Paul Giesler (15 June 1895 – 8 May 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 ...

functionary responsible for acts of brutality which included killing opponents of the regime in southern Germany. He first joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in 1922; he reenrolled on 1 January 1928 with Party number 72,741. From 1941 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 Westphalia-South (''Westfalen-Süd'') and in 1942 was appointed to the position for the

Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria The Gau Munich–Upper Bavaria (German: ''Gau München–Oberbayern'') 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. H ...

(''Gau München-Oberbayern''). From 2 November 1942 to 28 April 1945 he was also

Minister-President A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government where they preside over the council of ministers. It ...

(''

Ministerpräsident A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary system, parliamentary or semi-presidential system, semi-presidential system of government where ...

'') of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

Life and career

The trained

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

was from 1924 a Party speaker, from 1929 a Nazi Party district leader (''

Ortsgruppenleiter ''Ortsgruppenleiter'' (Local Group Leader) was a Nazi Party political rank and title which existed between 1930 and 1945. The term first came into being during the German elections of 1930, and was held by the head Nazi of a town or city, or in ...

''), and from January 1931 a member of the SA. In November 1933 he was elected to the '' Reichstag''. During these early years he served chiefly in multiple SA leadership posts, rising 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� ...

by 20 April 1934. ''During the

Night of the Long Knives The Night of the Long Knives (German: ), or the Röhm purge (German: ''Röhm-Putsch''), also called Operation Hummingbird (German: ''Unternehmen Kolibri''), was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from 30 June to 2 July 1934. Chancellor Ad ...

he only narrowly missed being arrested and murdered. Brought up on charges before the

Supreme Party Court Supreme may refer to: Entertainment * Supreme (character), a comic book superhero * ''Supreme'' (film), a 2016 Telugu film * Supreme (producer), hip-hop record producer * "Supreme" (song), a 2000 song by Robbie Williams * The Supremes, Motown-e ...

, he was acquitted in April 1935. He resumed his SA career and, when the war began, he served in the

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

campaigns. Only from August 1941 did Giesler once again take up important Party functions, at

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 ...

's instigation, first becoming ''Gauleiter'' of

Gau Westphalia-South The Gau Westphalia-South (German: ''Gau Westfalen-Süd'') 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 ...

on 9 November 1941 and a member of the

Prussian State Council The Prussian State Council (german: Preußischer Staatsrat) was the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Free State of Prussia between 1920 and 1933. The lower chamber was the Prussian Landtag (''Preußischer Landtag''). Implementa ...

. Then on 23 June 1942, be was made Acting ''Gauleiter'' of Munich-Upper Bavaria during

Adolf Wagner Adolf Wagner (1 October 1890 – 12 April 1944) was a Nazi Party official and politician who served as the Party's ''Gauleiter'' in Munich and as the powerful Interior Minister of Bavaria throughout most of the Third Reich. Early years Born in ...

's illness. (Retaining his position in Westphalia-South, Giesler was in command of two Gaue until he turned over the Westphalia position to Albert Hoffmann on 26 January 1943.) When Wagner died on 12 April 1944, Giesler was made permanent ''Gauleiter'' in Munich. After

Ludwig Siebert Ludwig Siebert (17 October 1874 – 1 November 1942) was a German lawyer and Nazi Party politician who served as the Minister President of Bavaria in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1942. Early life Siebert was born in Ludwigshafen in the Pala ...

's death on 1 November 1942, he was also appointed acting ''Ministerpräsident'' of Bavaria. He thus accumulated both high party and governmental offices. 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 both his Gaue. On 30 January 1943 he was promoted to SA-''

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 ...

''. In Munich, Giesler was known for speaking out against higher education for women, provoking student walk-outs of his speeches. He was also known for the capture and defeat of the

White Rose The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a Nonviolence, non-violent, intellectual German resistance to Nazism, resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, ...

(''Weiße Rose'') student

resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

movement. In April 1945, he was appointed Reich Defense Commissioner - South and, in addition to his own Gau, was placed in charge of

Gau Swabia Gau Swabia (German: ''Gau Schwaben''), formed on 1 October 1928, was an administrative division of Nazi Germany in Swabia, Bavaria, from 1933 to 1945. From 1928 to 1933, it was the regional subdivision of the Nazi Party in that area. History Es ...

Reichsgau Salzburg The Reichsgau Salzburg was an administrative division of Nazi Germany in Salzburg, Austria. It existed between 1938 and 1945. History The Nazi Gau (plural Gaue) system was originally established in a party conference on 22 May 1926, in order to im ...

, Reichsgau Upper Danube and

Reichsgau Tirol-Vorarlberg The Reichsgau Tyrol-Vorarlberg (German: ''Reichsgau Tirol-Vorarlberg'') was an administrative division of Nazi Germany consisting of Vorarlberg and North Tyrol (both in Austria). It existed from 1938 to 1945. It did not include East Tyrol (Lienz), ...

. With help from SS units he brutally quelled the "Freedom Action Bavaria" (''"Freiheitsaktion Bayern"'') uprising under Captain Dr. Rupprecht Gerngroß in Munich. Reflecting Giesler's fanatically loyal Nazi outlook, he was named

Reichsminister Reichsminister (in German singular and plural; 'minister of the realm') was the title of members of the German Government during two historical periods: during the March revolution of 1848/1849 in the German Reich of that period, and in the mode ...

for the Interior in

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 ...

's will of 29 April 1945, though he never had the chance to assume this post. As American troops approached, Giesler was reported to be planning the murder of the surviving inmates at

Dachau concentration camp , , commandant = List of commandants , known for = , location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany , built by = Germany , operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) , original use = Political prison , construction ...

and several of its satellite camps in March 1945, on the authority of

Ernst Kaltenbrunner Ernst Kaltenbrunner (4 October 190316 October 1946) was a high-ranking Austrian SS official during the Nazi era and a major perpetrator of the Holocaust. After the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in 1942, and a brief period under Heinrich ...

, Chief of the RSHA. In a 20 November 1945 interrogation of Giesler's Gaustabsamtsleiter, Hubertus "Bertus" Gerdes by Special Agent Johannes Imhoff of the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC), Nürnberg Sub-Regional Office, Gerdes spoke of his role in sabotaging the plans for mass murder. In August, 1946, in testimony given to the International Military Tribunal by

Karl von Eberstein Friedrich Karl Freiherr von Eberstein (14 January 1894 – 10 February 1979) was a member of the German nobility, early member of the Nazi Party, the SA, and the SS (introducing Reinhard Heydrich to Heinrich Himmler in July 1931). He was electe ...

, he claimed he was ordered to use his influence with the commandant of Dachau (SS-Obersturmbannführer Eduard Weiter) to have 25,000 prisoners shot when the U.S. approached. If this couldn't be done, then Giesler, in his capacity as a Reich Defense Commissioner, would order the Luftwaffe to bomb the camp. Eberstein refused to order the shooting of the prisoners and stated that it would be impossible to find any Luftwaffe commander to give the order to bomb. Giesler then said he would poison the prisoners; Eberstein claimed he stopped Giesler by obtaining an order from Himmler to simply surrender the camps. Giesler then fired Eberstein on 20 April, on orders of

, for 'defeatism'. During the last chaotic days of Nazi Germany, Giesler was behind the worst of the violence directed against "defeatists" and those seeking to surrender their districts without pointless destruction, the ''Penzberger Mordnacht'' (Night of Penzberg Murder) being one of the best known examples of this. When it was reported to Giesler that three people had been shot in another incident in Burghausen he retorted "What, only three?" On 8 May 1945, the day the Nazis capitulated to the Allies, Giesler and his wife and their children committed suicide, fearing capture by American troops as they fled Berchtesgaden. A local doctor practicing in Stanggass, Dr. Gottschalk, certified Giesler's death on 8 May 1945, and he was buried in the cemetery in Berchtesgaden on 10 May 1945. His remains were later disinterred and reburied elsewhere. Giesler, an unquestioning follower of Hitler, ruled with ruthless efficiency and almost unlimited power in the last war years in Bavaria. Bosl, ''Bosls bayerische Biographie'', p 245-255
/ref>

Awards and decorations

*1914

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...

2nd Class *1914

1st Class *1918

Wound Badge The Wound Badge (german: Verwundetenabzeichen) was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between th ...

*1931

Brunswick Rally Badge Brunswick Rally Badge, also known as the Badge of the SA Rally at Brunswick 1931 (''Das Abzeichen vom SA - Treffen in Braunschweig 1931''), was the third badge recognised as a national award of the Nazi Party (NSDAP). Through the regulations of ...

, c.1931 *

Honour Chevron for the Old Guard The Honour Chevron for the Old Guard (german: Ehrenwinkel der Alten Kämpfer) was a Nazi Party decoration worn by members of the SS. The silver chevron, which was worn on the upper sleeve on the right arm, was authorised by Adolf Hitler in Febr ...

, February 1934 *

Golden Party Badge __NOTOC__ The Golden Party Badge (german: Goldenes Parteiabzeichen) was an award authorised by Adolf Hitler in a decree in October 1933. It was a special award given to all Nazi Party members who had, as of 9 November 1933, registered numbers fr ...

, 1934 *

The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 (german: Das Ehrenkreuz des Weltkrieges 1914/1918), commonly, but incorrectly, known as the Hindenburg Cross or the German WWI Service Cross was established by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, Presiden ...

with Swords, c.1934 *

Clasp to the Iron Cross The Clasp to the Iron Cross (Spange zum Eisernen Kreuz) was a white metal medal clasp displayed on the uniforms of German Wehrmacht personnel who had been awarded the Iron Cross in World War I, and who again qualified for the decoration in World W ...

2nd Class, October 1939 *1939

in Silver, 1940 *

War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit ...

2nd Class without Swords *

1st Class without Swords *

Nazi Party Long Service Award The Nazi Party Long Service Award (''Die Dienstauszeichnung der NSDAP''), sometimes called the NSDAP Long Service Award, was a political award in the form of a badge of the Nazi Party. History The award was given in three grades of ten years, ...

in Bronze *

in Silver

Notes

References

* * * * *

External links

Detailed biography of ''Paul Giesler'' (Historisches Centrum Hagen)

Hitler's will from 29 April 1945
(all in German)
Picture of Paul Giesler, undated
Historisches Lexikon Bayerns {{DEFAULTSORT:Giesler, Paul 1895 births 1945 suicides People from Siegen People from the Province of Westphalia German Lutherans German National People's Party politicians Nazi Party politicians Stahlhelm members Holocaust perpetrators in Germany Young German Order members Members of the Reichstag of Nazi Germany Nazi Party officials Gauleiters Nazis who committed suicide in Germany Joint suicides by Nazis Prussian Army personnel Ministers-President of Bavaria 20th-century Lutherans 1945 deaths German Army personnel of World War I