Gau Württemberg-Hohenzollern

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.

Gau Württemberg-Hohenzollern
Gau of Nazi Germany
1925–1945
Flag of Gau Württemberg-Hohenzollern
Flag

Gau Württemberg-Hohenzollern on the left, north of Switzerland
CapitalStuttgart
Government
Gauleiter 
• 1925–1928
Eugen Munder
• 1928–1945
Wilhelm Murr
History 
• Established
8 July 1925
• Disestablished
8 May 1945
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Free People's State of Württemberg
Province of Hohenzollern
Württemberg-Baden
Württemberg-Hohenzollern
Today part ofGermany

History

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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]

The position of Gauleiter in Württemberg-Hohenzollern was held by Eugen Munder from its founding to January 1928 and then by Wilhelm Murr from February 1928 to May 1945.[3][4] Murr and his wife committed suicide after having been captured by the French Army shortly after the end of the war.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Die NS-Gaue" [The Nazi Gaue]. dhm.de (in German). Deutsches Historisches Museum. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  2. ^ "The Organization of the Nazi Party & State". nizkor.org. The Nizkor Project. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. 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 24 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Gau Württemberg-Hohenzollern". verwaltungsgeschichte.de (in German). Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  5. ^ "Murr, Wilhelm". deutsche-biographie.de (in German). Bavarian State Library. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
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