Gustav Hermann Schmischke (born 19 December 1883 - death date unknown) was 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 ...

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 Gau Anhalt and, later, Gau Anhalt-North Saxony Province (''Gau Anhalt-Provinz Sachsen Nord'').

Early life

Schmischke was born in Reichertswalde,

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

(today the village of Markowo, Ostróda County,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

). He attended '' volksschule'' and '' gymnasium'' through 1903. He then studied at the

University of Heidelberg Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...

, earning a degree in

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

in 1910. In 1913, he went into private practice as a

general practitioner A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a Consultant (medicine), consultant in general practice. GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk ass ...

. In 1924 he was elected to 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

Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the 8th-largest state in Germany by area an ...

, serving until 1928.

Nazi Party career

On 6 July 1925 Schmischke joined the

(membership number 9,355) and on 17 July 1925 he was entrusted with the leadership of Gau Anhalt, replacing Dr. Tesch of

Bernburg Bernburg (Saale) () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the Salzlandkreis district. The former residence of the Anhalt-Bernburg princes is known for its Renaissance castle. Geography The town centre is situated in the fertile Magdeb ...

as ''

''. He worked at strengthening the internal cohesion of the Party and building a more efficient organization, and succeeded in forming several new local branches.Hitler's Voice: The Völkischer Beobachter, 1920-1933, Volume I, Organisation & Development of the Nazi Party, p.200
/ref> On 1 September 1926, Schmischke's jurisdiction was enlarged by a merger with the two neighboring Gaue of Magdeburg and Elbe-Havel. The new district was named Gau Anhalt-North Saxony Province. However, after differences developed between Schmischke and the ''Ortsgruppe'' (Local Group) in

Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...

, he submitted his resignation on 28 February 1927. This was approved on 1 April 1927 and he was succeeded by his Deputy ''Gauleiter'', Wilhelm Friedrich Loeper. Schmischke subsequently served as the Gau Representative for Population and Racial Policy. In 1935 he became the department head in the Party's Office of Public Health in Gau Magdeburg-Anhalt. In November 1941 he was named ''Gaugehundsheitsführer'' (Gau Health Leader). Schmischke was a recipient of the Golden Party Badge. Nothing further is known of his subsequent life.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schmischke, Gustav Hermann 1883 births Year of death unknown People from Morąg People from East Prussia Physicians in the Nazi Party Gauleiters German general practitioners