Karl Gerland
Encyclopedia
Karl Gerland was a Nazi
Gauleiter
of Kurhessen.
Gerland was born in Gottsbüren
(now a part of Trendelburg
) near Kassel
. He joined the Nazi Party in 1929. As of 1930, he was district leader in Kreis Hofgeismar, and beginning in 1932, he was acting propaganda
leader in the Gau of Kurhessen. From 1933 he was leader of the provincial post in Kurhessen of the Propagandaministerium and worked as office leader from October 1934 in the Party Chancellery.
In 1936, Gerland was a member of the Reichstag
, and from 1 June 1938 until 1941, he was acting Gauleiter in Niederdonau
. In 1943, he became an SS
Brigadeführer
.
From 13 December 1943, until 1945, Gerland was Gauleiter in Kurhessen. He succeeded the former Gauleiter Karl Weinrich
, who had been removed from his post. From 1944 to 1945, he was also High President of Kurhessen.
In the spring of 1945, Gerland was highly regarded by Joseph Goebbels
. In his diary entry of 2 April 1945, Goebbels noted that Gerland was conducting himself "superbly," adding, "I would have expected this from [him] anyway." Later that month, Gerland fell at Frankfurt (Oder)
during fighting on the Eastern Front
.
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
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:...
of Kurhessen.
Gerland was born in Gottsbüren
Trendelburg
Trendelburg is a town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany with a population of 5,282 on 30 September 2009. It is situated on the river Diemel, north of Kassel.The town is twinned with Pocklington, England....
(now a part of Trendelburg
Trendelburg
Trendelburg is a town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany with a population of 5,282 on 30 September 2009. It is situated on the river Diemel, north of Kassel.The town is twinned with Pocklington, England....
) near Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
. He joined the Nazi Party in 1929. As of 1930, he was district leader in Kreis Hofgeismar, and beginning in 1932, he was acting propaganda
Nazi propaganda
Propaganda, the coordinated attempt to influence public opinion through the use of media, was skillfully used by the NSDAP in the years leading up to and during Adolf Hitler's leadership of Germany...
leader in the Gau of Kurhessen. From 1933 he was leader of the provincial post in Kurhessen of the Propagandaministerium and worked as office leader from October 1934 in the Party Chancellery.
In 1936, Gerland was a member of the Reichstag
Reichstag (German Empire)
The Reichstag was the parliament of the North German Confederation , and of the German Reich ....
, and from 1 June 1938 until 1941, he was acting Gauleiter in Niederdonau
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
. In 1943, he became an SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
Brigadeführer
Brigadeführer
SS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
.
From 13 December 1943, until 1945, Gerland was Gauleiter in Kurhessen. He succeeded the former Gauleiter Karl Weinrich
Karl Weinrich
Karl Weinrich Karl Weinrich Karl Weinrich (2 December 1887 in Molmeck – 22 July 1973 in Hausen was NSDAP Gauleiter of Kurhessen.Karl Weinrich was a member of the Nazi Party from August 1922. From 1925 to 1927 he was the NSDAP's Gau Treasurer. From 1930 to 1933 he was a member of the Prussian...
, who had been removed from his post. From 1944 to 1945, he was also High President of Kurhessen.
In the spring of 1945, Gerland was highly regarded by Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
. In his diary entry of 2 April 1945, Goebbels noted that Gerland was conducting himself "superbly," adding, "I would have expected this from [him] anyway." Later that month, Gerland fell at Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
during fighting on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
.