(, ) was the second-highest political rank in the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
(NSDAP), subordinate only to the office of . also functioned as a
paramilitary
A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.
Overview
Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
rank within the NSDAP and was the highest rank attainable in any Nazi organisation.
Each reported directly to the ,
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
. Men of the rank collectively formed part of the ''Reichsleitung'' (Reich leadership) of the NSDAP, which was originally located in the "
Brown House" in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
. Each was in charge of a broad area of responsibility in the party. Hitler originally established the rank of on 2 June 1933 and appointed 16 individuals to that rank. Subsequently, a further 6 individuals were appointed to the rank between 1933 and 1938: von Epp, Frick, Bormann, Lutze, Hierl and Huhnlein.
List of ''Reichsleiters''
This is the list of men of the rank of in the Nazi Party set forth in the National Socialist Yearbook:
*
Max Amann, Head of the Party Publishing House,
Eher-Verlag.
*
Martin Bormann,
Chief of the Party Chancellery.
*
Philipp Bouhler,
Chief of the Chancellery of the Führer of the NSDAP.
*
Walter Buch, Chairman of
USCHLA, the Supreme Party Court ''(Oberstes Parteigericht der NSDAP)''.
*
Ricardo Walther Oscar Darré, Chief of the NSDAP Agrarian Office.
*
Otto Dietrich, Reich Press Chief of the NSDAP.
*
Franz Ritter von Epp, Chief of the
NSDAP Office of Colonial Policy ''(Kolonialpolitisches Amt)''
*
Karl Fiehler, Chief of the NSDAP Main Office for Municipal Politics.
*
Hans Frank, Chief of the NSDAP Legal Office.
*
Wilhelm Frick, Leader of the NSDAP parliamentary bloc in the ''
Reichstag''.
*
Joseph Goebbels, Reich
Propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
Leader of the NSDAP.
*
Wilhelm Grimm, Chairman of the Second Chamber of
USCHLA, the Supreme Party Court ''(Oberstes Parteigericht der NSDAP)''.
*
Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician, Nuremberg trials, convicted war criminal and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer ( ...
, Deputy Führer.
*
Konstantin Hierl, Leader of the
Reich Labor Service.
*
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...
, and Chief of the German Police.
*
Adolf Hühnlein, ''
Korpsführer'' of the
NSKK.
*
Robert Ley, Reich Organization Leader of the NSDAP and head of the
German Labor Front.
*
Viktor Lutze,
Chief of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
of the
Sturmabteilung
The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...
(SA) 1934–1943.
*
Ernst Röhm,
Chief of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
of the
Sturmabteilung
The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...
(SA) 1931–1934.
*
Alfred Rosenberg, Chief of the
NSDAP Office of Foreign Affairs.
*
Baldur von Schirach
Baldur Benedikt von Schirach (; 9 May 1907 – 8 August 1974) was a German politician who was the leader of the Hitler Youth from 1931 to 1940. From 1940 to 1945, he was the '' Gauleiter'' (district leader) and '' Reichsstatthalter'' (Reich gov ...
, Reich Youth Leader, ''
Reichsjugendführer'' of the
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...
(HJ) until August 1940.
*
Franz Xaver Schwarz, Reich Treasurer ''(Reichsschatzmeister)'' of the NSDAP.
References
{{Nazi Germany Paramilitary Ranks
Nazi political ranks
Political titles
de:Struktur der NSDAP#Die Reichsleiter