Time is a cold prosecutor. Honestly, when we talk about the Third Reich, it feels like ancient history, something trapped in grainy black-and-white film. But for Efraim Zuroff, the world’s leading Nazi hunter, it's a race against the biological clock. People often ask, how many SS members are still alive in 2026?
The answer is smaller than you’d think, yet larger than most are comfortable with.
We are currently in the "twilight of the perpetrators." The youngest possible people who could have served in the Schutzstaffel (SS) or worked as camp guards would now be in their late 90s or early 100s. We're talking about individuals born between 1920 and 1926. In April 2025, the world saw the death of Irmgard Furchner at age 99. She was a secretary at the Stutthof concentration camp and was likely the last woman to be convicted for Nazi-era crimes in Germany.
Her death signaled the end of an era, but not the end of the list.
The Hunt for the Last Dozens
Current estimates from organizations like the Simon Wiesenthal Center suggest there are likely fewer than 100 former SS members or Nazi collaborators still alive who are "prosecutable."
That’s a tiny number compared to the 800,000 who once wore the SS uniform. But "living" and "at large" are two different things. Some are tucked away in nursing homes in Germany or Austria, protected by their own frailty. Others are still being tracked across South America or even North America, though the latter is increasingly rare.
Back in the day, the list was long. Now? It’s a handful of names. Zuroff recently narrowed a list of suspects to about 80 individuals who served in the Einsatzgruppen—the mobile death squads. Even if these people are found, the legal hurdle is massive. Can a 102-year-old man understand the charges against him? Sometimes, the answer is no.
💡 You might also like: When is Trump and Putin meeting: What most people get wrong about 2026
Why the Numbers Are Crashing
Biology doesn't care about justice. If you were 18 in 1945, you are 99 today.
Most of the "big fish" are gone. They died in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, often in their beds. What we’re left with now are the lower-level cogs in the machinery:
- Camp guards
- Typists and secretaries (like Furchner)
- Low-ranking soldiers in death squads
It sounds almost petty to go after a centenarian for a crime they committed as a teenager. But the German legal system changed its mind about that back in 2011. The trial of John Demjanjuk set a new precedent: you didn't have to be the one pulling the trigger. If you helped the camp function, you were an accessory to murder. Basically, if you were there, you were guilty.
The Legal Race Against 2026
Right now, German prosecutors still have a tiny number of active cases on their desks. It’s maybe three or four. These trials are surreal. You have a courtroom equipped with medical teams, oxygen tanks, and frequent breaks because the defendant might literally die during cross-examination.
Some people find it ghoulish. They say, "Let them die in peace." Others, especially the families of victims, argue that murder has no statute of limitations. There is a moral weight to ensuring that the last surviving SS members don't get a "pass" just because they lived a long time.
The Names Still Circulating
While many names are kept under wraps for legal reasons, a few have remained in the public eye over the last decade:
- Gerhard Sommer: Former SS officer allegedly involved in the massacre of 560 civilians in Italy. He was found "unfit for trial" due to dementia years ago, but remains a symbol of the struggle to close these cases.
- Alfred Stark: A former corporal accused of ordering the execution of Italian prisoners.
- Friedrich Karl Berger: He was actually living in Tennessee for decades before being deported to Germany in 2021 for his role as a guard at a Neuengamme subcamp.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that there’s a secret underground city of Nazis in Argentina. Sorta fun for a movie, but reality is more boring and depressing. Most former SS members who survived the war simply went back to being accountants, bakers, and grandfathers. They blended in. They stayed quiet.
They didn't live as "Nazis"; they lived as "Hans from down the street."
By 2030, the number of living SS members will almost certainly be zero. We are witnessing the final seconds of this historical window. It’s a weird moment for historians. When the last perpetrator dies, the Holocaust shifts from "living memory" to "pure history."
Actionable Insights for the Curious
If you're looking to follow the final stages of these investigations, here is how to stay informed without falling for internet myths:
- Follow the Simon Wiesenthal Center: They release an annual report on the status of Nazi war criminal investigations. It’s the most accurate ledger of who is still being pursued.
- Check the Ludwigsburg Office: The Central Office of the State Justice Administrations for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes in Germany is the official body handling these cases. Their updates are the gold standard for legal reality.
- Support Archival Projects: As these individuals pass away, the physical evidence and witness testimonies become the only things left. Organizations like Yad Vashem are digitizing millions of documents to ensure the facts outlive the people.
The clock is ticking. Within the next year or two, the question won't be "how many" are left, but rather, "how will we remember them once they are all gone?"
Justice at this stage isn't about the prison sentence. Most of these people will never spend a day in a cell. It’s about the public record. It's about saying, even 80 years later, that what happened matters.