison on 6 April 1947. (One source indicates 7 April 1947 as the date of death). In a letter to his wife dated 31 January 1946, he defended Nazism as one of the "greatest ideas of all times," asserting that it "found its strongest blow in the National Socialist agricultural policy." During his imprisonment, he also wrote two treatises: a lengthy report about his life and his work on Nazism, and a testament outline for his wife Ursula and his four children.

7.1. Historical Assessment of Policies

Historical assessment of Backe's role in Nazi economic and agricultural policy highlights his significant contribution to the regime's genocidal practices. He is primarily remembered as the architect of the Hunger Plan, a policy that deliberately caused the mass starvation of millions of civilians in occupied Eastern territories. His technocratic approach, devoid of humanitarian considerations, facilitated the efficient execution of this brutal policy, making him a key figure in the Nazi regime's crimes against humanity.

7.2. Criticism and Controversy

Backe's legacy is defined by severe criticism and controversy surrounding his implementation of the Hunger Plan and its genocidal outcomes. His actions led to widespread famine and death, particularly among Slavic and Jewish populations, constituting egregious human rights violations. Historians condemn his cold, pragmatic approach to food policy, which prioritized German needs over the lives of millions, firmly placing him among the most culpable figures in the Nazi regime's atrocities.

8.1. Family and Personal Beliefs

Herbert Backe was 69 in ^{(175 cm)} tall. He was married to Ursula Kahl and had four children. Although he was originally a Protestant, he left the Christian church in 1942, aligning with the SS policy that discouraged church affiliation among its members.

9.1. SS Ranks and Promotions

Herbert Backe's progression through the ranks of the SS was as follows:

• 1 October 1933: SS-Sturmbannführer
• 4 April 1934: SS-Obersturmbannführer
• 24 April 1934: SS-Standartenführer
• 28 August 1934: SS-Oberführer
• 1 January 1935: SS-Brigadeführer
• 30 January 1938: SS-Gruppenführer
• 9 November 1942: SS-Obergruppenführer

9.2. Civilian and Military Awards

Backe received a range of awards and decorations, reflecting his service and status within the Nazi regime:

• War Merit Cross (1st Class without Swords and 2nd Class without Swords)
• Golden Party Badge (30 January 1938)
• Nazi Party Long Service Award (Bronze and Silver)
• SS Long Service Award
• SS Honorary Sword (1 December 1937)
• SS Honour Ring (1936)
• SS-Zivilabzeichen (No. 45,853)
• Julleuchter der SS (16 December 1935)
• Honour Chevron for the Old Guard
• Medal for the 13 March 1938 Commemorative Medal (Anschluss Medal)
• Medal for the 1 October 1938 Commemorative Medal (Sudetenland Medal)
• SA-Sportabzeichen (Bronze)
• German Olympic Decoration (1st Class, 1936)
• Order of the Crown of Italy (Grand Officer Cross)
• Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Grand Officer Cross)
• Order of Civil Merit (Bulgaria) (Grand Cross)
• Order of the Lion of Finland (Grand Cross)