Heinz Kurt Bolender | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 21 May 1912 Duisburg, German Empire |
| Died | 10 October 1966 (aged 54) Hagen, West Germany |
| Cause of death | Suicide by hanging |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service |  Schutzstaffel |
| Years of service | 1930s–1945 |
| Rank | Oberscharführer |
| Unit | SS-Totenkopfverbände |
| Commands | Operated gas chambers at Sobibór Camp III |
| Awards | Iron Cross 2nd Class, War Merit Cross 2nd Class With Swords. |
Heinz Kurt Bolender[1] (21 May 1912 – 10 October 1966) was an SS sergeant during the Nazi era. In 1942, he operated the gas chambers at Sobibór extermination camp, perpetrating acts of genocide against Jews and Romani people during Operation Reinhard. After the war, Bolender was recognized in 1961 while working under a false identity as a doorman at a nightclub in West Germany, and subsequently accused in 1965 of personally murdering at least 360 Jewish inmates and assisting in the murder of 86,000 more at Sobibór. He died by suicide in prison two months prior to the end of the trial.