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Reichskommissar





GERMAN EMPIRE


Domestic

In the Deutsches Reich (after 1871 ) he was appointed to a special task, e.g. for Emigration (''Reichskommissar für das Auswanderungswesen'' in Hamburg ).

Presumably the same title is rendered as German Imperial Commissioner in the case of Helgoland (Heligoland in English), a strategic, once Danish island in the North Sea since the 9 August 1890 formal handover to Germany by the U.K. (under the Helgoland-Sansibar-Vertrag ) and on 15 December 1890 formally annexed to Germany (from 18 February 1891 part of the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein ): 9 August 1890 - 1891 Adolf Wermuth (b. 1855 - d. 1927)


Colonial

The title occurred in most of the '' Schützgebiet e'' (a German term literally meaning protectorate, but also applied to ordinary colonies):

In West Africa

  • in ''Kamerun'' --- Reichskommissare (Commissioners)

  • ---14 July 1884 - 19 July 1884 Gustav Nachtigal (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 Knorr (acting) (b. 1840 - d. 1920); next came a list of Governors until 4 March 1916 when ---


  • in Togo the Reich Reichskommissare since the 5 July 1884 proclamation of the Togoland protectorate:

  • --- 5 July 1884 - 6 July 1884 Gustav Nachtigal (b. 1834 - d. 1885), the Reichskommissar for West Africa ---

  • ---6 July 1884 - 26 June 1885 Heinrich Randad, the provisional Consul

  • ---26 June 1885 - May 1887 Ernst Falkenthal (b. 1858 - d. 1911)

  • ---July 1887 - 17 October 1888 Jesko von Puttkamer (acting) (1st time) (b. 1855 - d. 1917)

  • ---17 October 1888 - 14 April 1891 Eugen von Zimmerer (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 Köhler, 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)



In East Africa

  • in in Kenya; contested by Britain; on 28 April 1888 Germany obtains a lease of the coastal strip from the Sultan of Zanzibar), a single ''Reichskommissar'' is appointed (8 February 1888 - 21 February 1891: Hermann von Wissmann (b. 1853 - d. 1905), after him Governors of the 1 January 1891 proclaimed German East Africa colony (''Deutsch Ostafrika''), ending the 'private' DOAG rule.



In Oceania

  • Nauru , 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 Islands, it had mere District Officer s (2 October 1888 - 1906), then, being since 1 April 1906 administratively part of German New Guinea, Stationsleiter ('Station Chiefs'; from 1911, subordinated to the administrators of Ponape district) till 6 November 1914, finally the island was lost (Australian Commander, then League of Nations mandate)




THIRD REICH

The title of ''Reichskommissar'' was given by Führer Hitler to some Nazi- Governor s, mainly in the following German- Occupied countries during World War II , but also before to reintegrate former Prussian territory regained on France.

Domestic & annexed (ethnic Germans)


Saargebiet

A rather than follow Alsace and join France . The Nazi 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, until 21 March 1945).


Sudetenland

After the (b. 1898 - d. 1945) SdP/NSDAP
When on 1 May 1939 a regular 'domestic' ''Reichsgau'' Sudetenland was created, the same stayed on as first and only Reichsstatthalter till the region was re-incorporated into Czechoslovakia on 4 May 1945


Wien (Vienna)

1 May 1939 - 1 April 1940 Josef Bürckel (b. 1895 - d. 1944) NSDAP, in fact the maintained last Austrian Premier of the 15 October 1938 constituted metrooolitan capital city-entity Gross-Wien (Great Vienna), is in transitional office, then the same is made the first of two '' Reichsstatthalter '' (he till 10 August 1940), equivalent to a Gauleiter in Germany proper


On the Western front


Belgium (and northern France)

Only after a long period of ''Militärverwaltung'', i.e. under Military governors
  • 10 May 1940 - 1 June 1940 General Karl Rudolf Gerd Von Rundstedt (b. 1875 - d. 1953) + Fedor von Bock (b. 1880 - d. 1945)

  • 1 June 1940 - 18 July 1944 (b. 1902 - d. 1988) NSDAP


In december 1944, when the allies were already occupying 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'', but the bulk of the country was divided ethno-linguistically under collaborating Belgian party-leaders (though with very little local support) with Führer -imitating (see that article for parallels) titles in their national languages:
  • Head of Reichsgau ''Flandern'' ( Flanders , ''Vlaanderen'' in Dutch; supposedly including Frans-Vlaanderen in northern France) and Landleader of the Flemish People - Head of the Flemish Liberation Committee (in Dutch ''Landsleider van het Vlaamsche Volk - Hoofd van het Vlaamsche Bevrijdingscomité'') 15 December 1944 - 1945 Jef Van De Wiele (in Germany in exile) (b. 1902 - d. 1979) Devlag party

  • Head of Reichsgau ''Wallonien'' ( Wallonia , ''Wallonie'' in French) and Leader of the Walloon People (in French ''Chef du Peuple Wallon'') 8 December 1944 - 1945 Léon Degrelle (b. 1906 - d. 1994; also remained in Germany in exile, even though German troops reconquered part of Wallonia in december 1944 - january 1945); his political Rex-party was known as the Rexists .



Netherlands

After Military Governors (10 May 1940 - 20 May 1940 Fedor von Bock (b. 1880 - d. 1945) & 20 May 1940 - 29 May 1940 General Alexander Von Falkenhausen (b. 1878 - d. 1966), military governor of Netherlands and Belgium), there was one Reichskommissar for the occupied kingdom (the Dutch crown was in London exile):
29 May 1940 - 5 May 1945 Arthur Seyss-Inquart (b. 1892 - d. 1946), NSDAP


Norway

After a Military commander (9 April - 25 July 1940 Nikolaus Von Falkenhorst , b. 1885 - d. 1968) the country had two consecutive ''Reichskommissare'':
  • 25 April 1940 - 7 May 1945 Josef Antonius Heinrich Terboven (b. 1898 - d. 1945) - Terboven proclaimed the end of the Norwegian monarchy 25 September 1940 , changing the name of the state to Norway until the Norwegian authorities reassumed control in 9 May 1945 . He ruled the country as a dictator throughout the war period. Terboven took up residence in the Crown Prince mannor at Skaugum .

  • 7 May 1945 - 8 May 1945 Franz Friedrich Böhme (acting) (b. 1885 - d. 1947) Military; afterwards the monarchy was restored.



Soviet territories

Before the beginning of Operation Barbarossa (the eastern front campaign) on 22 June 1941 , the Nazi - Ideologist Alfred Rosenberg suggested the administrative division of conquered Soviet territory in the following ''Reichskommissariaten'', only the first two would become reality through military success:

This suggestions intended to destroy Russia as a political entity, as they 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 . These territories extended from the German frontier to the imaginary Arkhangelsk - Astrakhan line.

When German forces entered Soviet territory, they immediately implemented this administrative plan instating the ''Reichskommissariat'' of ''Ostland'' in the Baltic Lands and ''Ukraine'' in Ukraine, headed by Heinrich 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.

Ostland

On 17 July 1941 the Reichskommissariat für das ''Ostland'' ('Eastland') is established, soon uniting German occupied Lithuania , Latvia (from 1 September 1941), Estonia (from 5 December 1941) (the three Baltic republics) and Belarus .
Ostland is organized as four General Districts (''Generalbezirke'' or informally ''Lands''); only the (Latvian) capital city of Riga (''Gebiet Riga Stadt'') is directly administered by the ''Reichskommissar''.
The incumbents were :
  • 17 July 1941 - 26 September 1944 Hinrich Lohse (b. 1896 - d. 1964) NSDAP

  • 26 September 1944 - 13 October 1944 Erich Koch (b. 1896 - d. 1986) NSDAP (nominally to 2 February 1945 when Ostland is formally dissolved, de facto ousted on 13 October 1944 when the Red Army took Riga)


Meanwhile military authority rested with the Head Chief of Division I Central Office: 1 September 1942 - 1944? Wilhelm Burmeister NSDAP


Ukraine

The territory in Ukraine occupied by Germany since 25 June 1941 (German Commander, 25 June 1941 - 31 August 1941: Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (b. 1875 - d. 1953) was established from 20 August 1941 as ''Reichskommissariat'' of Ukraine, under the following Reichskommissare:
  • 20 August 1941 - 6 October 1943 Erich Koch (b. 1896 - d. 1986) NSDAP

  • 1942 - 194. Paul Dargel (acting for Koch) (b. 1903 - d. 19..) NSDAP

  • October 1943 - 1944 Curt Von Gottberg (b. 1896 - d. 1945) NSDAP


As the fight fo Ukrainian territory against the Soviet troops evolved, the ''Reichskommissariat'' comprised the following 'general districts', each under a '' Generalkommissar '' 'Commissioner-general':
  • 1941 - 1943 ''Generalbezirk'' Dnjepropetrowsk : ''Generalkommissar'' Nikolaus (Claus) Selzner (b. 1899 - d. 1944) NSDAP

  • February 1942 - 1943 ''Generalbezirk'' Kiew : ''Generalkommissar'' Waldemar Magunia (b. 1902 - d. 1974) NSDAP

  • 1 September 1942 - 1944 ''Generalbezirk'' Krim (Crimea) ''und Teilbezirk'' 'and sub-district' Taurien : ''Generalkommissar'' Alfred Eduard Frauenfeld (b. 1898 - d. 1977) NSDAP

  • 1941 - 1943 ''Generalbezirk'' Nikolajew : ''Generalkommissar'' Ewald Oppermann (b. 1896 - d. 19..) NSDAP

  • 1941 - 1943 ''Generalbezirk'' Shitomir , the following consecutive ''Generalkommissare'':

  • ---1941 - 1942 Kurt Klemm (1st time) (b. 1894 - d. 1975) NSDAP

  • ---1942 - 1942 Ernst Leyser (acting) NSDAP

  • ---1942 - 1943 Kurt Klemm (2nd time)

  • 1941 - 1944 ''Generalbezirk'' Wolhynien-Podolien : ''Generalkommissar'' Heinrich Schoene (b. 1889 - d. 19..) NSDAP



SEE ALSO



SOURCES AND REFERENCES