Josef Pfitzner (24 March 1901 – 6 September 1945) was a politician of Nazi Germany and a writer. He held the rank of

Standartenführer __NOTOC__ ''Standartenführer'' (short: ''Staf'', , ) was a Nazi Party (NSDAP) paramilitary rank that was used in several NSDAP organizations, such as the SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK. First founded as a title in 1925, in 1928 it became one of ...

in the SA. Pfitzner was publicly executed in Prague after World War II for speaking in favour of the Nazis, taking part in Nazi organisations, and defrauding Prague city in financial deals with the Germans.

Life

Pfitzner was born in Petersdorf, Austrian Silesia. He was a German historian and politician and was Professor of medieval and Eastern European history at the

German University of Prague ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , undergr ...

. Early on, he was attracted to Nazism and belonged to the branch of Austrian National Socialism. He held the rank of

in the SA. In 1939, he became the German deputy mayor of Prague and held this office until May 1945. Pfitzner was publicly executed in Prague after World War II within three hours of being convicted for speaking in favour of the Nazis, taking part in Nazi organisations, and defrauding Prague city in financial deals with the Germans. He was hanged in public before up to 50,000 spectators.

Work

Pfitzner took a special interest in the

Sudeten German German Bohemians (german: Deutschböhmen und Deutschmährer, i.e. German Bohemians and German Moravians), later known as Sudeten Germans, were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part ...

past and published ''Volkstumsschutz und Nationale Bewegung''. Pfitzner wrote that the

National Socialism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

of Germany was "the synthesis of the two great dynamic powers of the century, of the socialist and

national National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

idea".''Leftism Revisited'', Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, Regernery Gateway, Washington, D.C., 1990. 149. This specific brand of German socialism was perfected in the German borderlands of Austria and especially in the

Sudetenland The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and sk, Sudety) is the historical German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the ...

before it came to Germany. His views on the essentially German character of Bohemia and Moravia influenced Reinhard Heydrich during his time as Reich Protector; see R. Gerwarth, ''Hitler's Hangman: the life of Heydrich'' (2011), p. 266 with n. 220. However, it was Heydrich's influence that contained Pfitzner's further career; the Protector considered the deputy mayor - a man of words rather than deeds - to be unsuitable for a responsible position in the times of struggle.

Writings

* ''Großfürst Witold von Litauen als Staatsmann'' (1930) * ''Das Sudentendeutschtum'' (Cologne:Scharffstein, 1938) * ''Volkstummsschutz und Nationale Bewegung'' (Ethnic Preservation and National Movement: 1938) * ''Das tausendjährige Prag'' (1940)

Footnotes

External links

Biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pfitzner, Josef 1901 births 1945 deaths People from Bruntál District Sudeten German people 20th-century German historians Czechoslovak politicians Nazi Party politicians Academic staff of Charles University Charles University alumni Mayors of Prague Nazis executed by Czechoslovakia by hanging Sturmabteilung officers Executed Austrian Nazis Austrian people executed abroad People from Austrian Silesia