A photo of SS-Brigadeführer Kurt Meyer with a number written on it, presumably his P.O.W. number. In the short lines of information underneath, he is called “Canada’s No. 1 war criminal”. The picture comes with two newspaper articles. The first states that Meyer was sentenced to death for his involvement in the illegal shooting of Canadian prisoners of war. The article is dated to December 28, 1945. Another article from January 14, 1946 states that his death sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment in Canada. The court found that Meyer’s degree of responsibility for the shootings was not great enough to warrant a death sentence.
Footnote: Kurt Meyer (1910–1961) commanded the SS division “Hitlerjugend”. He was a recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. He was awarded the Knight’s Cross in 1941 after leading the successful attack during the Battle of Kleisoura Pass in the Greek campaign. He received the Oak Leaves in 1943. The Swords followed in 1944, shortly before he was taken prisoner, for leading his division out of the Falaise pocket near Caen, northern France. Meyer commanded the unit responsible for the Ardenne Abbey massacre.