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Penzberg (; Central Bavarian: Benschberg) is a city (although some see it as a town) in the Weilheim-Schongau district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is located about 50 km south of Munich, and had a population of around 17,000 in 2020. A historic coal mining town, Penzberg today is known for its pharmaceutical industries.
In order to follow Hitler's "scorched earth" policy (Nero Decree), the local Nazi leaders wanted to blow up the coal mine which was the economic life blood of the town ( by Ian Kershaw – p344), so, on 28 April 1945 (the Social democracy mayor of Penzberg until the Machtergreifung in 1933) and others deposed the Nazi mayor. However, it was not long before the officer commanding a local Wehrmacht unit had the leaders of the revolt arrested. When, on the evening of the same day, Gauleiter Paul Giesler heard about the incident, he gave orders that the leaders were to be shot immediately without trial. To achieve this, a Werwolf group, around 100 strong, was dispatched, storming the town hall. They arrested and shot Rummer and seven fellows. During the night, a further eight suspected resistance fighters were hanging by a "drumhead court-martial" under Sturmabteilung brigade leader . Among the victims were two women, one of them pregnant. The very next day, the Americans arrived. The massacre is known as the (Night of Penzberg Murder). The mine was not destroyed, and remained open until 1966 when it closed for economic reasons; the adjacent power plant was also shut down in 1971.
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