Fritz Wächtler (7 January 1891 – 19 April 1945) was a
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 ...
official and politician who served as the ''
Gauleiter
A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...
'' of the eastern Bavarian
administrative region of
Gau Bayreuth. Trained as a primary school teacher, he also became head of the
National Socialist Teachers League (NSLB) in 1935. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
he held the honorary rank of
SS-''
Obergruppenführer'' and was the
Reich Defense Commissioner of Gau Bayreuth. Prone to alcoholic outbursts and unpopular with the local residents, he eventually ran afoul of
Martin Bormann
Martin Ludwig Bormann (17 June 1900 – 2 May 1945) was a German Nazi Party official and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery, private secretary to Adolf Hitler, and a war criminal. Bormann gained immense power by using his position as Hitler ...
in a political intrigue. Wächtler was executed on orders from
''Führer'' Headquarters near the end of the war on 19 April 1945.
Early life
Fritz Wächtler was born in 1891 in
Triebes, in the
Principality of Reuss-Gera
The Principality of Reuss-Gera (), officially called the Principality of the Reuss Junior Line () after 1848, was a sovereign state in modern Germany, ruled by members of the House of Reuss. It was one of the successor states of the Imperial C ...
(present-day
Thuringia
Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area.
Er ...
), the son of a watchmaker. He attended
volksschule in Triebes and
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...
, and between 1905 and 1911 he attended the
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...
''Lehrerseminar'', a special training academy for primary school teachers. After two years working as a teacher in
Vippachedelhausen, he volunteered for military service in October 1913 as a "one-year volunteer" () with Infantry Regiment 94, "Grand Duke of Saxony." On the outbreak of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
he was deployed to the
western front. By August 1915 he had been promoted to ''
Leutnant'' and served as the commander of a machine gun company with his original regiment and, later, ''
Landwehr
''Landwehr'' (), or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national army, armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fo ...
'' Infantry Regiment 7. In the spring of 1916 he was twice wounded in action and classified as unfit for front-line duty. However, in January 1918 he was returned to the front, serving there until discharged at the end of the war in November. During the war he received many
decorations, including the
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
, 2nd class. After discharge from the service, Wächtler returned to his teaching position in Vippachedelhausen, working as an educator until 1932.
Nazi career
Wächtler joined 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 ...
(membership number 35,313) on 26 April 1926. He founded the local branch of the Party in Vippachedelhausen, becoming the ''
Ortsgruppenleiter'' (Local Group Leader) there for the next two years. He also joined 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) becoming the SA-''Führer'' for the Weimar-North district. From 1927 to 1932 he also became the Party ''
Kreisleiter'' (District Leader) for Weimar-North. From 1928 to 1932 he served as the only Nazi member of the ''Kreisrat'' (District Council) in ''
Landkreis'' Weimar. On 8 December 1929, Wächtler was elected as a member of the ''
Landtag
A ''Landtag'' (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence ...
'' of Thuringia where he would serve until October 1933. From 1929 to 1932, he was the Business Manager and Training Officer for
Gau Thuringia. Then on 15 June 1932, he was made the Organization Leader and Deputy ''
Gauleiter
A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...
'' there under
Fritz Sauckel. On 26 August 1932, Wächtler was appointed Education Minister in the cabinet formed by Sauckel when he became
Minister President of Thuringia.
Following the
Nazi Seizure of Power in 1933, Sauckel was made ''
Reichsstatthalter
The ''Reichsstatthalter'' (, ''Reich lieutenant'') was a title used in the German Empire and later in Nazi Germany.
''Statthalter des Reiches'' (1879–1918)
The office of ''Statthalter des Reiches'' (otherwise known as ''Reichsstatthalter'' ...
'' (Reich Governor) of Thuringia. Wächtler remained as education minister and, on 8 May 1933, was also named
interior minister
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...
; on 13 May he was also made deputy to the new minister president,
Willy Marschler. Wächtler retained all these posts until 22 January 1936. As the powerful interior minister, he had control over all the police and security apparatus of the State. Wächtler was elected a member of the ''
Reichstag'' for electoral constituency 12,
Thuringia
Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area.
Er ...
, on 12 November 1933. He would remain a ''Reichstag'' deputy until his death, switching to constituency 25,
Lower Bavaria–Upper Palatinate, at the 29 March 1936 election.
In November 1934, Wächtler joined the ''
Schutzstaffel
The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II.
It beg ...
'' (SS-Number 209,058) as an SS-''
Oberführer
__NOTOC__
''Oberführer'' (short: ''Oberf'', , ) was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) dating back to 1921. An ''Oberführer'' was typically an NSDAP member in charge of a group of paramilitary units in a particular geograph ...
''. By the end of January 1936 he was promoted to the rank of SS-''
Brigadeführer'', in April 1937 to SS-''
Gruppenführer'' and, finally, on 1 August 1944 to
SS-''
Obergruppenführer''. He was assigned to the staff of the ''
Reichsführer-SS
(, ) was a special title and rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945 for the commander of the (SS). ''Reichsführer-SS'' was a title from 1925 to 1933, and from 1934 to 1945 it was the highest Uniforms and insignia of the Schut ...
'' from April 1937 until his death.
[Utho Grieser: "Himmlers Mann in Nürnberg. Der Fall Benno Martin. Eine Studie zur Struktur des 3. Reiches in der "Stadt der Reichsparteitage“" in: ''Nürnberger Werkstücke zur Stadt- und Landesgeschichte.'' Band 13) Nürnberg: Stadtarchiv Nürnberg, 1974, , p. 312]
''Gauleiter''
On 5 March 1935 the first ''Gauleiter'' of the
Gau Bavarian Eastern March,
Hans Schemm, died in an airplane crash. For an interim period the Gau was run by the Deputy ''Gauleiter''
Ludwig Ruckdeschel in an acting capacity. However, on 5 December Wachtler was appointed the permanent ''Gauleiter'' in place of Ruchdeschel. This would engender a rivalry between them that would have dire consequences for Wächtler. The Gau capital of
Bayreuth
Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...
was home to the family of
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
and the site of the annual
Bayreuth Festival, supported and regularly attended by
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 ...
. As such, its ''Gauleiter'' was considered a high-profile posting. Wächtler at the same time also succeeded Schemm as head of the
National Socialist Teachers League (NSLB) and head (''
Hauptamtsleiter'') of the Main Office for Education in the Party ''Reichsleitung'' (National Leadership). From January 1936 he also was the Expert on All School Questions on the Party headquarters staff of Deputy ''Führer''
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 ( ...
. In this position he had supervisory authority over the ''
Reichsschule Feldafing'', an elite Party leadership school.
At the 29 March 1936 elections, Wächtler was returned as a ''Reichstag'' Deputy for electoral constituency 25, ''Niederbayern'' (
Lower Bavaria). For a short period in 1938 he served as the acting ''
Oberburgermeister'' of the city of Bayreuth.
[Bayerische Ostmark, 1933-45]
Historisches Lexikon Bayerns, retrieved 20 June 2012 Unlike Schemm, Wächtler was an outsider to Bavarians and enjoyed no popularity among the residents of his Gau or among the Reich leadership. He was brutal with subordinates and prone to uncontrolled alcoholic outbursts in public. One assessment of his character stated:
In place of the elegant, affable Schemm, a brilliant orator, there appeared the ungainly figure of the oratorically untalented and philistine Wächtler, whose dogged adherence to the Party line soon earned him the epithet ‘megalomaniac schoolteacher’. He rigorously put the increasingly draconian new laws into effect, above all those aimed at Jews and the churches, and as an outsider he made enemies in the area …
Even
Winifred Wagner, daughter-in-law of Richard Wagner, complained repeatedly about his misconduct to her friend Hitler. However, she also frequently tried to intervene with Hitler on behalf of Jewish friends for clemency. This is likely why Wächtler, while not in Hitler's favor, remained untouched until 1945.
Wächtler was involved in organizing the anti-Jewish ''
Kristallnacht'' riots of 9–10 November 1938 in his Gau. The next day, the Reich leadership in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
ordered cessation of further property destruction because they feared the riots they had instigated would lead to more radical actions not under their control. Wächtler tried to use the opportunity to force public school teachers to sign a personal oath that they would no longer teach any religious subjects. Highly unpopular, Rudolf Hess had to order the directive rescinded. From 1938, Wächtler's district became home to the
Flossenbürg concentration camp and its many
subcamps.
In February 1939, the ''Donau-Zeitung'' reported about Wächtler's visit in
Hauzenberg, where the ''Gauleiter'' had dedicated a party district house. After seeing the condition of the school in
Wegscheid, a new building was decided. In March 1939, when Wächtler spoke at the
Passau
Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north.
Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...
Nibelungenhalle, the ''Donau-Zeitung'' reported an audience of 12,000. In April 1939, Wächtler purchased the
Passau
Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north.
Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...
Haus, where Hitler had lived for two years. One year later, he donated it to the city of Passau.
On 2 June 1942, Wächtler's Gau Bavarian Eastern March was renamed
Gau Bayreuth, since due to Germany's territorial expansion it was no longer a
borderland region. On 16 November 1942, Wächtler was appointed
Reich Defense Commissioner (''Reichsverteidigungskommissar'') for his Gau, and in September 1944 he became the commander of the ''
Volkssturm'' units in the Gau. It was in these positions that he came to realize the war would be lost. This attitude became apparent to his superiors when he prevented the seizure of the historic
Bayreuth Festspielhaus for use in defense of the city. By 1945 his additional failure to send daily situation reports to
Führer Headquarters brought him to the attention and suspicion of
Martin Bormann
Martin Ludwig Bormann (17 June 1900 – 2 May 1945) was a German Nazi Party official and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery, private secretary to Adolf Hitler, and a war criminal. Bormann gained immense power by using his position as Hitler ...
, Hitler's powerful Secretary and head of the
Nazi Party Chancellery.
[Ian Kershaw: ''The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945'', New York: Penguin, 2011, ] Bormann had previously ordered the closing of the
National Socialist Teachers League (NSLB) on 17 February 1943, together with all its Gau offices across Germany. Wächtler, fearing the loss of influence, complained that the NSLB was essential for the war effort in long rambling memos to Bormann, to no avail.
Death
In 1945 Hitler declared the city of Bayreuth to be a fortress, which led to the destruction of over one third of the city by air raids. On 1 April 1945, Bormann issued a further order that all ''Gauleiters'', ''Kreisleiters'', and other NSDAP political leaders were to fight to the death in their districts.
[BAB, NS6/353, fo. 151, Memo of Martin Bormann to all Reichsleiter, Gauleiter and Verbandsführer, 1.4.45; also in IfZ, Fa-91/4, fo. 1099] A particularly heavy air raid took place on 11 April. With much of the city in ruins and only 200 irregular defenders left, Wächtler fled Bayreuth with his staff the next day as American forces approached. He reportedly left the bomb-ruined city in a convoy of “several lorries of food, spirits and cigarettes.” He set up offices at a hotel in
Waldmünchen in the southern part of the Gau near the former
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
n border, some 140 kilometers from Bayreuth. On 14 April, Bayreuth surrendered to the
US 3rd Army without a fight. It is unclear whether communications difficulties prevented Wächtler from informing Führer Headquarters of his location, however his Deputy ''Gauleiter'' and longtime political rival
Ludwig Ruckdeschel used the opportunity to contact Bormann and accuse Wächtler of
desertion
Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...
. On 19 April, Wächtler was relieved of all his posts and expelled from the Party for cowardice and desertion. On orders from ''Führer'' Headquarters, Ruckdeschel appeared at the hotel with 35 SS troops, pronounced a death sentence and summarily executed Wächtler by
firing squad
Firing may refer to:
* Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination
* Firemaking, the act of starting a fire
* Burning; see combustion
* Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms
* Execution by firing squad, a method of ...
.
[ Ruckdeschel immediately replaced Wächtler as acting ''Gauleiter'' and Reich Defense Commissioner.
A ]posthumous
Posthumous may refer to:
* Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death
* Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death
* Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...
denazification proceeding was held in Ansbach
Ansbach ( , ; ) is a city in the Germany, German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk, administrative region of Mittelfranken, Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränk ...
, and on 17 February 1949, Wächtler was classified into Group I (Major Offender) resulting in the confiscation of his entire estate. Ruckdeschel was sentenced to 13 years in prison for several executions after the war, albeit not for that of Wächtler.
See also
* List SS-Obergruppenführer
References
Sources
* Joachim Lilla, Martin Döring, Andreas Schulz: ''Statisten in Uniform''. Düsseldorf: Droste, 2004, .
* Erich Stockhorst: ''5000 Köpfe. Wer war was im Dritten Reich''. Kiel: Arndt, 2000, .
* Albrecht Tyrell: ''Führer befiehl … – Selbstzeugnisse aus der ‚Kampfzeit' der NSDAP'', Gondrom Verlag Bindlach 1991 (© 1969 Droste Verlag Düsseldorf) , p. 385.
External links
Fritz Wächtler in the database of members of the Reichstag
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wachtler, Fritz
1891 births
1945 deaths
Gauleiters
German Army personnel of World War I
German murder victims
German schoolteachers
Members of the Landtag of Thuringia
Members of the Reichstag 1933–1936
Members of the Reichstag 1936–1938
Members of the Reichstag 1938–1945
Ministers of the Thuringia State Government
Nazis executed by Nazi Germany by firing squad
People from the Principality of Reuss-Greiz
People from Thuringia executed by Nazi Germany
People from Zeulenroda-Triebes
People murdered in Nazi Germany
Politicians from Thuringia
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 2nd class
SS-Obergruppenführer
Sturmabteilung personnel
Volkssturm personnel killed in action