Hinrich Lohse
Encyclopedia
Hinrich Lohse was a Nazi German
politician, best known for his World War II
rule of the Baltic states
.
man, was born into a family of crofters. From 1903 to 1912 he went to the Volksschule
in his hometown, and afterwards the higher trade school. In 1913 he worked as an employee at the Blohm & Voss Shipyard
in Hamburg
. During the First World War, he served from 23 September 1915 until his discharge for war wounds on 30 October 1916 in the army.
. In 1923 he joined the Nazi Party and became on 27 March 1925 the NSDAP Gauleiter
for Schleswig-Holstein. In 1924, as a member of the Völkisch-Sozialer Block list, he became the only Nazi to be elected to the city representative college (Stadtverordnetenkollegium) of Altona
/Elbe. During this time, he led various nationally-oriented farming associations in northern Germany
, such as the Landvolkbewegung ("Country People's Movement"), into the Nazi Party. Between 1928 and 1929, Lohse also temporarily administered the Nazi Gau
of Hamburg.
Lohse, who had been a member of the Reichstag
since 1932, was appointed shortly after the Nazis' seizure of power
as Oberpräsident (High President) of the Province of Schleswig-Holstein
. In 1934, he took over the chairmanship of the Nordic Association (Nordische Gesellschaft
). In 1942, Lohse was appointed Reich Defence Commissar, as were all Gauleiter
s.
, Lohse was appointed the "Reichskommissar
for the Ostland
". Lohse retained his functions in Schleswig-Holstein and shuttled between his two seats of Riga
and Kiel
. After taking office, Lohse filled many important posts with likeminded old friends from Schleswig-Holstein. He held this function until he left, or rather fled, the Reichskommissariat Ostland in the autumn of 1944. In Schleswig-Holstein, during the time when Nazi Germany was losing power, he still exercised absolute rule as Reich Defence Commissar.
He shared with Adolf Prutzmann many of the responsibilities for the ghettoization of the Jews of Latvia.
demands, Lohse was unseated as High President of Schleswig-Holstein by Reich President Karl Dönitz
. Shortly thereafter, he was seized by the British military. Lohse was sentenced in 1948 to 10 years in prison, but was released in 1951 due to illness. Two inquiries were launched by prosecutor
s against him; the grant of a High-Presidential pension
which Lohse was fighting for was withdrawn under pressure from the Schleswig-Holstein Landtag
. Lohse spent his twilight years in Mühlenbarbek.
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
politician, best known for his World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
rule of the Baltic states
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
.
Early life
Lohse, who trained as a salesSales
A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity....
man, was born into a family of crofters. From 1903 to 1912 he went to the Volksschule
Volksschule
A Volksschule was an 18th century system of state-supported primary schools established in the Habsburg Austrian Empire and Prussia . Attendance was supposedly compulsory, but a 1781 census reveals that only one fourth of school-age children attended. At the time, this was one of the few examples...
in his hometown, and afterwards the higher trade school. In 1913 he worked as an employee at the Blohm & Voss Shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. During the First World War, he served from 23 September 1915 until his discharge for war wounds on 30 October 1916 in the army.
Nazi Party career
Lohse was first from 1919 an associate at the Schleswig-Holstein Farmers' Association, and then as of 1920 General Secretary of the Schleswig-Holsteinische Bauern- und LandarbeiterdemokratieSchleswig-Holsteinische Bauern- und Landarbeiterdemokratie
Schleswig-Holsteinische Bauern- und Landarbeiterdemokratie was a regional agrarian political party based in Schleswig-Holstein during the Weimar Republic...
. In 1923 he joined the Nazi Party and became on 27 March 1925 the NSDAP Gauleiter
Gauleiter
A Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
for Schleswig-Holstein. In 1924, as a member of the Völkisch-Sozialer Block list, he became the only Nazi to be elected to the city representative college (Stadtverordnetenkollegium) of Altona
Altona, Hamburg
Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...
/Elbe. During this time, he led various nationally-oriented farming associations in northern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, such as the Landvolkbewegung ("Country People's Movement"), into the Nazi Party. Between 1928 and 1929, Lohse also temporarily administered the Nazi Gau
Gau (German)
Gau is a German term for a region within a country, often a former or actual province. It was used in medieval times, when it can be seen as roughly corresponding to an English shire...
of Hamburg.
Lohse, who had been a member of the Reichstag
Reichstag (Weimar Republic)
The Reichstag was the parliament of Weimar Republic .German constitution commentators consider only the Reichstag and now the Bundestag the German parliament. Another organ deals with legislation too: in 1867-1918 the Bundesrat, in 1919–1933 the Reichsrat and from 1949 on the Bundesrat...
since 1932, was appointed shortly after the Nazis' seizure of power
Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
as Oberpräsident (High President) of the Province of Schleswig-Holstein
Province of Schleswig-Holstein
The Province of Schleswig-Holstein was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1868 to 1946. It was created from the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, which had been conquered by Prussia and the Austrian Empire from Denmark in the Second War of Schleswig in 1864...
. In 1934, he took over the chairmanship of the Nordic Association (Nordische Gesellschaft
Nordische Gesellschaft
Nordische Gesellschaft was an association founded in 1921, with the objective of strengthening German-Nordic cultural and political cooperation. It was based in Lübeck, Germany. The association had both German and Scandinavian members. After the National Socialist take-over in Germany 1933...
). In 1942, Lohse was appointed Reich Defence Commissar, as were all Gauleiter
Gauleiter
A Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
s.
Occupation official in the Soviet Union
On July 17, 1941, after the German occupation of parts of the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Lohse was appointed the "Reichskommissar
Reichskommissar
Reichskommissar , in German history, was an official gubernatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and the Nazi Third Reich....
for the Ostland
Reichskommissariat Ostland
Reichskommissariat Ostland, literally "Reich Commissariat Eastland", was the civilian occupation regime established by Nazi Germany in the Baltic states and much of Belarus during World War II. It was also known as Reichskommissariat Baltenland initially...
". Lohse retained his functions in Schleswig-Holstein and shuttled between his two seats of Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
and Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
. After taking office, Lohse filled many important posts with likeminded old friends from Schleswig-Holstein. He held this function until he left, or rather fled, the Reichskommissariat Ostland in the autumn of 1944. In Schleswig-Holstein, during the time when Nazi Germany was losing power, he still exercised absolute rule as Reich Defence Commissar.
He shared with Adolf Prutzmann many of the responsibilities for the ghettoization of the Jews of Latvia.
Post-war trial and life
On 6 May 1945, owing to BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
demands, Lohse was unseated as High President of Schleswig-Holstein by Reich President Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
. Shortly thereafter, he was seized by the British military. Lohse was sentenced in 1948 to 10 years in prison, but was released in 1951 due to illness. Two inquiries were launched by prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
s against him; the grant of a High-Presidential pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
which Lohse was fighting for was withdrawn under pressure from the Schleswig-Holstein Landtag
Landtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
. Lohse spent his twilight years in Mühlenbarbek.