Gau Essen

Last updated
Gau Essen
Gau of Nazi Germany
1928–1945
Flag of German Reich (1935-1945).svg
Flag
Gau-Essen Wappen.svg
Coat of arms
NS administrative Gliederung 1944.png
Gau Essen on the left, bordering The Netherlands
Capital Essen
Area 
 
1,900 km2 (730 sq mi)
Population 
 
2800000
History
Government
Gauleiter  
 19281945
Josef Terboven
History 
 Established
1 August 1928
8 May 1945
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Flagge Preussen - Rheinland.svg Rhine Province
North Rhine-Westphalia Flag of North Rhine-Westphalia.svg
Today part of Germany

The Gau Essen was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 in the northern parts of the Prussian Rhine Province. Before that, from 1928 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area.

Contents

History

Establishment and government

The Nazi Gau (plural Gaue) system was originally established in a party conference on 22 May 1926, in order to improve administration of the party structure. From 1933 onward, after the Nazi seizure of power, the Gaue increasingly replaced the German states as administrative subdivisions in Germany. [1]

At the head of each Gau stood a Gauleiter, a position which became increasingly more powerful, especially after the outbreak of the Second World War, with little interference from above. Local Gauleiters often held government positions as well as party ones and were in charge of, among other things, propaganda and surveillance and, from September 1944 onward, the Volkssturm and the defense of the Gau. [1] [2]

World War II

The position of Gauleiter in Essen was held by Josef Terboven throughout the history of the Gau. [3] [4] After the German conquest of Norway in 1940 Hitler promoted Terboven Reichskommissar for the occupied country, where he ruled with almost absolute power. He committed suicide on 8 May 1945 by detonating 50 kilograms of explosives in a bunker. [5] While Terboven was in Norway, the Deputy Gauleiter, Fritz Schlessmann, ran the Gau in an acting capacity. [6]

As Gauleiter, Schlessmann had responsibility for air raid defense measures in Essen throughout the war. As a large industrial center and the site of the Krupp armaments works, Essen was a frequent target of Allied bombing raids. In the fall of 1944, Schlessmann was placed in charge of the local Volkssturm forces in Essen and was also charged with improving the fortifications along the area of the Westwall defensive line adjacent to his Gau. He was promoted to the rank of SS- Obergruppenführer on 9 November 1944. [7]

From February to March 1945, Operation Veritable saw the allies advance further into the Gau.

The Gau had a size of 1,900 km2 (2,741 sq mi) and a population of 2,800,000, which placed it in mid-table for size and population in the list of Gaue. [8]

Allied invasion and occupation

Near the end of World War II, the Gau was invaded by the western allies, who would gradually capture its territory until the end of the war. The timeline of the allied advance is detailed in the table below.

Date of captureLocationRef
8 February 1945 Wyler [9]
8 February 1945 Frasselt [9]
8-10 February 1945 Kranenburg [10] [9]
8-12 February 1945 Kleve [9]
9 February 1945 Materborn  [ de ] [9]
17 February 1945 Moyland [11]
19 February 1945 Goch [11]
18 February-3 March 1945 Uedem [12]
21 February 1945 Wertzhof [13]
22-27 February 1945 Weeze [13] [14]
25 February 1945 Grotendonk [14]
26 February-1 March 1945 Kervenheim  [ de ] [14] [15]
27 February 1945 Kalkar [14]
1 March 1945 Baal (Hückelhoven)  [ de ] [16]
1 March 1945 Wemb [16]
3 March 1945 Winnekendonk  [ de ] [16]
3 March 1945 Kevelaer [16]
3 March 1945 Geldern
3 March 1945 Walbeck (Geldern)  [ de ] [17]
3 March 1945 Straelen
4 March 1945 Moers [18]
4 March 1945 Issum [18]
4 March 1945 Hamb  [ de ] [18]
4 March 1945 Marienbaum [18]
5 March 1945 Sonsbeck [18]
5 March 1945 Homberg
5 March 1945 Rheinhausen
5 March 1945 Kamp-Lintfort [19]
7 March 1945 Rheinberg [20]
8 March 1945 Xanten [21]
9 March 1945 Veen  [ de ] [22]
23 March 1945 Dinslaken
26-27 March 1945 Millingen  [ de ] [23]
26-27 March 1945 Gahlen  [ de ] [24]
28 March 1945 Haldern [25]
31 March 1945 Emmerich [26]
7 April 1945 Altenessen [27]
11 April 1945 Essen [27]
12 April 1945 Duisburg [28]
15 April 1945 Werden
15 April 1945 Kettwig

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria</span> Administrative division of Nazi Germany

The Gau Munich–Upper Bavaria was an administrative division of Nazi Germany in Upper Bavaria from 1933 to 1945. From 1930 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau Main Franconia</span> Administrative division of Nazi Germany

The Gau Main Franconia, formed as Gau Lower Franconia on 1 March 1929 and renamed Gau Main Franconia on 30 July 1935, was an administrative division of Nazi Germany in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, from 1933 to 1945. Before that, from 1929 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau East Prussia</span> Administrative division of Nazi Germany

Gau East Prussia was an administrative division of Nazi Germany encompassing the province of East Prussia in the Free State of Prussia from 1933 to 1945. Before that, from 1925 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area, having been established at a conference in Königsberg on 6 December 1925. In 1939, Gau East Prussia expanded following the annexation of the Klaipėda Region from Lithuania and the occupation of Poland, while a sliver of territory from the gau was transferred to Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia. After Germany's attack on the USSR, the Belarusian city of Hrodna also became part of the Gau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reichsgau Steiermark</span>

The Reichsgau Styria was an administrative division of Nazi Germany consisting of areas in Styria, Lower Styria and southern parts of Burgenland. It existed from 1938 to 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reichsgau Kärnten</span>

The Reichsgau Carinthia was an administrative division of Nazi Germany in Carinthia and East Tyrol and Upper Carniola in Slovenia. It existed from 1938 to 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reichsgau Wien</span>

The Reichsgau Vienna was an administrative division of Nazi Germany based in Vienna, Austria. It existed between 1938 and 1945. Parts of Lower Austria were annexed to establish Greater Vienna, which then became the biggest city of Nazi Germany by area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reichsgau Tirol-Vorarlberg</span> Administrative division of Nazi Germany

The Reichsgau Tyrol-Vorarlberg was an administrative division of Nazi Germany consisting of Vorarlberg and North Tyrol. It existed from 1938 to 1945. It did not include East Tyrol (Lienz), which was instead part of Reichsgau Carinthia.

<i>Gau</i> Westphalia-North

The Gau Westphalia-North was an administrative division of Nazi Germany encompassing the Free State of Lippe, the Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe and the northern half of the Prussian province of Westphalia between 1933 and 1945. From 1931 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party for these areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau Baden</span>

The Gau Baden, renamed Gau Baden–Alsace in March 1941, was a de facto administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 in the German state of Baden and, from 1940 onwards, in Alsace. Before that, from 1925 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau Hamburg</span>

The Gau Hamburg was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 in the German city of Hamburg. Before that, from 1925 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau Württemberg-Hohenzollern</span> Administrative division of Nazi Germany

The Gau Württemberg-Hohenzollern, formed on 8 July 1925, was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 in the German state of Württemberg and the Prussian province of Hohenzollern. Before that, from 1925 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau Düsseldorf</span> Administrative division of Nazi Germany

The Gau Düsseldorf was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 in the Düsseldorf region of the Prussian Rhine Province. Before that, from 1930 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau Mecklenburg</span> Administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945

The Gau Mecklenburg, was formed as Gau Mecklenburg-Lübeck on 22 March 1925 and renamed Gau Mecklenburg on 31 March 1937 when Lübeck was transferred to Gau Schleswig-Holstein. It was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 in the Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and the Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Before that, from 1925 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt</span> Administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945

The Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. Formed in 1926 as Gau Anhalt-North Saxony Province by the merger of three smaller Gaue it comprised the German state of Anhalt and part of the Prussian province of Saxony. It was renamed Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt on 1 October 1928. From 1926 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau Westphalia-South</span> German territorial division of the Nazi Party, 1930–1945

The Gau Westphalia-South was an administrative division of Nazi Germany encompassing the Arnsberg Region in the southern part of the Prussian province of Westphalia between 1933 and 1945. From 1931 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party for these areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau Upper Silesia</span> Administrative division of Nazi Germany

The Gau Upper Silesia was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1945 in the Upper Silesia part of the Prussian Province of Silesia. The Gau was created when the Gau Silesia was split into Upper Silesia and Lower Silesia on 27 January 1941. The Gau included territory annexed by Nazi Germany after the German invasion of Poland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau Silesia</span>

The Gau Silesia formed on 15 March 1925, was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1941 in the Prussian Province of Silesia. From 1925 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party for this area. The Gau was split into Lower Silesia and Upper Silesia on 27 January 1941. The majority of the former Gau became part of Poland after the Second World War, with small parts in the far west becoming part of the future East Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gau Berlin</span> Administrative division of Nazi Germany

The Gau Berlin was an administrative division of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 in the German capital Berlin. Before that, from 1928 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area. From 1926 to 1928 Berlin was part of the Gau Berlin-Brandenburg which was split into two separate Gaue on 1 October 1928.

Fritz Schlessmann, born Georg Friedrich Schlessmann was a Nazi Deputy Gauleiter of Gau Essen and served as Acting Gauleiter for most of the Second World War. He was also a prominent police official and SS-Obergruppenführer.

References

  1. 1 2 "Die NS-Gaue" [The Nazi Gaue]. dhm.de (in German). Deutsches Historisches Museum . Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  2. "The Organization of the Nazi Party & State". nizkor.org. The Nizkor Project . Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  3. "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 26 March 2016.
  4. "Gau Essen". verwaltungsgeschichte.de (in German). Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  5. "Josef Terboven (1898-1945)". historisches-centrum.de (in German). Historisches Centrum Hagen . Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  6. Michael D. Miller & Andreas Schulz: Gauleiter: The Regional Leaders of the Nazi Party and Their Deputies, 1925-1945, Volume I (Herbert Albrecht - H. Wilhelm Hüttmann). R. James Bender Publishing, 2012, p.21. ISBN   1-932970-21-5.
  7. Miller & Schulz 2021, pp. 205–206.
  8. "Gau Köln-Aachen" [Gau Cologne-Aix-la-Chapelle]. rheinische-geschichte.lvr.de (in German). Landschaftsverband Rheinland. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 https://blattus.de/archiv/buch/Blutiger%20Winter/texte/bluwi-3.html
  10. Kevelaerer Enzyklopädie
  11. 1 2 https://blattus.de/archiv/buch/Blutiger%20Winter/texte/bluwi-5.html
  12. "Der Krieg in Uedem vor 75 Jahren – HVV Uedem" (in German). Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  13. 1 2 https://blattus.de/archiv/buch/Blutiger%20Winter/texte/bluwi-6.html
  14. 1 2 3 4 https://blattus.de/archiv/buch/Blutiger%20Winter/texte/bluwi-7.html
  15. https://blattus.de/archiv/buch/Blutiger%20Winter/texte/bluwi-8.html
  16. 1 2 3 4 https://blattus.de/archiv/buch/Blutiger%20Winter/texte/bluwi-8.html
  17. "Als für Walbeck der Krieg zu Ende ging". www.hvv-walbeck.de (in German). 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 https://blattus.de/archiv/buch/Blutiger%20Winter/texte/bluwi-11.html
  19. "Kamp-Lintfort | Kriegsende: Als die Amerikaner in Kamp-Lintfort einmarschierten". www.kamp-lintfort.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  20. https://blattus.de/archiv/buch/Blutiger%20Winter/texte/bluwi-12.html
  21. Germany, Kirche und Leben, Münster (2020-03-12). "Xanten gedenkt der Zerstörung des Viktor-Doms vor 75 Jahren". www.kirche-und-leben.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-09-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. https://blattus.de/archiv/buch/Blutiger%20Winter/texte/bluwi-13.html
  23. https://millingen-online.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Das_Gefecht_am_27-03-1945_Stand_11-03-16.pdf
  24. USA-SS-Chronology. S. 456
  25. "Kriegsgräberstätte: Rees-Haldern-Kriegsgräberstätte - Bau, Pflege und Instandsetzung | Volksbund.de". kriegsgraeberstaetten.volksbund.de. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  26. Tenbörg, Torsten (2020-03-16). "Emmerich: So endete der Zweite Weltkrieg an Ostern 1945". www.nrz.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  27. 1 2 "Essen | Das Jahr 1945" (in German). Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  28. Heinrich Averdunk (Neu bearbeitet von Walter Ring) (1949), Geschichte der Stadt Duisburg (2 ed.), Aloys Henn Verlag, pp. 312–336

Sources