![Kanzlei1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Kanzlei1.jpg)
Hitler's Chancellery, officially known as the ''Kanzlei des Führers der NSDAP'' ("
Chancellery of the
Führer
( ; , spelled or ''Fuhrer'' when the Umlaut (diacritic), umlaut is not available) is a German word meaning "leader" or "guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with the Nazi Germany, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
Nazi Germany ...
of the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
"; abbreviated as KdF) was a
Nazi Party organization. Also known as the ''Privatkanzlei des Führers'' ("Private Chancellery of the Führer") the agency served as the private chancellery of
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
, handling different issues pertaining to matters such as complaints against party officials, appeals from party courts, official judgments,
clemency
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
petitions by NSDAP fellows and Hitler's personal affairs. The Chancellery of the Führer was also a key player in the Nazi euthanasia program.
Organization
![Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H13374, Philipp Bouhler](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-H13374%2C_Philipp_Bouhler.jpg)
The chancellery was established in November 1934 in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
as a separate agency, which was parallel to the German
Reich Chancellery
The Reich Chancellery (german: Reichskanzlei) was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany (then called ''Reichskanzler'') in the period of the German Reich from 1878 to 1945. The Chancellery's seat, selected and prepared s ...
under
Hans Heinrich Lammers
Hans Heinrich Lammers (27 May 1879 – 4 January 1962) was a German jurist and prominent Nazi politician. From 1933 until 1945 he served as Chief of the Reich Chancellery under Adolf Hitler. During the 1948–1949 Ministries Trial, Lammers was f ...
and the
Nazi Party Chancellery
The Party Chancellery (german: Parteikanzlei), was the name of the head office for the German Nazi Party (NSDAP), designated as such on 12 May 1941. The office existed previously as the Staff of the Deputy Führer (''Stab des Stellvertreters des ...
(until 1941: "Staff of the
Deputy Führer
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler in 1933, Hess held that position unt ...
"), led by
Martin Bormann
Martin Ludwig Bormann (17 June 1900 – 2 May 1945) was a German Nazi Party official and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery. He gained immense power by using his position as Adolf Hitler's private secretary to control the flow of information ...
. The ''Kanzlei des Führers'' was headed by
SS-''
Obergruppenführer
' (, "senior group leader") was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the ''Sturmabteilung'' (SA) and adopted by the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissio ...
''
Philipp Bouhler
Philipp Bouhler (11 September 1899 – 19 May 1945) was a German senior Nazi Party functionary who was both a (National Leader) and Chief of the Chancellery of the Führer of the NSDAP. He was also the SS official responsible for the euthanas ...
, who bore the title of ''Chef der Kanzlei des Führers der NSDAP''. His adjutant was SS-''
Sturmbannführer
__NOTOC__
''Sturmbannführer'' (; ) was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank equivalent to major that was used in several Nazi organizations, such as the SA, SS, and the NSFK. The rank originated from German shock troop units of the First World War ...
''
Karl Freiherr Michel von Tüßling
Karl Richard Freiherr Michel von Tüßling (27 July 1907 – 30 October 1991) was a German Schutzstaffel (SS) officer who served in the Nazi government of dictator Adolf Hitler, in the staff of the Reichsführer SS and in the staff of the SS Mai ...
. Originally the KdF operated out of their Berlin office at Lützow Ufer.
As chief of the KdF, Bouhler also held the rank of a Nazi ''
Reichsleiter
' (national leader or Reich leader) was the second-highest political rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), next only to the office of ''Führer''. ''Reichsleiter'' also served as a paramilitary rank within the NSDAP and was the highest position attaina ...
''. He was appointed as chief on 17 November 1934 and held that position until 23 April 1945. Hitler selected Bouhler for this role due to his intense loyalty and deferential nature. Bouhler was also known for his tenacious efficiency and ideological fanaticism. In 1939, the KdF moved its seat close to the New
Reich Chancellery
The Reich Chancellery (german: Reichskanzlei) was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany (then called ''Reichskanzler'') in the period of the German Reich from 1878 to 1945. The Chancellery's seat, selected and prepared s ...
building at
Voßstraße
(also sometimes spelled ''Voss Strasse'' or ''Vossstrasse'' in English); is a street in central Berlin, the capital of Germany. It runs east–west from Ebertstraße to Wilhelmstraße in the borough of Mitte, one street north of Leipziger Stra ...
No. 8. At this time, the KdF had twenty-six employees, which increased "five-fold by 1942." Practically speaking, the KdF or "Chancellery of the Führer of the NSDAP" as Hitler biographer Ian Kershaw terms it, was originally designed to deal with correspondence between the Führer and Party officials, and so he could stay "in direct touch with the concerns of the people." Much of the correspondence that came to the KdF consisted of "trivial complaints, petty grievances, and minor personal squabbles of Party members." Bouhler's KdF worked in-tandem with the offices of Propaganda Minister
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...
to "check Nazi Party publications for their ideological correctness."
The KdF consisted of the following five main offices (''Hauptämter''), all subordinated directly to Hitler:
*Hauptamt I: ''Privatkanzlei'' (Personal Affairs of the Führer); chief:
Albert Bormann
Albert Bormann (2 September 19028 April 1989) was a German National Socialist Motor Corps (NSKK) officer, who rose to the rank of ''Gruppenführer'' (''Generalleutnant'') during World War II. Bormann served as an adjutant to Adolf Hitler, and w ...
.
*Hauptamt II: ''Angelegenheiten betr. Staat und Partei'' (State and Party Affairs); chief:
Viktor Brack
Viktor Hermann Brack (9 November 1904 – 2 June 1948) was a member of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) and a convicted Nazi war criminal, who was one of the prominent organisers of the euthanasia programme Aktion T4; this Nazi initiative resulted in the ...
.
**IIa: ''Stellvertretender Leiter des Hauptamtes II'' (Deputy chief Hauptamt II); head of section:
Werner Blankenburg
Werner Blankenburg (19 June 1905 – 28 November 1957) was a high official in Nazi Germany who led the commission of numerous crimes against humanity. As section head in Hitler's chancellery, he was one of the persons mainly responsible for the Ak ...
*Hauptamt III: ''Gnadenamt für Parteiangelegenheiten'' (Pardon Office for Party Affairs); chief: Hubert Berkenkamp; later from 1941 forward: Kurt Giese.
*Hauptamt IV: ''Sozial- und Wirtschaftsangelegenheiten'' (Social and Economic Affairs); chief: Heinrich Cnyrim.
*Hauptamt V: ''Internes und Personal'' (Internal Affairs and Personnel Matters); chief: Herbert Jaensch.
After 1941, Bouhler's influence and that of the KdF declined and he was largely disempowered by Martin Bormann. Eventually the KdF was absorbed into the Reich Chancellery headed by Lammers during the war.
Action T4
''Hauptamt II'' officials under Viktor Brack played a vital role in organizing the killing of
mentally ill
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...
and
physically handicapped people in the
Action T4
(German, ) was a campaign of mass murder by involuntary euthanasia in Nazi Germany. The term was first used in post-war trials against doctors who had been involved in the killings. The name T4 is an abbreviation of 4, a street address of ...
"euthanasia" programme, especially the
child "euthanasia" from 1939. By a (backdated) decree of 1 September, Hitler appointed Bouhler and his personal physician
Karl Brandt
Karl Brandt (8 January 1904 – 2 June 1948) was a German physician and ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) officer in Nazi Germany. Trained in surgery, Brandt joined the Nazi Party in 1932 and became Adolf Hitler's escort doctor in August 1934. A member of ...
to manage the euthanasia program, where they would oversee the murder of physically and/or mentally disabled persons. The implementation of the killing operations were left to subordinates such as Brack and SA-''Oberführer'' Werner Blankenburg. Besides Hitler's Chancellery, only a handful of personnel were privy to the inner workings of the euthanasia program so as to maintain secrecy, which is part of the reason Hitler chose Bouhler, as he knew the KdF "could direct the killings without involving too many people and without becoming too visible."
In accordance with the Chancellery-directed plan, physicians were required to report any newborn with abnormalities or congenital defects to the local health department; doctors were likewise required to register children under three-years suffering from any such conditions. During the killing phase related to euthanizing children, the KdF chose the cover title, Reich Committee for the Scientific Registration of Severe Hereditary Ailments, which only actually existed on paper; code names were also employed by members of the KdF for matters dealing with euthanasia. To provide some additional semblance of legitimacy to the operation, three doctors or "certifiers" also had to concur over any diagnosis before a "merciful death" could be administered, which included the final signature of a psychiatrist—all of which really boiled down to the economic considerations regarding the person's ability to work. To execute the
deportation
Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
s, the ''
Gemeinnützige Krankentransport GmbH
The Gemeinnützige Krankentransport GmbH (; known as ''"Gekrat"'' or ''"GeKraT"'', commonly translated as "Charitable Ambulance") was a subdivision of the Action T4 organization. The euphemistically named company transported sick and disabled peop ...
'' camouflage organization was established, residing on
Tiergartenstraße
Tiergartenstraße is a street in the Tiergarten, Berlin, Tiergarten district in central Berlin, the capital of Germany. The street runs east-west along the southern edge of the Großer Tiergarten park from Kemperplatz and Ben-Gurion-Straße near ...
No. 4. Just like earlier euthanasia operations, secrecy was again paramount, as Hitler explicitly told Bouhler concerning Aktion T4, "the Führer's Chancellery must under no circumstances be seen to be active in this matter." Many KdF employees who participated in T4 later joined
Operation Reinhard
or ''Einsatz Reinhard''
, location = Occupied Poland
, date = October 1941 – November 1943
, incident_type = Mass deportations to extermination camps
, perpetrators = Odilo Globočnik, Hermann Höfle, Richard Thomalla, Erwin L ...
, the Nazi plan under
Odilo Globocnik
Odilo Lothar Ludwig Globocnik (21 April 1904 – 31 May 1945) was an Austrian Nazi and a perpetrator of the Holocaust. He was an official of the Nazi Party and later a high-ranking leader of the SS. Globocnik had a leading role in Operation Re ...
to exterminate
Polish Jews
The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lo ...
in the
General Government
The General Government (german: Generalgouvernement, pl, Generalne Gubernatorstwo, uk, Генеральна губернія), also referred to as the General Governorate for the Occupied Polish Region (german: Generalgouvernement für die be ...
district of German-
occupied Poland
' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October 2 ...
during World War II.
Notes
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{{Authority control
Adolf Hitler
Government of Nazi Germany
Nazi Party