Josef Terboven
Encyclopedia
Josef Antonius Heinrich Terboven (23 May 1898 – 8 May 1945) was a Nazi leader, best known as the Reichskommissar
during the German occupation of Norway
.
, the son of minor landed gentry. He served in the German field artillery
and nascent air force
in World War I
and was awarded the Iron Cross
, rising to the rank of lieutenant. He studied law and political science at the universities of Munich and Freiburg
, where he first got involved in politics.
in Munich. When the NSDAP was subsequently outlawed, he found work at a bank for a few years before being laid off in 1925.
He then went to work full-time for the Nazi
party. Terboven helped establish the party in Essen and became Gauleiter
there in 1928. He was part of the Sturmabteilung
from 1925, in which he reached the rank of Obergruppenführer
by 1936. On 29 June 1934, Terboven married Ilse Stahl, Joseph Goebbels
' former secretary and mistress. Adolf Hitler
was the guest of honor at the wedding. Terboven was made Oberpräsident der Rheinprovinz in 1935 and earned a reputation as a petty and ruthless ruler.
Terboven was made Reichskommissar
of Norway
on 24 April 1940, even before the military invasion
was completed on 7 June 1940. He moved into the Norwegian crown prince's residence at Skaugum
in September 1940 and made his headquarters in Stortinget (the Norwegian parliament buildings).
Terboven ruled Norway as a dictator. He did not have authority over the 400,000 regular German Army forces
stationed in Norway which were the command of General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
, but he did command a personal force of around 6,000 men, of whom 800 were part of the secret police. Among his most brutal actions where his declaration of martial law in Trondheim in 1942
, and ordering the destruction of Telavåg
. As a result Terboven was hated by the Norwegians and earned little respect among fellow Germans. Even Goebbels
showed anger in his diary
toward what he called Terboven's "bullying tactics" against the Norwegians, as it helped alienate the population against the Germans. Terboven nevertheless remained in charge of Norway until 1945, even after the proclamation of a Norwegian puppet regime under Vidkun Quisling
, the Quisling government.
As the tide of the war turned against Germany, Quisling's personal aspiration was to set up a "Fortress Norway" (Festung Norwegen
) for the Nazi regime's last stand. He also planned to set up concentration camps in Norway, establishing Falstad concentration camp
near Levanger
and Bredtvet concentration camp in Oslo
in late 1941.
With the announcement of Germany's surrender, Terboven committed suicide on 8 May 1945 by detonating 50 kg dynamite in a bunker on the Skaugum
compound. He died alongside the body of Obergruppenführer
Wilhelm Rediess
, SS and Police Leader
and commander of all SS troops in Norway, who had shot himself earlier.
Reichskommissar
Reichskommissar , in German history, was an official gubernatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and the Nazi Third Reich....
during the German occupation of Norway
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
.
Early life
Terboven was born in EssenEssen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, the son of minor landed gentry. He served in the German field artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and nascent air force
Luftstreitkräfte
The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte , known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches , or simply Die Fliegertruppen, was the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and was awarded the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
, rising to the rank of lieutenant. He studied law and political science at the universities of Munich and Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
, where he first got involved in politics.
Nazi Party career
Dropping out of the university in 1923, Terboven joined the NSDAP with member number 25247 and participated in the abortive Beer Hall PutschBeer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
in Munich. When the NSDAP was subsequently outlawed, he found work at a bank for a few years before being laid off in 1925.
He then went to work full-time for the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
party. Terboven helped establish the party in Essen and became 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:...
there in 1928. He was part of the 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...
from 1925, in which he reached the rank of Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
by 1936. On 29 June 1934, Terboven married Ilse Stahl, Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
' former secretary and mistress. Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
was the guest of honor at the wedding. Terboven was made Oberpräsident der Rheinprovinz in 1935 and earned a reputation as a petty and ruthless ruler.
Rule of Norway
Reichskommissar
Reichskommissar , in German history, was an official gubernatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and the Nazi Third Reich....
of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
on 24 April 1940, even before the military invasion
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
was completed on 7 June 1940. He moved into the Norwegian crown prince's residence at Skaugum
Skaugum
Skaugum is the official residence of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and of his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit.The estate is located in Asker municipality, about 15 miles southwest of Oslo. Owned by the Church in the Middle Ages, it passed through several owners until 1909, when Fritz Wedel...
in September 1940 and made his headquarters in Stortinget (the Norwegian parliament buildings).
Terboven ruled Norway as a dictator. He did not have authority over the 400,000 regular German Army forces
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
stationed in Norway which were the command of General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
Nikolaus von Falkenhorst was a German General who planned Operation Weserübung, the invasion of Denmark and Norway in 1940...
, but he did command a personal force of around 6,000 men, of whom 800 were part of the secret police. Among his most brutal actions where his declaration of martial law in Trondheim in 1942
Martial law in Trondheim in 1942
During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, the occupying powers imposed martial law in Trondheim and surrounding areas effective October 6, 1942 through October 12, 1942. During this time, 34 Norwegians were murdered by extrajudicial execution...
, and ordering the destruction of Telavåg
Telavåg
Telavåg is a small village in the municipality of Sund, located 39 km south west of Bergen, Norway, with a population of about 600.-Telavåg tragedy:...
. As a result Terboven was hated by the Norwegians and earned little respect among fellow Germans. Even Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
showed anger in his diary
Goebbels Diaries
Joseph Goebbels, a leading member of the German National Socialist Party and Propaganda Minister in Adolf Hitler's government from 1933 to 1945, kept a diary from 1923, when he was an unemployed ex-student with no interest in politics, until shortly before his death by suicide in Berlin on 1 May 1945...
toward what he called Terboven's "bullying tactics" against the Norwegians, as it helped alienate the population against the Germans. Terboven nevertheless remained in charge of Norway until 1945, even after the proclamation of a Norwegian puppet regime under Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
, the Quisling government.
As the tide of the war turned against Germany, Quisling's personal aspiration was to set up a "Fortress Norway" (Festung Norwegen
Festung Norwegen
Festung Norwegen was the German term for the heavy defense and fortification system of Norway during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany in World War II...
) for the Nazi regime's last stand. He also planned to set up concentration camps in Norway, establishing Falstad concentration camp
Falstad concentration camp
Falstad concentration camp was a prison camp in the village of Ekne in what was the municipality of Skogn in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway...
near Levanger
Levanger
Levanger is a town and municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherred region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Levanger...
and Bredtvet concentration camp in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
in late 1941.
With the announcement of Germany's surrender, Terboven committed suicide on 8 May 1945 by detonating 50 kg dynamite in a bunker on the Skaugum
Skaugum
Skaugum is the official residence of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and of his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit.The estate is located in Asker municipality, about 15 miles southwest of Oslo. Owned by the Church in the Middle Ages, it passed through several owners until 1909, when Fritz Wedel...
compound. He died alongside the body of Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
Wilhelm Rediess
Wilhelm Rediess
Wilhelm Rediess was the SS and Police Leader during the German occupation of Norway in the Second World War. He was also the commanding General of all SS troops stationed in occupied Norway, assuming command on 22 June 1940 until his death in 1945.- Early life :Rediess was born in Heinsberg,...
, SS and Police Leader
SS and Police Leader
SS and Police Leader was a title for senior Nazi officials that commanded large units of the SS, of Gestapo and of the regular German police during and prior to World War II.Three levels of subordination were established for bearers of this title:...
and commander of all SS troops in Norway, who had shot himself earlier.
Sources and references
(incomplete)- WorldStatesmen- here Norway
- http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/biografien/TerbovenJosef/index.htmlBiography from Deutsches Historisches MuseumDeutsches Historisches MuseumThe German Historical Museum , DHM for short, is a museum in Berlin devoted to German history and defines itself as a place of enlightenment and understanding of the shared history of Germans and Europeans....
] - Biography from Historisches Centrum Hagen