The following list enumerates those who held the Nazi Party rank of Gauleiter, the senior regional party leader in Germany under Adolf Hitler's system.

Of the 44 former Gauleiter who survived the war, 13 committed suicide when Nazi Germany surrendered, eight were executed by the Allies after the war, one was executed by the SS and one died in Soviet captivity. By 1954, when Karl Wahl became the first former Gauleiter to publish his memoirs, eight were still missing, three in jail and the remaining ten free.[1]

List

This is a list of Gaue and Gauleiter, with their time in office in brackets:[2][3][4]

Killed in action Committed suicide before capture or in captivity Executed or assassinated Died in captivity, except suicide or execution Died of natural causes or through an accident Imprisoned, later released and died a free man Eluded capture or escaped from captivity Fate unknown or unclear
Gauleiter Gau(e) In office Fate
Herbert Albrecht Gau Mecklenburg 1930–1931 Died in June 1945
Alois Bachschmid Gau Elbe-Havel[a] 1925–1926 Died in 1968 in Italy
Ernst Wilhelm Bohle NSDAP/AO [b] 1934–1945 Imprisoned until 1949, died in 1960 in West Germany
Fritz Bracht Gau Oberschlesien[c] 1941–1945 Committed suicide in May 1945
Karl Brück Gau Saar [d] 1931–1933 Died in 1964 in West Germany
Josef Bürckel Gau Rheinpfalz [e] 1926–1935 Died in September 1944[5]
Gau Saar 1933–1935
Gau Pfalz–Saar [f] 1935–1944
Reichsgau Wien 1939–1940
Helmuth Brückner Gau Schlesien [g] 1925–1934 Died in Soviet captivity in 1951 or 1954
Walther von Corswant Gau Pommern 1927–1931 Died in 1942
Léon Degrelle Reichsgau Wallonien 1944–1945[h] Escaped to Spain in 1945 where he died in 1994
Artur Dinter Gau Thüringen 1925–1927 Died in 1948 in the French occupation zone in Germany
August Eigruber Reichsgau Oberdonau 1938–1945 Found guilty in the Dachau trials and executed at Landsberg Prison in May 1947
Joachim Albrecht Eggeling Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt 1935–1937 Committed suicide in April 1945[6]
Gau Halle-Merseburg 1937–1945
Adolf Ehrecke Gau Saar 1929–1931 Died in 1980 in West Germany
Otto Erbersdobler Gau Niederbayern[i] 1929–1932[7] Died in 1981 in West Germany
Walter Ernst Gau Halle-Merseburg 1925–1926 Killed in action in March 1945 near Danzig
Friedrich Karl Florian Gau Düsseldorf [j] 1930–1945 Imprisoned until 1951, died in 1975 in West Germany[8]
Albert Forster Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreußen [k] 1930–1945 Executed in Poland in 1952
Peter Gemeinder Gau Hessen-Darmstadt[l] 1931 Died in 1931
Karl Gerland Gau Kurhessen[m] 1943–1945 (acting to 1944) Killed in action in April 1945 in Frankfurt on the Oder
Paul Giesler Gau Westfalen-Süd 1941–1943 Committed suicide in May 1945[9]
Gau München-Oberbayern [n] 1944–1945
Odilo Globocnik Reichsgau Wien 1938–1939 Committed suicide in British captivity in May 1945
Joseph Goebbels Gau Berlin-Brandenburg[o] 1926–1928 Committed suicide in Berlin in May 1945[10]
Gau Berlin 1928–1945
Arthur Greiser Reichsgau Wartheland [p] 1939–1945 Executed in Poland in 1946
Wilhelm Grimm Gau Mittelfranken[q] 1928–1929 Executed in 1944 for connection with the 20 July plot
Josef Grohé Gau Köln-Aachen 1931–1945 Imprisoned until 1950, died in 1987 in West Germany
Heinrich Haake Gau Rheinland–Süd[r] 1925 Died in British captivity in 1945
Ludolf Haase Gau Hannover-Süd[s] 1925–1928 Died in 1972 in West Germany
Karl Hanke Gau Niederschlesien [t] 1941–1945 Captured and killed by Czech partisans
Anton Haselmayer Gau Hessen-Nassau-Süd[u] 1925–1926 Died in 1962
Edmund Heines Gau Oberpfalz[v] 1930 (acting) Executed during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934
Otto Hellmuth Gau Unterfranken [w] 1928–1945 Imprisoned until 1955, committed suicide in 1968 in West Germany[11]
Konrad Henlein Reichsgau Sudetenland 1938–1945 Committed suicide in U.S. captivity in May 1945
Friedrich Hildebrandt Gau Mecklenburg 1925–1930
1931–1945 		Found guilty in the Dachau trials and executed at Landsberg Prison in November 1948
Paul Hinkler Gau Halle-Merseburg 1926–1931 Committed suicide in April 1945
Franz Hofer Gau Tirol 1932–1934 Escaped captivity in 1948, re-arrested 1949, and imprisoned until 1952. Died in 1975 in West Germany.
Reichsgau Tirol-Vorarlberg 1938–1945
Albert Hoffmann Gau Westfalen-Süd 1943–1945 Imprisoned until 1950. Died in West Germany in 1972
Paul Hofmann Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt 1932 Died in 1980 in West Berlin
Hans Albert Hohnfeldt Gau Danzig 1926–1928 Died in 1948
Emil Holtz Gau Brandenburg[x] 1928–1930 Fate unknown
Karl Holz Gau Franken[y] 1942–1945 (acting to 1944) Died 20 April 1945 under unclear circumstances in the defense of Nuremberg, either committed suicide or killed in action[12]
Rudolf Jordan Gau Halle-Merseburg 1931–1937 Imprisoned in the Soviet Union until 1955, died in West Germany in 1988[13]
Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt 1937–1945
Jakob Jung Gau Saar 8 December 1926–21 April 1929[14] Death date unknown[14]
Rudolf Jung N/A[z] 1938–1945 Committed suicide in Czech captivity in December 1945
Walter Jung Gau Saar 1926 Death date unknown
Hugo Jury Reichsgau Niederdonau 21 January 1938–8 May 1945[15] Committed suicide 8 May 1945[15]
Wilhelm Karpenstein Gau Pommern 1 January 1931–21 July 1934[16] Died 2 May 1968 in West Germany[16]
Karl Kaufmann Gau Rheinland–Nord[aa] July 1925–26 September 1925[17] Imprisoned intermittently until 1953, died in 1969 in West Germany[18]
Großgau Ruhr[17] [ab] 1926–1928[17]
Gau Hamburg 1929–1945
Josef Klant Gau Hamburg 1925–1926 Died 4 November 1926[19]
Walter Klaunig Gau Brandenburg/Potsdam[ac] 1925–1926 Fate unknown
Hubert Klausner Reichsgau Kärnten 1938–1939 Died in 1939
Erich Koch Gau Ostpreußen 1928–1945 Died in prison in Poland in 1986
Albert Krebs Gau Hamburg 1926–1928 Died in 1974 in West Germany
Hans Krebs N/A[ad] 1938–1945 Executed for treason in Czechoslovakia in February 1947
Wilhelm Kube Gau Ostmark[ae] 1928–1933 Assassinated by Soviet partisans in September 1943
Gau Kurmark[af] 1933–1936
Franz Kutschera Reichsgau Kärnten 1939–1941 Executed by Polish resistance fighters in February 1944
Hartmann Lauterbacher Gau Südhannover-Braunschweig [ag] 1940–1945 Escaped from captivity in 1948 to Rome, worked for western intelligence agencies and died in 1988 in West Germany
Karl Lenz Gau Hessen-Darmstadt 1931–1932 Died in 1944
Robert Ley Gau Rheinland–Süd 1925–1931 Indicted at the Nuremberg trials, but committed suicide in his cell in October 1945 before the trials began
Karl Linder Gau Hessen-Nassau-Süd 1926–1927 Died in 1979 in West Germany
Gau Hessen-Nassau 1932
Wilhelm Friedrich Loeper Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt 1927–1935 Died in 1935
Hinrich Lohse Gau Hamburg 1928–1929 Imprisoned until 1951, died in 1964 in West Germany[20]
Gau Schleswig-Holstein 1925–1945
Walter Maass Gau Danzig 1928–1929 (acting) Fate unknown
Franz Maierhofer Gau Oberpfalz 1929–1932 (acting to 1930) Killed in action in August 1943 near Kharkov
Alfred Meyer Gau Westfalen-Nord 1931–1945 Committed suicide in April 1945
Joachim Meyer-Quade Gau Schleswig-Holstein 1932 Killed in action in September 1939 near Piątek in Poland
Karl Leopold von Möller Timișoara 1932–1939 Died in 1943 from a stroke
Hermann Muhs Gau Südhannover-Braunschweig 1932 Died in 1962 in West Germany
Eugen Munder Gau Württemberg-Hohenzollern 1925–1928 Imprisoned until 1948, died in 1952 in West Germany
Wilhelm Murr Gau Württemberg-Hohenzollern 1928–1945 Committed suicide in French captivity in May 1945
Martin Mutschmann Gau Sachsen 1925–1945 Executed in the Soviet Union in February 1947
Hans Nieland NSDAP/AO 1932–1933 Imprisoned until 1948, died in 1976 in West Germany
Franz Pfeffer von Salomon Gau Westfalen [ah] 1925–1926 Died in 1968 in West Germany
Friedrich Rainer Reichsgau Salzburg 1938–1941 Executed in Yugoslavia in November 1950
Reichsgau Kärnten 1941–1945
Fritz Reinhardt Gau Niederbayern 1928–1930 Imprisoned until 1950, died in 1969 in West Germany
Friedrich Ringshausen Gau Hessen-Darmstadt 1927–1931 Died in 1941
Axel Ripke Gau Rheinland-Nord 1925 Died in 1937
Carl Röver Gau Weser-Ems 1928–1942 Died in 1942
Ludwig Ruckdeschel Gau Bayreuth 1945 Imprisoned until 1952, died in 1986 in West Germany[21]
Bernhard Rust Gau Hannover-Nord[ai] 1925–1928 Committed suicide in May 1945
Gau Südhannover-Braunschweig 1928–1940
Fritz Sauckel Gau Thüringen 1927–1945 Found guilty in the Nuremberg trials, executed in October 1946
Gustav Adolf Scheel Reichsgau Salzburg 1941–1945 Imprisoned intermittently until 1953, died in 1979 in West Germany
Hans Schemm Gau Oberfranken[aj] 1928–1933 Died of injuries sustained in an aircraft crash in March 1935[22]
Gau Bayerische Ostmark[ak] 1933–1935
Bruno Gustav Scherwitz Gau Ostpreußen 1926–1927 Died in 1985 in West Germany
Baldur von Schirach Reichsgau Wien 1940–1945 Found guilty in the Nuremberg trials, imprisoned until 1966, died 1974 in West Germany
Ernst Schlange Gau Gross-Berlin[al] 1925–1926 Died in Soviet captivity in 1947
Gau Brandenburg 1930–1933
Fritz Schlessmann Gau Essen 1940–1945 (acting) Imprisoned until 1950, died in 1964 in West Germany
Erich Schmiedicke Gau Groß-Berlin 1926 (acting) Fate unknown
Gau Brandenburg 1933 (acting)
Gustav Hermann Schmischke Gau Anhalt [am] 1925–1927 Fate unknown
Walter Schultz Gau Hessen-Nassau-Nord[an] 1925–1928 Died in 1953 in West Germany
Gau Hessen-Nassau-Süd 1926 (acting)
Franz Schwede Gau Pommern 1934–1945 Imprisoned until 1956, died in 1960 in West Germany
Gustav Simon Gau Moselland [ao] 1931–1945 Captured by the British Army, found hanged in his cell in December 1945
Jakob Sprenger Gau Hessen-Nassau-Süd 1927–1933 Committed suicide in May 1945
Gau Hessen-Nassau[ap] 1933–1945
Gustav Staebe Gau Saar 1929 (acting) Died in 1983 in West Germany
Wilhelm Stich Gau Ostpreußen 1925–1926 Fate unknown
Willi Stöhr Gau Westmark 1944–1945 Escaped to Canada,[23] date of death unknown
Gregor Strasser Gau Niederbayern–Oberpfalz [aq] 1925–1929 Executed during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934
Julius Streicher Gau Franken 1929–1940 Found guilty in the Nuremberg trials and executed in October 1946[24]
Emil Stürtz Gau March of Brandenburg 1936–1945 Missing since April 1945, presumed captured by Soviets, declared dead by German court in 1957
Otto Telschow Gau Lüneburg-Stade[ar] 1925–1928 Captured by the British Army, committed suicide in May 1945
Gau Osthannover 1928–1945
Josef Terboven Gau Essen 1928–1945 Committed suicide in Norway in May 1945[25]
Siegfried Uiberreither Reichsgau Steiermark 1938–1945 Escaped from captivity in 1948 to Argentina, possibly died in 1984 in West Germany
Theodor Vahlen Gau Pommern 1925–1927 Died in 1945 in captivity in Czechoslovakia
Ludwig Viereck Harzgau[as] 1925–1926 Fate unknown
Fritz Wächtler Gau Bayerische Ostmark 1935–1945 Executed by the SS in April 1945[26]
Adolf Wagner Gau München-Oberbayern 1929–1944 Died in April 1944
Josef Wagner Gau Westfalen[at] 1928–1931 Killed in May 1945 either by the SS or Soviet troops
Gau Schlesien [au] 1934–1941
Gau Westfalen-Süd 1931–1941
Robert Heinrich Wagner Gau Baden-Elsaß[av] 1925–1945 Executed in October 1946 in France[27]
Karl Wahl Gau Schwaben 1928–1945 Imprisoned until 1948, died in 1981 in West Germany[28]
Friedrich Wambsganss Gau Rheinpfalz 1925–1926 Imprisoned until 1948, died in 1979 in West Germany
Paul Wegener Gau Weser-Ems 1942–1945 Imprisoned until 1951, died in 1993 in Germany
Karl Weinrich Gau Kurhessen 1928–1943 Imprisoned until 1950, died in 1973 in West Germany
Jef van de Wiele Reichsgau Flandern 1944–1945[aw] Imprisoned until 1963, died in 1979 in Belgium
Hans Zimmermann Gau Franken 1940–1942 (acting) Died in 1984 in West Germany[29]

Notes

  1. ^ Gau Elbe-Havel merged with Gau Anhalt and Gau Magdeburg to form Gau Anhalt-North Saxony Province in 1926; renamed Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt in 1928
  2. ^ Foreign Organization branch of the Nazi Party
  3. ^ Created when Gau Schlesien was split into two separate Gaue
  4. ^ Gau Saar merged with Gau Rheinpfalz to form Gau Pfalz-Saar in 1935
  5. ^ Gau Rheinpfalz merged with Gau Saar to form Gau Pfalz-Saar in 1935
  6. ^ Gau Pfalz-Saar was founded in 1935 when Gau Saar & Gau Rheinpfalz merged. It was renamed Gau Saarpfalz in 1936 and finally Gau Westmark in 1940 when it absorbed part of French Lorraine
  7. ^ Gau Schlesien was divided into Gau Niederschlesien & Gau Oberschlesien in 1941
  8. ^ In exile in Germany
  9. ^ Gau Niederbayern became a part of Bayerische Ostmark 1933
  10. ^ Gau Düsseldorf was founded in 1930 from the Bezirk Bergisches-Land
  11. ^ Gau Danzig-Westpreußen was known as Gau Danzig before 1939
  12. ^ Gau Hessen-Darmstadt was formed in 1927; it merged with Gau Hessen-Nassau-Süd to form Gau Hessen-Nassau in 1933
  13. ^ Kurhessen was known as Gau Hessen-Nassau-Nord before 1934
  14. ^ Gau München-Oberbayern was founded in 1930 when the Bezirk Oberbayern & Gross-München merged
  15. ^ Gau Berlin-Brandenburg was formed in 1926 by the merger of Gau Groß-Berlin and Gau Potsdam; it was divided into Gau Berlin and Gau Brandenburg in 1928
  16. ^ Wartheland was also known as Warthegau
  17. ^ Gau Mittelfranken became a part of Franken 1929
  18. ^ Gau Rheinland-Süd was divided into Köln-Aachen & Koblenz-Trier in 1931
  19. ^ Founded as Gau Göttingen in 1925, the renamed Gau Hannover-Süd became a part of Südhannover-Braunschweig in 1928
  20. ^ Created when Gau Schlesien was split into two separate Gaue
  21. ^ Gau Hessen-Nassau-Süd merged with Gau Hessen-Darmstadt to form Gau Hessen-Nassau in 1933
  22. ^ Gau Oberpfalz became a part of Bayerische Ostmark in 1933
  23. ^ Unterfranken was known as Gau Mainfranken after 1935
  24. ^ Gau Brandenburg was separated from Gau Berlin-Brandenburg in 1928 and merged with Gau Ostmark to form Gau Kurmark in 1933
  25. ^ Gau Franken was founded in 1929 when Mittelfranken merged with the Bezirk Nürnberg-Fürth
  26. ^ Honorary Gauleiter, no Gau assignment
  27. ^ Gau Rheinland-Nord merged with Gau Westfalen to become Großgau Ruhr in 1926
  28. ^ Großgau Ruhr was divided into Gau Essen, Gau Westfalen and Bezirk Bergisches-Land in 1928
  29. ^ Gau Brandenburg, founded in 1925 and renamed Gau Potsdam in 1926, merged with Groß-Berlin later in 1926 to form Gau Berlin-Brandenburg
  30. ^ Honorary Gauleiter, no Gau assignment
  31. ^ Gau Ostmark separated from Gau Berlin-Brandenburg in 1928 and became part of Gau Kurmark in 1933
  32. ^ Kurmark was founded in 1933 when Gau Ostmark merged with Gau Brandenburg; it was renamed Gau Mark Brandenburg in 1939
  33. ^ Gau Südhannover-Braunschweig was founded in 1928 when Hannover-Nord & Hannover-Süd merged
  34. ^ Gau Westfalen became a part of Großgau Ruhr in 1926
  35. ^ Gau Hannover-Nord became a part of Südhannover-Braunschweig 1928
  36. ^ Gau Oberfranken became a part of Bayerische Ostmark in 1933
  37. ^ Gau Bayerische Ostmark was founded in 1933 when Gau Oberfranken, Niederbayern and Oberpfalz merged. It was renamed Gau Bayreuth after its capital in 1942
  38. ^ Gau Groß-Berlin merged with Gau Potsdam to form Gau Berlin-Brandenburg in 1926
  39. ^ Gau Anhalt merged with Gau Elbe-Havel and Gau Magdeburg to form Gau Anhalt-North Saxony Province in 1926; renamed Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt in 1928
  40. ^ Gau Hessen-Nassau-Nord renamed Gau Kurhessen 1934
  41. ^ Moselland was named Gau Koblenz-Trier until 1942
  42. ^ Gau Hessen-Nassau was founded 1933 when Hessen-Darmstadt merged with Hessen-Nassau-Süd
  43. ^ Gau Niederbayern-Oberpfalz was divided into Niederbayern & Oberpfalz in 1929
  44. ^ Gau Lüneburg-Stade renamed Gau Osthannover in 1928
  45. ^ Renamed Gau Magdeburg in early 1926 and merged with Gau Anhalt and Gau Elbe-Havel to form Gau Anhalt-North Saxony Province later that year; renamed Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt in 1928
  46. ^ Gau Westfalen was formed from Großgau Ruhr in 1928 and was divided into Gau Westfalen-Nord and Gau Westfalen-Süd in 1931
  47. ^ Gau Schlesien was divided into Niederschlesien & Oberschlesien in 1941
  48. ^ Included the French Alsace region from 1940 onwards and was renamed Gau Baden-Alsace
  49. ^ In exile in Germany

References

Inline

  1. ^ "Es ist das deutsche Herz" [It is the German heart]. spiegel.de (in German). Der Spiegel. 22 December 1954. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  2. ^ "Übersicht der NSDAP-Gaue, der Gauleiter und der Stellvertretenden Gauleiter zwischen 1933 und 1945" [Overview of Nazi Gaue, the Gauleiter and assistant Gauleiter from 1933 to 1945]. zukunft-braucht-erinnerung.de (in German). Zukunft braucht Erinnerung. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Die Gaue der NSDAP" [The Gaue of the Nazi Party]. verwaltungsgeschichte.de (in German). Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Die NS-Gaue" [The Nazi Gaue]. dhm.de (in German). Deutsches Historisches Museum. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  5. ^ "Bürckel, Josef". verwaltungshandbuch.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de (in German). Bayerische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  6. ^ "NS-Zeit 1933-45" [Nazi era 1933-45]. xn--hndelstadt-halle-vnb.de (in German). Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  7. ^ Anna Rosmus: Hitlers Nibelungen, Samples Grafenau 2015, pp. 60f
  8. ^ "ZEITGESCHICHTE / NATIONALSOZIALISTEN" [History/Nazis]. spiegel.de (in German). Der Spiegel. 8 May 1967. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Giesler, Paul". verwaltungshandbuch.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de (in German). Bayerische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Goebbels, Paul Joseph". deutsche-biographie.de (in German). Bavarian State Library. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  11. ^ "Hellmuth, Otto". verwaltungshandbuch.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de (in German). Bayerische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  12. ^ "Holz, Karl". verwaltungshandbuch.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de (in German). Bayerische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Jordan, Rudolf". uni-magdeburg.de (in German). University of Magdeburg. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  14. ^ a b Miller 2017, p. 25.
  15. ^ a b Miller 2017, p. 34.
  16. ^ a b Miller 2017, p. 46.
  17. ^ a b c Miller 2017, p. 51.
  18. ^ "Die Legende vom "guten Gauleiter"" [The legend of the "good Gauleiter"]. ndr.de (in German). Norddeutscher Rundfunk. 8 April 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  19. ^ Miller 2017, p. 76.
  20. ^ "Lohse, Hinrich". deutsche-biographie.de (in German). Bavarian State Library. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  21. ^ "Ruckdeschel, Ludwig". verwaltungshandbuch.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de (in German). Bayerische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  22. ^ "Schemm, Hans". verwaltungshandbuch.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de (in German). Bayerische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  23. ^ "Stöhr, Willi". verwaltungshandbuch.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de (in German). Bayerische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  24. ^ "Streicher, Julius". verwaltungshandbuch.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de (in German). Bayerische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  25. ^ "Josef Terboven (1898-1945)". historisches-centrum.de (in German). Historisches Centrum Hagen. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  26. ^ "Wächtler, Fritz". verwaltungshandbuch.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de (in German). Bayerische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  27. ^ "ROBERT WAGNER, GAULEITER, REICHSSTATTHALTER IN BADEN UND CHEF DER ZIVILVERWALTUNG IM ELSASS" [Robert Wagner, Gauleiter, Reichsstatthalter in Baden and chief of the civil administration of Alsace]. ns-ministerien-bw.de (in German). 12 December 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  28. ^ "Wahl, Karl". verwaltungshandbuch.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de (in German). Bayerische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  29. ^ "Zimmermann, Hans". verwaltungshandbuch.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de (in German). Bayerische Landesbibliothek. Retrieved 20 April 2016.

Bibliography

External links

Administrative divisions in Nazi Germany and German occupations
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