Are Any Nazi War Criminals Still Alive?
There were thousands of Nazi war criminals that were to be held accountable for their roles in the Holocaust and World War II after the Allied forces invaded and took over Germany. However, as Germany started to fall, even its leader committed suicide. Adolf Hitler took his own life in April of 1945, something he claimed was to avoid 'making a spectacle' of himself after hearing of how they killed Mussolini and hung him in the streets.
The Nazi ideology had a belief in "death before dishonor", which many believe was the reason that so many Nazi leaders committed suicide once the Allied forces took over. Others claim it was to avoid punishment and death at the hands of the Allies. Regardless, thousands of Nazi party members took their own lives in various ways to avoid being charged with war crimes. Many others fled the country, seeking asylum in various places and changing their names and identities so that they could stay hidden. The majority of these criminals were rounded up shortly after the war ended, and thousands were put on trial as a part of the post-war Nazi trials.
Over the years, there have been rumors and stories about certain Nazi criminals that managed to escape and evade capture, even until the late 20th century. Headhunters were tasked with tracking down these individuals and making sure they were properly punished for their crimes. The majority of those originally charged with war crimes were hanged. Many received jail time or were acquitted, but that was only typical of lesser-known Nazis who couldn't be tied to various events with concrete proof.
Today, anyone that was considered a Nazi war criminal isn't likely to be alive. If nothing more than the sheer passage of time is considered, most of these men are in their 90s or older so it is unlikely. As of 2012, the list of the Top 10 wanted Nazi war criminals is as follows:
-Alois Brunner, last seen in 2001 (age 100 if still alive)
-Laszlo Csizsik-Csatary, found in 2012 in Budapest (age 97)
-Klaas Carel Faber, died May 2012
-Gerhard Sommer (age 93)
-Vladimir Katriuk (age 91)
-Karoly Zentai (age 91)
-Soren Kam (age 91)
-Ivan Kalymon (age 91)
-Algimantas Dailide (age 91)
-Mikhail Gorshkow, whose case was dismissed in 2011 due to insufficient evidence (age 89)
-Helmut Oberlander (age 88)
Other popular criminals were wanted or found up until recently, many of whom died simply due to old age such as Adolf Storms and Dr. Aribert Heim.