Early Life
Becker was born on 12 August 1902 in Neuruppin, Brandenburg.
In August 1920, he joined the Army and was assigned to the 5th Infantry Regiment at Angermunde. In 1928, he was promoted to Stabsfeldwebel (warrant officer) in the 2nd Artillery Regiment at Szczecin. At the end of his service in 1933, he joined the SS and met Wilhelm Bittrich and Hermann Prieß. According to his personnel file, he joined his service on 1 January 1934 and on 17 June 1934 was appointed adjutant of the 74th SS-Standarte. In 1935, Becker was transferred to the SS Totenkopf association "Bavaria" as the commander of the recruit training company, and was responsible for the unit's transport. In 1937, Becker was promoted to Sturmbannführer (Storm Unit Leader/major) and in 1938 to Obersturmbannführer (Senior Storm Unit Leader/lieutenant colonel). Becker's unit was involved in the Anschluss of Austria and the occupation of the Sudetenland.
Read more about this topic: Hellmuth Becker
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or life:
“The conviction that the best way to prepare children for a harsh, rapidly changing world is to introduce formal instruction at an early age is wrong. There is simply no evidence to support it, and considerable evidence against it. Starting children early academically has not worked in the past and is not working now.”
—David Elkind (20th century)
“John Brown’s career for the last six weeks of his life was meteor-like, flashing through the darkness in which we live. I know of nothing so miraculous in our history.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)