Reichskommissar
Encyclopedia
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.
(after 1871), Reichskommissars were appointed to oversee special tasks. For instance, there was a Reichskommisar for emigration
(Reichskommissar für das Auswanderungswesen) in Hamburg
.
Presumably the same title is rendered as "German Imperial Commissioner" in the case of Heligoland
(Helgoland in German), a strategic, once-Danish, island in the North Sea
, formally handed over to Germany by the UK on 9 August 1890 (under the Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty) and on 15 December 1890 formally annexed to Germany (after 18 February 1891 part of the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein
): 9 August 1890 - 1891 Adolf Wermuth (b. 1855 - d. 1927)
for the governors of most of the Schutzgebiete (a German term literally meaning protectorate
, but also applied to ordinary colonies
).
to a number of Nazi governors, mainly in several occupied countries during World War II
, but also before the war to reintegrate former Prussian territory regained on France, as well as various other regions inhabitated by ethnic Germans. Depending on circumstances they could be severely dictatorial and repressive, most notably Erich Koch
in the Ukraine
.
(presently Saarland
) on January 13, 1935: 90.3% of those voting wished to join Germany
rather than join France
. Josef Bürckel
(b. 1895 - d. 1944) was appointed on 1 March 1935 as Reichskommissar für die Rückgliederung des Saarlandes
, then changed his style from 17 June 1936 to Reichskommissar für das Saarland, and from 8 April 1940 to Reichskommissar für die Saarpfalz; finally from 11 March 1941, he was made Reichsstatthalter
in der "Westmark
" (the region's new name, meaning "Western March
or Border"), till 28 September 1944 when he was succeeded by Willi Stöhr
(b. 1903, also NSDAP), who remained in office until 21 March 1945.
region of Czechoslovakia was annexed by Germany on 1 October 1938, it was under a Military governor (Wilhelm Keitel
; 1 October 1938 - 20 October 1938), until Konrad Henlein
was appointed Reichskommissar of the territories on 21 October 1938. On 1 May 1939 a regular 'domestic' Reichsgau
Sudetenland was created; Henlein stayed on as Reichsstatthalter
until the region was re-incorporated into Czechoslovakia
on 4 May 1945.
(he till 10 August 1940), equivalent to a Gauleiter
in Germany proper.
and the failure of a coup-d'état by the fascist politician Vidkun Quisling
, Hitler appointed a Reichskommissar für die besetzten Norwegischen Gebiete (Reich Commissioner for the occupied Norwegian territories) on 24 April 1940. The office had two consecutive Reichskommissars with extensive authority:
, the Dutch government and crown went in exile in London and the Netherlands
was placed under the command of two successive military governors:
There was one Reichskommissar für die besetzten niederländischen Gebiete (Reich Commissioner for the occupied Dutch territories):
was initially placed under a Militärverwaltung
, headed by military governors. The country was joined administratively to "North France", i.e. the adjacent French départements Nord and Pas-de-Calais. This was done both for security reasons, as the area was to be used as a staging ground in an expected invasion of Britain, as well as to "re-claim
" French Flanders
as a historic part of Germanic Flanders
. The Military Administration in Belgium and Northern France had two successive governors:
This situation continued until July 1944, when a Reichskommissar für Belgien-Nordfrankreich was appointed:
In December 1944, when the allies had already liberated virtually all of Belgium, its territory was split up into three Gau-type entities as integral ("Germanic") parts of the Reich: the bi-cultural Belgian capital Brussels
(Brüssel in German, Brussel in Dutch and Bruxelles in French) remained directly under the German Reichskommissar as a Brussels District
, but the bulk of the country was divided ethno-linguistically and placed under collaborating Belgian fascist party leaders (though with very little local support) as Gauleiters
and with Führer
-imitating titles in their national languages:
Gauleiter of Reichsgau Flandern
(Flanders
, Vlaanderen in Dutch
; supposedly including French Flanders
in North France) and National leader of the Flemish People (Landsleider van het Vlaamsche Volk) as well as "Head of the Flemish Liberation Committee" (Hoofd van het Vlaamsche Bevrijdingscomité):
Gauleiter of Reichsgau Wallonien
(Wallonia, Wallonie in French
) and Leader of the Walloon People (Chef du Peuple Wallon):
(the eastern front campaign against the Soviet Union
) on 22 June 1941, the Nazi ideologist Alfred Rosenberg
suggested the administrative division of conquered Soviet territory in the following Reichskommissariate, only the first two of which would become reality through military success:
This suggested an intention to destroy Russia
as a political entity, as the Nazis organised the areas adjacent to Greater Germany's eastern provinces in accordance with the geopolitical
Lebensraum
idea (Drang nach Osten
), to benefit future "Aryan
" generations. When German
forces entered Soviet territory, they immediately implemented this administrative plan instating the Reichskommissariat of "Ostland" in the Baltic lands and "Ukraine" in the Ukraine, headed by Hinrich Lohse
and Erich Koch
respectively. These administrators put in practice the intended measures during the whole of their administrative period, until 1943-44, when the Germans after the Battle of Kursk
were gradually driven out by force.
, Latvia
(from 1 September 1941) and Estonia
(from 5 December 1941) and Belarus
. Ostland was organized into four General Districts (Generalbezirke); only the (Latvian) capital city of Riga
(Gebiet Riga Stadt) was directly administered by the Reichskommissar für das Ostland. The incumbents were:
occupied by Germany since 25 June 1941 initially fell under a military governor:
The Reichskommissariat Ukraine was established on 20 August 1941, under a Reichskommissar für die Ukraine. The incumbents were:
History of Germany
The concept of Germany as a distinct region in central Europe can be traced to Roman commander Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as Germania, thus distinguishing it from Gaul , which he had conquered. The victory of the Germanic tribes in the Battle of the...
, was an official gubernatorial
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
and the Nazi Third Reich.
Domestic
In the unified Deutsches ReichDeutsches Reich
Deutsches Reich was the official name for Germany from 1871 to 1945 in the German language.As the literal English translation "German Empire" denotes a monarchy, the term is used only in reference to Germany prior to the fall of the monarchies at the end of World War I in 1918...
(after 1871), Reichskommissars were appointed to oversee special tasks. For instance, there was a Reichskommisar for emigration
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
(Reichskommissar für das Auswanderungswesen) 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...
.
Presumably the same title is rendered as "German Imperial Commissioner" in the case of Heligoland
Heligoland
Heligoland is a small German archipelago in the North Sea.Formerly Danish and British possessions, the islands are located in the Heligoland Bight in the south-eastern corner of the North Sea...
(Helgoland in German), a strategic, once-Danish, island in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, formally handed over to Germany by the UK on 9 August 1890 (under the Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty) and on 15 December 1890 formally annexed to Germany (after 18 February 1891 part of the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
): 9 August 1890 - 1891 Adolf Wermuth (b. 1855 - d. 1927)
Colonial
The title of Reichskommissar was used during the German EmpireGerman Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
for the governors of most of the Schutzgebiete (a German term literally meaning protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
, but also applied to ordinary colonies
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
).
In West Africa
- in KamerunKamerunGerman Cameroon was a West African colony of the German Empire from 1884 to 1916 in the region of today's Republic of Cameroon.-History:-1800s:...
(modern-day CameroonCameroonCameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
) * Reichskommissare (Commissioners)- 14 July 1884 - 19 July 1884 Gustav NachtigalGustav NachtigalGustav Nachtigal was a German explorer of Central and West Africa. He is further known as the German Empire's consul-general for Tunisia and Commissioner for West Africa. His mission as commissioner resulted in Togoland and Kamerun becoming the first colonies of a German colonial empire...
(b. 1834 - d. 1885) - 19 July 1884 - 1 April 1885 Maximilian Buchner (acting) (b. 1846 - d. 1921)
- 1 April 1885 - 4 July 1885 Eduard von KnorrEduard von KnorrErnst Wilhelm Eduard von Knorr was a German admiral of the Kaiserliche Marine who helped establish the German colonial empire.-Life:...
(acting) (b. 1840 - d. 1920); next came a list of Governors until 4 March 1916 when *
- 14 July 1884 - 19 July 1884 Gustav Nachtigal
- in TogoTogoTogo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
the Reich Reichskommissare since 5 July 1884 proclamation of the TogolandTogolandTogoland was a German protectorate in West Africa from 1884 to 1914, encompassing what is now the nation of Togo and most of what is now the Volta Region of Ghana. The colony was established during the period generally known as the "Scramble for Africa"...
protectorate:- 5 July 1884 - 6 July 1884 Gustav NachtigalGustav NachtigalGustav Nachtigal was a German explorer of Central and West Africa. He is further known as the German Empire's consul-general for Tunisia and Commissioner for West Africa. His mission as commissioner resulted in Togoland and Kamerun becoming the first colonies of a German colonial empire...
(b. 1834 - d. 1885), the Reichskommissar for West Africa * - 6 July 1884 - 26 June 1885 Heinrich Randad, the provisional ConsulConsul (representative)The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
- 26 June 1885 - May 1887 Ernst Falkenthal (b. 1858 - d. 1911)
- July 1887 - 17 October 1888 Jesko von PuttkamerJesko von PuttkamerJesko Albert Eugen von Puttkamer was a German colonial military chief, and nine times governor of Kamerun:*13 May 1887 - 4 October 1887*14 August 1890 - 2 December 1890*31 December 1894 - 27 March 1895...
(acting) (1st time) (b. 1855 - d. 1917) - 17 October 1888 - 14 April 1891 Eugen von ZimmererEugen von ZimmererEugen Ritter von Zimmerer was a governor of the German colony of Kamerun between 1890 and 1893.-Early career:Zimmerer was born on 24 November 1843 in Germersheim, the son of a Bavarian officer....
(b. 1843 - d. 1918) - 14 April 1891 - 4 June 1892 Vacant
- 4 June 1892 - November 1893 Jesko von Puttkamer (2nd time); the same stayed on as the first of two Landeshauptleute ('Land captains'), till 13 August 1895; the second (18 November 1895 - 18 April 1898 August KöhlerAugust KöhlerAugust Karl Johann Valentin Köhler was a German professor and early staff member of Carl Zeiss AG in Jena, Germany. He is best known for his development of the microscopy technique of Köhler illumination, an important principle in optimizing microscopic resolution power by evenly illuminating the...
, b. 1858 - d. 1902) was also the first of the Governors (since 1 January 1905 as German colony of Togoland, till the British conquered it August 1914)
- 5 July 1884 - 6 July 1884 Gustav Nachtigal
German South-West Africa
- from 24 April 1884 as German South West Africa protectorate, only incumbent (7 October 1884 - May 1885) Gustav Nachtigal (b. 1834 - d. 1885; see above), staying on shortly for the status transition
- from 30 April 1885 - 1889 under the rule of the private German South West Africa Colonial Company (Deutsch Kolonialgesellschaft für Südwest-Africa), only incumbent (May 1885 - August 1890): Heinrich Ernst GöringHeinrich Ernst GöringHeinrich Ernst Göring was a German jurist and diplomat who served as colonial governor of German South-West Africa. He was the father of five children including Hermann Göring, the Nazi leader and commander of the Luftwaffe....
(acting) (b. 1839 - d. 1913) - again as imperial protectorate (?)
- first the abovementioned Heinrich Ernst Göring, de facto staying on
- August 1890 - March 1891 Louis NelsLouis NelsLouis Nels was a German government official who served as acting Reichskommissar in German South-West Africa in 1890-1891....
(acting) (b. 1855 - d. 1910) - March 1891 - November 1893 Curt von FrançoisCurt von FrancoisCurt Karl Bruno von François was a military and political figure in the early days of German colonialism in Africa. He is remembered as one of the pioneers of German Southwest Africa ....
(b. 1852 - d. 1931), who stayed on when the country was declared on 14 September 1892 the German crown colony of South West Africa, and later again as the first of two Landeshauptleute ("captains of the territory")
In East Africa
- in TanganyikaTanganyikaTanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
, the area acquired on 17 February 1885 by Carl Peters for the Deutsche Ostafrikanische Gesellschaft (DOAG, 'German East African Company', that was initially under an Administrator: 27 May 1885 - 8 February 1888 Karl Peters), since the proclamation of the German East African protectorate (7 May 1885 - 1 July 1890) over WituWituWitu may refer to*Wituland*Vitu language *Wiru :**Wiru people**Wiru language...
in Kenya; contested by Britain; on 28 April 1888 Germany obtains a lease of the coastal strip from the SultanSultanSultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
of ZanzibarZanzibarZanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
), a single Reichskommissar is appointed (8 February 1888 - 21 February 1891: Hermann von Wissmann (b. 1853 - d. 1905), after him Governors of 1 January 1891 when proclaimed German East Africa colony (Deutsch Ostafrika), ending the 'private' DOAG rule.
In Oceania
- NauruNauruNauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
, since 21 October 1887 a German protectorate, was under the following Reichskommissare:- 1886 - 1887 Wilhelm Knappe (b. 1855 - d. 1910)
- 1888 - 1889 Franz Leopold Sonnenschein (b. 1857 - d. 1897); next, as it was since 14 April 1888 administratively part of the (German) Marshall IslandsMarshall IslandsThe Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, it had mere Bezirksamtleute (District officers; 2 October 1888 - 1906), then, being since 1 April 1906 administratively part of German New GuineaGerman New GuineaGerman New Guinea was the first part of the German colonial empire. It was a protectorate from 1884 until 1914 when it fell to Australia following the outbreak of the First World War. It consisted of the northeastern part of New Guinea and several nearby island groups...
, Stationsleiter ('Station Chiefs'; from 1911, subordinated to the administrators of PonapePohnpeiNot to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
district) till 6 November 1914, finally the island was lost (AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n administration, first by a military Commander, then under League of Nations mandateLeague of Nations mandateA League of Nations mandate was a legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following World War I, or the legal instruments that contained the internationally agreed-upon terms for administering the territory on behalf of the League...
)
Nazi Germany
The title of Reichskommissar was given by Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
to a number of Nazi governors, mainly in several occupied countries during 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...
, but also before the war to reintegrate former Prussian territory regained on France, as well as various other regions inhabitated by ethnic Germans. Depending on circumstances they could be severely dictatorial and repressive, most notably Erich Koch
Erich Koch
Erich Koch was a Gauleiter of the Nazi Party in East Prussia from 1928 until 1945. Between 1941 and 1945 he was the Chief of Civil Administration of Bezirk Bialystok. During this period, he was also the Reichskommissar in Reichskommissariat Ukraine from 1941 until 1943...
in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
Saar Territory
A plebiscite was held in the Territory of the Saar BasinSaar (League of Nations)
The Territory of the Saar Basin , also referred as the Saar or Saargebiet, was a region of Germany that was occupied and governed by Britain and France from 1920 to 1935 under a League of Nations mandate, with the occupation originally being under the auspices of the Treaty of Versailles...
(presently Saarland
Saarland
Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...
) on January 13, 1935: 90.3% of those voting wished to join Germany
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...
rather than join France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Josef Bürckel
Josef Bürckel
Joseph Bürckel was a German politician and a member of the German parliament...
(b. 1895 - d. 1944) was appointed on 1 March 1935 as Reichskommissar für die Rückgliederung des Saarlandes
Saar (League of Nations)
The Territory of the Saar Basin , also referred as the Saar or Saargebiet, was a region of Germany that was occupied and governed by Britain and France from 1920 to 1935 under a League of Nations mandate, with the occupation originally being under the auspices of the Treaty of Versailles...
, then changed his style from 17 June 1936 to Reichskommissar für das Saarland, and from 8 April 1940 to Reichskommissar für die Saarpfalz; finally from 11 March 1941, he was made Reichsstatthalter
Reichsstatthalter
The term Reichsstatthalter was used twice for different offices, in the imperial Hohenzollern dynasty's German Empire and the single-party Nazi Third Reich.- "Statthalter des Reiches" 1879-1918 in Alsace-Lorraine :...
in der "Westmark
Gau Westmark
The Gau Westmark was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. Previous to that, since 1926, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party.-History:...
" (the region's new name, meaning "Western March
Marches
A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....
or Border"), till 28 September 1944 when he was succeeded by Willi Stöhr
Willi Stöhr
Willi Stöhr , German NSDAP official, was born in Wuppertal-Elberfeld. He joined the NSDAP in 1923. In 1932 he was made a senior official of the Hitler Youth movement, and in 1933, when the National Socialist movement came to power, he was appointed to administrative position in Frankfurt am Main,...
(b. 1903, also NSDAP), who remained in office until 21 March 1945.
Sudetenland
After the SudetenlandSudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
region of Czechoslovakia was annexed by Germany on 1 October 1938, it was under a Military governor (Wilhelm Keitel
Wilhelm Keitel
Wilhelm Bodewin Gustav Keitel was a German field marshal . As head of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and de facto war minister, he was one of Germany's most senior military leaders during World War II...
; 1 October 1938 - 20 October 1938), until Konrad Henlein
Konrad Henlein
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein was a leading pro-Nazi ethnic German politician in Czechoslovakia and leader of Sudeten German separatists...
was appointed Reichskommissar of the territories on 21 October 1938. On 1 May 1939 a regular 'domestic' Reichsgau
Reichsgau
A Reichsgau was an administrative subdivision created in a number of the areas annexed to Nazi Germany between 1938 and 1945...
Sudetenland was created; Henlein stayed on as Reichsstatthalter
Reichsstatthalter
The term Reichsstatthalter was used twice for different offices, in the imperial Hohenzollern dynasty's German Empire and the single-party Nazi Third Reich.- "Statthalter des Reiches" 1879-1918 in Alsace-Lorraine :...
until the region was re-incorporated into Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
on 4 May 1945.
Vienna
1 May 1939 - 1 April 1940 Josef Bürckel (b. 1895 - d. 1944) NSDAP, in fact the maintained last Austrian Premier of 15 October 1938 constituted metropolitan capital city-entity Gross-Wien (Great Vienna), is in transitional office, then the same is made the first of two ReichsstatthalterReichsstatthalter
The term Reichsstatthalter was used twice for different offices, in the imperial Hohenzollern dynasty's German Empire and the single-party Nazi Third Reich.- "Statthalter des Reiches" 1879-1918 in Alsace-Lorraine :...
(he till 10 August 1940), equivalent to a 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:...
in Germany proper.
Norway
After the Norwegian king and his government fled during the German invasion of the countryOperation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
and the failure of a coup-d'état by the fascist politician Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
, Hitler appointed a Reichskommissar für die besetzten Norwegischen Gebiete (Reich Commissioner for the occupied Norwegian territories) on 24 April 1940. The office had two consecutive Reichskommissars with extensive authority:
- 24 April 1940 - 7 May 1945 -- Josef TerbovenJosef TerbovenJosef Antonius Heinrich Terboven was a Nazi leader, best known as the Reichskommissar during the German occupation of Norway.-Early life:...
(b. 1898 - d. 1945), NSDAP. He took up residence in the Crown Prince's manor at SkaugumSkaugumSkaugum is the official residence of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and of his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit.The estate is located in Asker municipality, about 15 miles southwest of Oslo. Owned by the Church in the Middle Ages, it passed through several owners until 1909, when Fritz Wedel...
. Answerable only to Hitler, Terboven initially tried to negotiate with the Norwegian Storting to establish a civilian administration which would be willing to sign a peace treaty with Germany. After the collapse of these negotiations, Terboven on 25 September 1940 proclaimed the deposition of King Haakon VIIHaakon VIIHaakon VII may refer to:People* Haakon VII of Norway , King of Norway Ships* HNoMS King Haakon VII, a Royal Norwegian Navy escort ship in commission from 1942 to 1951...
and his cabinet-in-exile and outlawed all political parties except the Norwegian fascist party Nasjonal Samling. Terboven committed suicide during the night of 7 May 1945, just before the surrender of the German forces in Norway became effective. - 7 May 1945 - 8 May 1945 -- Franz BöhmeFranz BöhmeFranz Friedrich Böhme was an Austrian who later went on to become a military officer...
, commander-in-chief of German military forces in Norway (b. 1885 - d. 1947), assumed Terboven's responsibilities as acting Reichskommissar until Allied forces took control and had him arrested.
Netherlands
After the German invasion of the countryBattle of the Netherlands
The Battle of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow , the German invasion of the Low Countries and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until 14 May 1940 when the main Dutch forces surrendered...
, the Dutch government and crown went in exile in London and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
was placed under the command of two successive military governors:
- 10 May 1940 - 20 May 1940 -- Fedor von BockFedor von BockFedor von Bock was a German Generalfeldmarshall who served in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. As a leader who lectured his soldiers about the honor of dying for the German Fatherland, he was nicknamed "Der Sterber"...
(b. 1880 - d. 1945) - 20 May 1940 - 29 May 1940 -- Alexander von FalkenhausenAlexander von FalkenhausenAlexander Ernst Alfred Hermann Freiherr von Falkenhausen was a German general. He was the head of the military government of Belgium from 1940–44 during its occupation by Germany in World War II....
(b. 1878 - d. 1966)
There was one Reichskommissar für die besetzten niederländischen Gebiete (Reich Commissioner for the occupied Dutch territories):
- 29 May 1940 - 5 May 1945 -- Arthur Seyss-InquartArthur Seyss-InquartArthur Seyss-Inquart was a Chancellor of Austria, lawyer and later Nazi official in pre-Anschluss Austria, the Third Reich and for wartime Germany in Poland and the Netherlands...
(b. 1892 - d. 1946), NSDAP
Belgium and Northern France
BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
was initially placed under a Militärverwaltung
Military Administration (Nazi Germany)
During World War II, Nazi Germany created military-led regimes in occupied territories which were known as a Military Administration . These differed from Reichskommissariats which were led by Nazi Party officials...
, headed by military governors. The country was joined administratively to "North France", i.e. the adjacent French départements Nord and Pas-de-Calais. This was done both for security reasons, as the area was to be used as a staging ground in an expected invasion of Britain, as well as to "re-claim
Irredentism
Irredentism is any position advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. Some of these movements are also called pan-nationalist movements. It is a feature of identity politics and cultural...
" French Flanders
French Flanders
French Flanders is a part of the historical County of Flanders in present-day France. The region today lies in the modern-day region of Nord-Pas de Calais, the department of Nord, and roughly corresponds to the arrondissements of Lille, Douai and Dunkirk on the Belgian border.-Geography:French...
as a historic part of Germanic Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. The Military Administration in Belgium and Northern France had two successive governors:
- 10 May 1940 - 1 June 1940 -- Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (b. 1875 - d. 1953) and Fedor von BockFedor von BockFedor von Bock was a German Generalfeldmarshall who served in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. As a leader who lectured his soldiers about the honor of dying for the German Fatherland, he was nicknamed "Der Sterber"...
(b. 1880 - d. 1945) - 1 June 1940 - 18 July 1944 -- Alexander Freiherr von Falkenhausen (b. 1878 - d. 1966)
This situation continued until July 1944, when a Reichskommissar für Belgien-Nordfrankreich was appointed:
- 18 July 1944 - January 1945 -- Joseph Grohé (b. 1902 - d. 1988) NSDAP
In December 1944, when the allies had already liberated virtually all of Belgium, its territory was split up into three Gau-type entities as integral ("Germanic") parts of the Reich: the bi-cultural Belgian capital Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(Brüssel in German, Brussel in Dutch and Bruxelles in French) remained directly under the German Reichskommissar as a Brussels District
District of Brussels
The District of Brussels was a short-lived administrative polity created by Nazi Germany in 1944...
, but the bulk of the country was divided ethno-linguistically and placed under collaborating Belgian fascist party leaders (though with very little local support) as Gauleiters
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:...
and with Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
-imitating titles in their national languages:
Gauleiter of Reichsgau Flandern
Reichsgau Flandern
The Reichsgau Flanders was a short-lived Reichsgau of Nazi Germany established in 1944. It encompassed the present-day Flemish Region in its old provincial borders, so including Comines-Warneton but excluding Voeren...
(Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, Vlaanderen in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
; supposedly including French Flanders
French Flanders
French Flanders is a part of the historical County of Flanders in present-day France. The region today lies in the modern-day region of Nord-Pas de Calais, the department of Nord, and roughly corresponds to the arrondissements of Lille, Douai and Dunkirk on the Belgian border.-Geography:French...
in North France) and National leader of the Flemish People (Landsleider van het Vlaamsche Volk) as well as "Head of the Flemish Liberation Committee" (Hoofd van het Vlaamsche Bevrijdingscomité):
- 15 December 1944 - 1945 -- Jef Van de WieleJef van de WieleFredegardus Jacobus Josephus van de Wiele was a Belgian Flemish Nazi politician.-Nazism:...
(b. 1902 - d. 1979) (in Germany in exile; head of the DevlagDevlagDeutsch-Vlämische Arbeitsgemeinschaft , better known as DeVlag, was a pro-Nazi organization active in Flanders during the German occupation of Belgium...
party)
Gauleiter of Reichsgau Wallonien
Reichsgau Wallonien
The Reichsgau Wallonia was a short-lived Reichsgau of Nazi Germany established in 1944. It encompassed present-day Wallonia in its old provincial borders, so excluding Comines-Warneton but including Voeren...
(Wallonia, Wallonie in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
) and Leader of the Walloon People (Chef du Peuple Wallon):
- 8 December 1944 - 1945 -- Léon DegrelleLéon DegrelleLéon Joseph Marie Ignace Degrelle was a Walloon Belgian politician, who founded Rexism and later joined the Waffen SS which were front-line troops in the fight against the Soviet Union...
(b. 1906 - d. 1994) (also remained in Germany in exile, even though German troops reconquered part of Wallonia in December 1944 - January 1945); head of the Rexist Party)
Soviet territories
Before the beginning of Operation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
(the eastern front campaign against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
) on 22 June 1941, the Nazi ideologist Alfred Rosenberg
Alfred Rosenberg
' was an early and intellectually influential member of the Nazi Party. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart; he later held several important posts in the Nazi government...
suggested the administrative division of conquered Soviet territory in the following Reichskommissariate, only the first two of which would become reality through military success:
- OstlandReichskommissariat OstlandReichskommissariat 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...
(the Baltic countriesBaltic countriesThe 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...
, BelarusBelarusBelarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, and adjacent parts of Western Russia); - UkraineReichskommissariat UkraineReichskommissariat Ukraine , literally "Reich Commissariat of Ukraine", was the civilian occupation regime of much of German-occupied Ukraine during World War II. Between September 1941 and March 1944, the Reichskommissariat was administered by Reichskommissar Erich Koch as a colony...
(the UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and the northern parts of Southern Russia); - KaukasusReichskommissariat KaukasusReichskommissariat Kaukasus , literally "Reich Commissariat of the Caucasus ", was the theoretical political division and planned civilian occupation regime of Nazi Germany in the conquered territories of the Caucasus during World War II...
(the CaucasusCaucasusThe Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
and the southern parts of Southern Russia); - Moskowien (MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
metropolitan area and the rest of nearest Russian European areas); - TurkestanReichskommissariat TurkestanReichskommissariat Turkestan , literally "Reich Commissariat of Turkestan " was the civilian occupation regime which the leadership of Nazi Germany proposed to create in the Central Asian Republics of the Soviet Union in its military conflict with that country during World War II.-Background:Prior...
(the Central AsiaCentral AsiaCentral Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
n Soviet republics, ethnically mainly TurkicTurkic peoplesThe Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
).
This suggested an intention to destroy Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
as a political entity, as the Nazis organised the areas adjacent to Greater Germany's eastern provinces in accordance with the geopolitical
Geopolitics
Geopolitics, from Greek Γη and Πολιτική in broad terms, is a theory that describes the relation between politics and territory whether on local or international scale....
Lebensraum
Lebensraum
was one of the major political ideas of Adolf Hitler, and an important component of Nazi ideology. It served as the motivation for the expansionist policies of Nazi Germany, aiming to provide extra space for the growth of the German population, for a Greater Germany...
idea (Drang nach Osten
Drang nach Osten
Drang nach Osten was a term coined in the 19th century to designate German expansion into Slavic lands. The term became a motto of the German nationalist movement in the late nineteenth century...
), to benefit future "Aryan
Aryan race
The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
" generations. When German
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...
forces entered Soviet territory, they immediately implemented this administrative plan instating the Reichskommissariat of "Ostland" in the Baltic lands and "Ukraine" in the Ukraine, headed by Hinrich Lohse
Hinrich Lohse
Hinrich Lohse was a Nazi German politician, best known for his World War II rule of the Baltic states.-Early life:...
and Erich Koch
Erich Koch
Erich Koch was a Gauleiter of the Nazi Party in East Prussia from 1928 until 1945. Between 1941 and 1945 he was the Chief of Civil Administration of Bezirk Bialystok. During this period, he was also the Reichskommissar in Reichskommissariat Ukraine from 1941 until 1943...
respectively. These administrators put in practice the intended measures during the whole of their administrative period, until 1943-44, when the Germans after the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
were gradually driven out by force.
Ostland
On 17 July 1941, the Reichskommissariat Ostland ("Eastland") was established, soon uniting German-occupied LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
(from 1 September 1941) and Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
(from 5 December 1941) and Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. Ostland was organized into four General Districts (Generalbezirke); only the (Latvian) capital city 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,...
(Gebiet Riga Stadt) was directly administered by the Reichskommissar für das Ostland. The incumbents were:
- 17 July 1941 - 26 September 1944 -- Hinrich LohseHinrich LohseHinrich Lohse was a Nazi German politician, best known for his World War II rule of the Baltic states.-Early life:...
(b. 1896 - d. 1964), NSDAP - 26 September 1944 - 2 February 1945 -- Erich Koch (b. 1896 - d. 1986), NSDAP (de facto ousted on 13 October 1944 when the Soviet Red ArmyRed ArmyThe Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
took Riga, although Ostland wasn't officially dissolved until 2 February 1945)
Ukraine
The territory in UkraineUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
occupied by Germany since 25 June 1941 initially fell under a military governor:
- 25 June 1941 - 31 August 1941 -- Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (b. 1875 - d. 1953)
The Reichskommissariat Ukraine was established on 20 August 1941, under a Reichskommissar für die Ukraine. The incumbents were:
- 20 August 1941 - 6 October 1943 -- Erich KochErich KochErich Koch was a Gauleiter of the Nazi Party in East Prussia from 1928 until 1945. Between 1941 and 1945 he was the Chief of Civil Administration of Bezirk Bialystok. During this period, he was also the Reichskommissar in Reichskommissariat Ukraine from 1941 until 1943...
(b. 1896 - d. 1986), NSDAP - 1942 - 30 September 1943 -- Paul Dargel (acting for Koch) (b. 1903 - d. 19..), NSDAP
- October 1943 - 1944 -- Curt von GottbergCurt von GottbergCurt von Gottberg was a Nazi official and military commander. Beginning in October 1942, within a few years he had personally combined the highest civil and military powers in occupied Belarus: from March 1943 as representative of the HSSPF for central Russia, and from October 1943 as the acting...
(b. 1896 - d. 1945), NSDAP
Moskowien
Central Russia was never brought under sufficient German control to permit its transfer to civilian administration, but a designated Reichskommissar für Moskowien was appointed on 17 July 1941:- Siegfried KascheSiegfried KascheSiegfried Kasche was an SA Obergruppenführer and ambassador of the Third Reich to the allied Independent State of Croatia during the Second World War. He was tried for "complicity in deportations and murders" by a Yugoslav court and was executed in June 1947.Kasche was born in Strausberg in...
(b. 1903 - d. 1947), NSDAP
Kaukasus
The Caucasus was never brought under sufficient German control to permit its transfer to civilian administration, but a designated Reichskommissar für die Kaukasus was appointed on 17 July 1941:- Arno Schickedanz (b. 1892 - d. 1945), NSDAP
See also
- Generalgouverneur
- Reichsbevollmächtigter
- Reichsprotektor
- ReichskommissariatReichskommissariatReichskommissariat is the German designation for a type of administrative office headed by a government official known as a Reichskommissar...
External Links
- WorldStatesmen here Norway - see each present country
- The Trial of German Major War Criminals, Eighty-Sixth Day: Wednesday, 20th March, 1946