Otto Förschner was born on 4 November 1902. He entered the SS in 1934 and the NSDAP in 1937. He remained in the Waffen-SS until he was transferred to Buchenwald concentration camp owing to a war injury.

In September 1943 he assumed the command of the Buchenwald concentration subcamp, Dora. After the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp became independent, he assumed the position of Camp Commander there.

It is said that Förschner fell out with Oswald Pohl, SS Obergruppenführer, General of the Waffen-SS and Head of the SS-Wirtschafts-Verwaltungshauptamt (Economy and Administrative Main Office). This was followed by his transfer as Camp Commander to the Landsberg/Kaufering concentration subcamp complex. According to this wife, he described the conditions of the concentration subcamp complex to be “even more dreadful” than in Mittelbau-Dora.

Förschner was indicted in the Dachau camp trial and sentenced to death in the aftermath of the war. He was hanged on 28 May 1946 at Landsberg prison for war criminals.