Paul Giesler
Encyclopedia
Paul Giesler was a member of the NSDAP, from 1941 NSDAP Gauleiter
of Westphalia
-South (Westfalen-Süd) and as of 1942 also acting Gauleiter of the Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria (Gau München-Oberbayern). He was from 2 November 1942 to 28 April 1945 the Premier (Ministerpräsident) of Bavaria
.
was from 1924 a Party speaker, an SA
leader, and leader of an NSDAP local (Ortsgruppenleiter). During the Night of the Long Knives
he only narrowly missed being arrested and murdered. He served in the Poland
and France
campaigns. Only from August 1941 did Giesler once again take up important Party functions, at Martin Bormann
's instigation, first becoming NSDAP Gauleiter of Westphalia-South in 1941, and then as of April 1942 Adolf Wagner
's successor as acting Gauleiter of Munich-Upper Bavaria. After Ludwig Siebert
's death on 1 November 1942, he was also appointed acting Ministerpräsident of Bavaria. As the war continued, he took up more and more ministerial posts, especially after Wagner's death.
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
(Weiße Rose) student resistance movement. In April 1945, he was appointed Reich Defence Commissar-South and with help from SS
units brutally quelled the "Freedom Action Bavaria" ("Freiheitsaktion Bayern") uprising under Captain Dr. Rupprecht Gerngroß
in Munich. In Adolf Hitler
's will of 29 April 1945, Giesler was made Reich Minister for the Interior. He never had the chance to assume this latest post, though.
As American troops approached, Giesler was reported to be planning the murder of the surviving inmates at Dachau concentration camp in March 1945. Karl von Eberstein
claimed he was ordered to 'use my influence with the commander of Dachau' to have 25,000 prisoners shot when the US approached. Eberstein refused. Geisler said he would poison the prisoners. Eberstein claimed he stopped Geisler by getting an order from Himmler to simply surrender the camps. Gieseler then fired Eberstein on April 20, on orders of Martin Bormann
, for 'defeatism'. On 8 May 1945, Nazi capitulation day, Giesler and his wife committed suicide, fearing capture by American troops as they fled Berchtesgaden.
Giesler was an unquestioning follower of Hitler, ruling efficiently and with almost unlimited power in the last war years in Bavaria.
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:...
of 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"...
-South (Westfalen-Süd) and as of 1942 also acting Gauleiter of the Gau Munich-Upper Bavaria (Gau München-Oberbayern). He was from 2 November 1942 to 28 April 1945 the Premier (Ministerpräsident) of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
.
Life
The trained architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
was from 1924 a Party speaker, an SA
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...
leader, and leader of an NSDAP local (Ortsgruppenleiter). During the Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
he only narrowly missed being arrested and murdered. He served in the Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
campaigns. Only from August 1941 did Giesler once again take up important Party functions, at 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...
's instigation, first becoming NSDAP Gauleiter of Westphalia-South in 1941, and then as of April 1942 Adolf Wagner
Adolf Wagner
Adolf Wagner was a German soldier and high-ranking Nazi Party official born in Algrange, Alsace-Lorraine.He served in World War I as an officer in the German Army...
's successor as acting Gauleiter of Munich-Upper Bavaria. After Ludwig Siebert
Ludwig Siebert (politician)
Ludwig Siebert was a Nazi politician and Bavarian prime minister from 1933 to 1942.-Life:...
's death on 1 November 1942, he was also appointed acting Ministerpräsident of Bavaria. As the war continued, he took up more and more ministerial posts, especially after Wagner's death.
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
White Rose
The White Rose was a non-violent/intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany, consisting of students from the University of Munich and their philosophy professor...
(Weiße Rose) student resistance movement. In April 1945, he was appointed Reich Defence Commissar-South and with help from SS
Schutzstaffel
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...
units brutally quelled the "Freedom Action Bavaria" ("Freiheitsaktion Bayern") uprising under Captain Dr. Rupprecht Gerngroß
Rupprecht Gerngroß
Rupprecht Gerngroß was a German lawyer and leader of the Freiheitsaktion Bayern, the FAB, , a group involved in an attempt to overthrow the Nazis in Munich in April 1945....
in Munich. In 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...
's will of 29 April 1945, Giesler was made Reich Minister for the Interior. He never had the chance to assume this latest post, though.
As American troops approached, Giesler was reported to be planning the murder of the surviving inmates at Dachau concentration camp in March 1945. Karl von Eberstein
Karl von Eberstein
Freiherr Freidrich Karl von Eberstein was a member of the German nobility, early member of the Nazi party, the SA, the SS, Reichstag delegate, an HSSPF and SS-Oberabschnitt Führer, head of the Munich Police in World War II, introduced Reinhard Heydrich to Heinrich Himmler, and was a witness at the...
claimed he was ordered to 'use my influence with the commander of Dachau' to have 25,000 prisoners shot when the US approached. Eberstein refused. Geisler said he would poison the prisoners. Eberstein claimed he stopped Geisler by getting an order from Himmler to simply surrender the camps. Gieseler then fired Eberstein on April 20, on orders of 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...
, for 'defeatism'. On 8 May 1945, Nazi capitulation day, Giesler and his wife committed suicide, fearing capture by American troops as they fled Berchtesgaden.
Giesler was an unquestioning follower of Hitler, ruling efficiently and with almost unlimited power in the last war years in Bavaria.
External links
- Detailed biography of Paul Giesler (Historisches Centrum Hagen)
- Town of Siegen: Paul Giesler's life path
- Hitler's will from 29 April 1945 (all in German)
- Picture of Paul Giesler, undated Historisches Lexikon Bayerns
