Hermann Müller-John

Germany military orchestra conductor, composer and army officer (* 04 August 1894 in Helmstedt, German Empire; † 08 May 1945 in Tyrol, Austria). An early member of the Nazi party (since 1931), Müller-John was appointed SS-Hauptsturmführer (SS Captain) and Musikdirektor of the Musikkorps der Leibstandarte SS „Adolf Hitler“ in August 1933. In November 1935, he became Reichskultursenator and a member of the ten-member Presiding Council of the Reichsmusikkammer (Reich Music Chamber) that controlled all professional musicians in the Third Reich. In July 1936, he was awarded the title "Leibstandarten-Obermusikmeister", in addition to being appointed First Musical Inspector (1. Musik-Inspizient) of the SS-Verfügungstruppe, the predecessor of the Waffen-SS. During the invasion of Poland in September 1939, he and members of his Leibstandarte band participated in war crimes against Jewish civilians. In January 1943, he rose to Sturmbannführer d. R. (SS Major of the Reserves) of the Waffen-SS. Müller-John experienced the end of the war in the Tyrolean Alps, where he committed suicide to escape arrest by American troops. Müller-John composed the "Leibstandartenmarsch" and made numerous recordings for Gloria, Grammophon, Kristall (2), and other labels during the Third Reich era.