Karl Holz (27 December 1895 – 20 April 1945) was a German

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 ...

politician. He was ''

Gauleiter A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...

'' of

Gau Franconia Gau Franconia (German: ''Gau Franken'') was an administrative division of Nazi Germany in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, from 1933 to 1945. Before that, from 1929 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area. Originally fo ...

and rose to the rank of ''

Gruppenführer __NOTOC__ ''Gruppenführer'' (, ) was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP), first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA. Since then, the term ''Gruppenführer'' is also used for leaders of groups/teams of the police, fire de ...

'' in the ''

Sturmabteilung The (; SA; literally "Storm Detachment") was the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s. Its primary purposes were providing protection for Nazi ral ...

'' (SA).

Early years

He was born the fifth child of a heliographer, also named Karl Holz. He finished ''

Volksschule The German term ''Volksschule'' generally refers to compulsory education, denoting an educational institution every person (i.e. the people, ''Volk'') is required to attend. In Germany and Switzerland it is equivalent to a combined primary (' ...

'' and an

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners ...

as a

sales Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in r ...

man, working thereafter as a clerk. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Holz served in a number of

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

units between 1915 and 1918: Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment 16, Infanterie-Regiment 144, Infanterie-Regiment 79, and Jäger-Regiment 2 on the Western Front. He sustained a number of wounds. After the war ended, he returned in September 1919 and took a job as an official in Nuremberg, but eventually was discharged due to his political activities. In 1920 he joined the German-Socialist Party (''Deutschsozialistische Partei''). In 1921 its chairman,

Julius Streicher Julius Streicher (12 February 1885 – 16 October 1946) was a member of the Nazi Party, the ''Gauleiter'' (regional leader) of Franconia and a member of the '' Reichstag'', the national legislature. He was the founder and publisher of the virul ...

joined the

(NSDAP), bringing with him enough members of the German-Socialist Party to almost double the size of the NSDAP overnight.

Nazi career

Holz officially joined the Nazi Party on 11 November 1922 and his membership number was 77. Holz also joined the ''

'' (SA). Quite early on, Holz established a close relationship with Streicher. In 1924, Holz was elected to the Nuremberg City Council, serving till 1932 and eventually serving as leader of the Nazi faction. Between 1927 and 1933, he held the post of

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

of ''

Der Stürmer ''Der Stürmer'' (, literally "The Stormer / Attacker / Striker") was a weekly German tabloid-format newspaper published from 1923 to the end of the Second World War by Julius Streicher, the ''Gauleiter'' of Franconia, with brief suspensions ...

'', Streicher's

anti-Semitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

weekly

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

. He advanced to editor-in-chief during the years 1933 and 1938. Holz boasted many penalties for political crimes (by his own count 17, and among those 5 prison sentences). In 1929, the ''Gauleiter'' office in

Upper Franconia Upper Franconia (german: Oberfranken) is a ''Regierungsbezirk'' (administrative 'Regierungs''region 'bezirk'' of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia, the others being Middle F ...

, went to the

Bayreuth Bayreuth (, ; bar, Bareid) is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtelgebirge Mountains. The town's roots date back to 1194. In the 21st century, it is the capital of U ...

Kreisleiter ''Kreisleiter'' (; "District Leader") was a Nazi Party political rank and title which existed as a political rank between 1930 and 1945 and as a Nazi Party title from as early as 1928. The position of ''Kreisleiter'' was first formed to provide ...

Hans Schemm Hans Schemm (6 October 1891 – 5 March 1935) was an educator who became a prominent Nazi Party official. He served as ''Gauleiter'' of Gau Bayreuth and Bavarian State Minister for Education and Culture until his death in an airplane accident. ...

, despite Streicher's support for Holz. In 1932 Holz was elected to the Bavarian

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non- ...

and in November 1933 he was elected to the '' Reichstag''. Also from 1933 to July 1934 Holz served as NSDAP ''Kreisleiter'' of Nuremberg City. As of 1 January 1934, Holz became Deputy ''Gauleiter'' to Streicher in

. In November he was promoted to the rank of SA-''

Brigadeführer ''Brigadeführer'' (, ) was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) that was used between the years of 1932 to 1945. It was mainly known for its use as an SS rank. As an SA rank, it was used after briefly being known as ''Untergruppenf� ...

''. However, on 20 April 1940, in connection with the Streicher irregularities involving the

Aryanization Aryanization (german: Arisierung) was the Nazi term for the seizure of property from Jews and its transfer to non-Jews, and the forced expulsion of Jews from economic life in Nazi Germany, Axis-aligned states, and their occupied territories. I ...

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish assets, Holz was temporarily stripped of all his offices.

World War II

He was called up for military service with Panzer Regiment 25 and saw combat in France, being severely wounded in June 1940. He also served in the Russian campaign the next year. On 4 April 1942, he was returned to party service, becoming the Acting ''Gauleiter'' in Franconia, in succession to

Hans Zimmermann Hans Zimmermann (18 October 1906 – 17 February 1984) was a German Nazi Party official. He served as the Acting ''Gauleiter'' of Gau Franconia between February 1940 and April 1942. Early life Born in Nuremberg, Zimmermann attended volksschule ...

. On 9 November 1942, he was promoted to the rank of SA-''

''. On 16 November 1942, he was appointed the

Reich Defense Commissioner Reich Defense Commissioner (German: ''Reichsverteidigungskommissar'', RVK) was a governmental position created in Nazi Germany at the outbreak of World War II on 1 September 1939. Charged with overall defense of the territory of the German Reich, th ...

for his Gau. Finally, in December 1944, Hitler appointed Holz as the permanent ''Gauleiter'' for Franconia. Holz led the defense of Nuremberg with ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

'' and ''

Volksturm The (; "people's storm") was a levée en masse national militia established by Nazi Germany during the last months of World War II. It was not set up by the German Army, the ground component of the combined German ''Wehrmacht'' armed forces, b ...

'' troops. After

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

troops of the 3rd Infantry Division had all but taken Nuremberg on 18 April 1945, Holz barricaded himself in the ''Palmenhofbunker'' at the Nuremberg Police Presidium along with a small group, among whom was the city's mayor, Willy Liebel. It has been assumed that Holz shot Liebel in the ''Palmenhofbunker'' owing to the latter's efforts to surrender the city to put a stop to the fighting, and because of the longstanding rivalry between the two men over control of the local Nuremberg Nazi Party. Holz met his own end in the same place on 20 April – coincidentally Hitler's birthday – but whether it was

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

or an injury sustained in the battle is unknown.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Holz, Karl 1895 births 1945 deaths Gauleiters Sturmabteilung officers Politicians from Nuremberg People from the Kingdom of Bavaria Holocaust perpetrators in Germany Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd class Members of the Reichstag of Nazi Germany Prussian Army personnel German Army personnel of World War I Nazi Party politicians Recipients of the German Order (decoration) German military personnel killed in World War II