Blockleiter

''Blockleiter'' (Block Leader), where ''block'' refers to city block, was from 1933 the title of a lower Nazi Party political rank responsible for the political supervision of a neighborhood. Referred to in common parlance as ''Blockwart'' (Block Warden), the Block Warden's duty was to form the primary link between the Nazi authorities and the general population. The derogatory term ''Blockwart'' ("snoop") survives in German colloquial language.

History and usage

The title of ''Blockleiter'' was first created in 1930 and was initially known as ''Blockwart''. The purpose of the Block Warden was to organize local support for elections during a period when Nazis were attempting to gain both local and national political offices in the Weimar Republic. Block Wardens were organized by neighborhoods in German towns and cities, and answered to a "Cell Warden" known as the ''Zellenwart''. Typically, there were eight to ten blocks in one cell.

In 1933, when the Nazis came to power, the old political rank of ''Blockwart'' was phased out of the Nazi rank system to be replaced by a new rank known as ''Mitarbeiter''. It is at this point that the term ''Blockleiter'' was most often used, although not as an actual political rank but as a title for a ''Mitarbeiter'' assigned to the local level of the Nazi Party in charge of a neighborhood or a street.

Those ''Mitarbeiter'' assigned as Block Wardens now answered to an official known as a ''Zellenleiter'' (Cell Warden). The Cell Warden title, not an actual rank, was assigned to Nazis holding the political rank of '' Stellenleiter''.

In 1939, with the establishment of a new array of Nazi Party political ranks, both ''Mitarbeiter'' and ''Blockleiter'' became political positions, denoted by special armbands. The organization of the Nazi ''Block'' unit now encompassed several positions; the complete array of ''Block'' titles was as follows:
* ''Blockhelfer'' – Block Assistant
* ''Blockleiter'' – Block Warden
* ''Blockwalter'' – Block Administrator
* ''Blockobmann'' – Block Foreman

A special operational position known as '' Betriebsblockobmann'' also existed; its role was to control the political attitudes and behaviour of managers and workers in war time production.

Duties

Whereas the old ''Blockwart'' position had been concerned with election district leadership, the new Block Warden (''Blockleiter'') was concerned with enforcing Nazi doctrine and supervising the local population. After 1933, the Block Warden was in charge of spreading propaganda and developing an acceptance to the policies of the NSDAP among the households (typically 40 to 60) in his area.

It was also the duty of the Block Warden to spy on the population and report any anti-Nazi activities to the local Gestapo office; thus the Block Warden was the prime element of the Nazi totalitarian state. This was helped by keeping files on each household (''Haushaltskarten''). Due to such activities, Block Wardens were particularly disliked by the general population. Other duties included allocating beds in homes for visiting NSDAP demonstrators, the collection of subscriptions and charitable donations especially for '' Winterhilfe'' (Winter Relief Campaigns) and organising the clearing of rubble after air-raids.

By the close of World War II, it is thought that there were nearly half a million Block Wardens.

References

Sources

* Clark, J. (2007). ''Uniforms of the NSDAP''. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing

{{Nazi Germany paramilitary ranks

Nazi terminology
Nazi political ranks