Helmuth Friedrichs
Encyclopedia
Helmuth Friedrichs was a German
Nazi Party official. He was an important figure in the Office of the Deputy Führer
and its successor the Nazi Party Chancellery.
in October 1918 and held as a prisoner of war until the end of 1919. Serving with the Freikorps
and the army, he joined with Karl Dincklage, later a Sturmabteilung
(SA) leader, in campaigning for the German National People's Party
. He also worked as a miner in Westphalia
and studied at the Mining Academy in Clausthal-Zellerfeld
without graduating. He was nicknamed "Long Friedrichs" on account of his height.
in 1936. He reached the rank of Gruppenführer
in the SS in 1944. He also served as a member of the Reichstag for Hessen-Nassau during the Third Reich.
appointed him to his staff as head of the "party division". In this role he served as liaison between Hess and Martin Bormann
, meeting the former weekly to obtain his general policy ideas before passing these on to Bormann who then developed specific initiative based upon Hess's initial ideas. Heinrich Walkenhorst served as his deputy, with both men remaining in office until 1945.
Along with Gerhard Klopfer
Friedrichs was the highest ranking bureaucrat behind Bormann in the Chancellery. As a result he wielded a significant level of influence as the office controlled appointments to various party positions, including those of Gauleiter
and Reich minister, and Bormann often delegated appointments to his two deputies. Along with Gottlob Berger
he was also appointed as one of the two Chiefs of Staff of the Volkssturm
upon the foundation of this civil defence force in 1944.
district court with his date of death officially set as 31 December 1945.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Nazi Party official. He was an important figure in the Office of the Deputy Führer
Deputy Führer
Deputy Führer was the title for the deputy head of the Nazi Party, which was held by Rudolf Hess until his flight to the United Kingdom in 1941. After this event, Adolf Hitler abolished the office and replaced it with the office of Party Chancellery, which was given to Martin Bormann....
and its successor the Nazi Party Chancellery.
Early years
After secondary school Friedrichs enlisted in the German Imperial Army in 1916, seeing service in the First World War. Serving on both fronts, he was captured by the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in October 1918 and held as a prisoner of war until the end of 1919. Serving with the Freikorps
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
and the army, he joined with Karl Dincklage, later a Sturmabteilung
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
(SA) leader, in campaigning for the German National People's Party
German National People's Party
The German National People's Party was a national conservative party in Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the NSDAP it was the main nationalist party in Weimar Germany composed of nationalists, reactionary monarchists, völkisch, and antisemitic elements, and...
. He also worked as a miner in Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
and studied at the Mining Academy in Clausthal-Zellerfeld
Clausthal-Zellerfeld
Clausthal-Zellerfeld is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the southwestern part of the Harz mountains. Its population is approximately 15,000, Clausthal-Zellerfeld is also the seat of the Samtgemeinde Oberharz....
without graduating. He was nicknamed "Long Friedrichs" on account of his height.
Nazi Party
He joined the Nazi Party in 1929 the SA in turn of the year 1929/1930 and the SchutzstaffelSchutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
in 1936. He reached the rank of Gruppenführer
Gruppenführer
Gruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
in the SS in 1944. He also served as a member of the Reichstag for Hessen-Nassau during the Third Reich.
Party Chancellery
Freidrichs was serving as head of organisation in Gau Essen in March 1934 when Rudolf HessRudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was a prominent Nazi politician who was Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party during the 1930s and early 1940s...
appointed him to his staff as head of the "party division". In this role he served as liaison between Hess and Martin Bormann
Martin Bormann
Martin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
, meeting the former weekly to obtain his general policy ideas before passing these on to Bormann who then developed specific initiative based upon Hess's initial ideas. Heinrich Walkenhorst served as his deputy, with both men remaining in office until 1945.
Along with Gerhard Klopfer
Gerhard Klopfer
Gerhard Klopfer was an official of the Nazi Party and assistant to Martin Bormann in the Office of the Party Chancellery....
Friedrichs was the highest ranking bureaucrat behind Bormann in the Chancellery. As a result he wielded a significant level of influence as the office controlled appointments to various party positions, including those of Gauleiter
Gauleiter
A Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
and Reich minister, and Bormann often delegated appointments to his two deputies. Along with Gottlob Berger
Gottlob Berger
Gottlob Berger was a German Nazi who held the rank of Obergruppenführer during World War II and was later convicted of war crimes.In 1939, he was Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler's main recruiting officer...
he was also appointed as one of the two Chiefs of Staff of the Volkssturm
Volkssturm
The Volkssturm was a German national militia of the last months of World War II. It was founded on Adolf Hitler's orders on October 18, 1944 and conscripted males between the ages of 16 to 60 years who were not already serving in some military unit as part of a German Home Guard.-Origins and...
upon the foundation of this civil defence force in 1944.
Death
Friedrichs was reported missing from February 1945 on 13 August 1951 he was declared legally dead by the MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
district court with his date of death officially set as 31 December 1945.